The failure of the district to make any progress toward closing the black white achievement gap is something that Peelbes supporters and the board want to sweep under the rug, for obvious reasons. What Steve Brandt initially wrote about the recently released basic skills test scores in the Star Tribune is not the kind of news coverage the MPS Board and administration wanted.
I'm am sure a large percentage of Strib readers saw at least one of the recent articles / editorials about Peebles' job performance, and far fewer saw Steve Brandt's article about the test scores. As I recall, Brandt's test score analysis was NOT part of a story on page 1, A section, above the fold, at least 2 stories on page 1 of the metro section, and addressed in "our view" editorials, letters to the editor, a Doug Grow column, and commentary in the local black press (e.g., Ron Edwards). Steve Brandt's article about the basic standards test scores noted that test scores were up districtwide, and that overall, poor performing schools made much smaller gains. Peebles' schools registered the smallest gains. No progress was made toward closing the black-white achievement gap. How is the superintendent standing up for the black community and standing up to the school board? As I noted in my latest blog entry, the board and its superintendent are not in compliance with the Minnesota Department of Education's Desegregation Rule and the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment of the US constitution. See blog entry for 19 June 2005 at http://educationright.com/blog The African American leaders who are circling the wagons around Peebles should be blasting the school board for its illegally segregated schools, the revolving door for teachers in black schools, noncompliance with Title VI of the civil rights act of 1964, etc. However, they got real quiet about how the board is denying a majority of African American students an adequate education, and started hushing and shushing people with gripes about the schools immediately after Peebles was hired. Peelbes is not a strong superintendent, and the board had good reason to believe she would be a weak superintendent when they hired her. Peebles had no prior experience as a superintendent, and therefore could not quickly get her feet on the ground and play a strong leadership role. Her abrasive "management style" reportedly undermined her authority as assistant superintendent in the Cleveland schools. The only acceptable defense against some of the "rumored" conduct toward subordinates reported in Strib and City Pages is that "it didn't happen." -Doug Mann, King Field Just returned from a one-week vacation in Grand Marais, MN candidate for 8th ward city council http://educationright.com/blog REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
