I just read Sunday’s DNT story on the Integration experts. I got to this paragraph when my BS detector went wild:
Money that paid for magnet school programs in three Duluth elementary schools was redirected to pay for the specialists and their training after years of study showed that magnet programs were failing their goal of integrating children of different races.
According to Mr. Haglund the District’s 12 new Integration Specialists were hired because it was discovered that having a magnet school program failed to integrate kids. OOGAAAAAA OOOOOOGAAAAA OOOOOOOGAAAAAA!
(That’s the sound of a sub beginning to submerge)
So, to stem the magnet schools segregation Dr. Dixon designed a plan to concentrate the high minority student populations of Grant and Nettleton Magnets by consolidating them. Genious!
Our magnet schools may be faulted MAY BE faulted for failing to get minority kids up to speed. BUT, They did help mix non minority kids with minority kids by making the inner schools more attractive with a richer curriculum and smaller class sizes.
Its possible that the minority specialists will be able to do what the Deseg program was intended to do but hiring twelve new teachers doesn’t cost a million plus bucks which is what Deseg funding brings in from the state.
Nope! Almost certainly much of the Deseg money is being used to keep a sinking boat afloat and doing nothing for minority children. You can be sure that the small classes at the old inner city schools have grown larger thereby making the more concentrated minority students just that much more invisible to their regular teachers.
I don’t blame the Education reporter for writing this. Its what the District wants the Community to believe. It ranks right up there with the claim that a two year’s too late, non binding Plan B referendum will destroy our public schools.
I would remind the Trib’s new Education reporter that it was just after her predecessor wrote a story the headline of which asked the question of whether killing the Magnet School Program was such a good idea that she was canned. (Not that I want the Trib’s Education Reporter to be paranoid or anything)
