[Mpls] School Choice: Minneapolis

[Michael Atherton]

Tamir Nolley wrote:
 
> Beginning in third grade, my son moved to Minneapolis, and 
> after searching the schools, I felt that Cityview Community 
> School (yes, one of the schools with a large minority 
> population the Michael would be afraid to send HIS 
> children....on the North Side no less!) would best meet his needs.

Race has nothing to do with my views on where I would
send my children, educational acheivement and success 
rates do.
 
> There is the other part of this equation.  Parents are just 
> as responsible for their child's education as the schools.  
> The "alarming" graduation rate?  School can only do so much, 
> parents need to make sure the homework gets done, and when 
> necessary, get on their kid's case about about putting the 
> work in to school.  This is true no matter what school a 
> student attends.

Parents may be responsible for their children's educational
success, but the schools are responsible for their failures.
 
> Attitudes like the one below, and the fact that there are so 
> many people convinced that this is the truth are arguably the 
> reason that our school boards, as well as our state and 
> federal governments, keep trying to fix things that aren't 
> broken, and reform what is working fine.  

Everything is going fine in the MPS?  Somehow I have a little
trouble believing that when there's a 47% dropout rate (even
after they played with the numbers, changing it from a 51%
failure to graduate in four years rate to a 47% never graduate
rate).

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park