Posted on 03/02/2006 8:41:14 AM PST by unionblue83
MINNEAPOLIS--Something momentous is happening here in the home of prairie populism: black flight. African-American families from the poorest neighborhoods are rapidly abandoning the district public schools, going to charter schools, and taking advantage of open enrollment at suburban public schools. Today, just around half of students who live in the city attend its district public schools.
As a result, Minneapolis schools are losing both raw numbers of students and "market share." In 1999-2000, district enrollment was about 48,000; this year, it's about 38,600. Enrollment projections predict only 33,400 in 2008. A decline in the number of families moving into the district accounts for part of the loss, as does the relocation of some minority families to inner-ring suburbs. Nevertheless, enrollments are relatively stable in the leafy, well-to-do enclave of southwest Minneapolis and the city's white ethnic northeast. But in 2003-04, black enrollment was down 7.8%, or 1,565 students. In 2004-05, black enrollment dropped another 6%.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Trust me, they have. And they need a change of drawers.
The state of Iowa does OK in this category with a graduation rate state-wide of 90.3%.
Most of Iowa's schools are non-union.
charter schools work. kids at five years old are reciting states and capitals, doing math, and sitting in their chair paying attention. the trade off is that they are slightly militaristic. might be the reason for the off the charts progress.
Ping
HOORAY! The more this happens, the less influence the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, et al, will have. It is sickening that black "leaders" thrive on keeping their followers feeling oppressed and disenfranchised.
A very encouraging article !
This part is classic:
[Minneapolis is a one-party town, dominated by Democrats, and is currently reeling from leadership shake-ups that have resulted in three superintendents in the last few years. The district has handled budget cutbacks and school closings ineptly, leading some parents to joke bitterly about its tendency to penalize success and reward failure.]
That's the Democratic worldview in a nutshell. Ineptness, penalizing success, and rewarding failure is what Democrats are all about. Just look at how they've opposed Tax Cuts and rail against any tax system that isn't "progressive" enough.
"Penalize success ! Reward failure !" should be the campaign slogan for some Democrat.
Mine wasn't(I grad from Ogden, Iowa HS in 1980) ALL of the teacher there were union(NEA/AFT).
The NAACP scum will lobby for a law to stop this activity.
We used to play you guys in basketball. I webt to Gilbert H.S. (class of 1960).
Sad to hear the unions have taken over...maybe ever at Gilbert. I's been a few years.
BTTT
Hillary Clinton sent Chelsea to an exclusive private school.
So, what's her real beef with allowing ordinary parents, who aren't as rich as the Clintons, to get the same kind of education for their children?
Could it be that like many prominent Democrats, she's heavily reliant on the teachers' unions for money and manpower so she has to slavishly adhere to their positions on the issues even if the children suffer for it?
Bingo, that's exactly what her opposition to vouchers is really all about: protecting members of the teachers' unions from competition.
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