---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Samatar School Board Newsletter <hussein@husseinsamatar.com>
| | | Minneapolis School Board Updates: Hussein Samatar | 08/17/11 |
| | | | Samatar School Board Newsletter
Greetings! As many of us gear up for the upcoming school year, I hope that this update finds you all doing well and enjoying the last weeks of Summer.As you may recall, I periodically publish these newsletters as a way to keep you updated on the progress of School Board issues, as well as present my perspective and impressions of topics that I feel need to be discussed further. This update focuses on the latter. I look forward to future discussions on this topic, and thank you again for your support.
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| | My Prediction
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As we begin the 2011-12 school year in Minneapolis, I have a prediction: This will be a difficult year for black boys. I don't have any inside information. I know many Minneapolis teachers, principals and staff who work tirelessly to educate black boys and other students. I know there are many programs in our community that work with black boys outside of school. Yet, black boys are not doing well anywhere. It is not a Minneapolis problem or one that anyone should expect the Minneapolis school system to solve alone. It is, however, a problem that exists, and will play out in many ways within our community. - It plays out when an education reporter writes about the size of our achievement gap or profiles of suspensions or dropouts.
- It plays out when groups demand immediate changes that will not help the situation.
- It plays out when our administration feels compelled to announce plans with promises to improve the situation, but really only shelf-lives of around two years.
We hear from critics that it is time to end excuse-making. I have no problem with the push for personal responsibility, but I think we cannot ignore the differentiating factors affecting the entire lives of black boys, not just the few hours they are in school, . There are lots of things to read and watch nationally, as others around the country deal with the same problem. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is investing $30 million of his money in a program to aid minority youth. The Council of Great City Schools completed a study last year entitled, "A Call for Change: The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools." It offers statistical evidence of the lesser outcomes and recommends "the creation of national and local organization with an interest and stake in seeking improvement to coordinate their efforts on behalf of Black male youth" and "build a nationwide network of support, particularly in the nation's major cities to mentor and support individual Black male young people and their families." Cincinnati has begun a black youth initiative to help African-American boys and other at-risk male students succeed. There are lots of good resources out there, from Pedro Noguera's "The Trouble with Black Boys" to the Children's Defense Fund's "America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline." Nationally, there is a lot of rumbling. I think it is time for Minneapolis to pick up on it. It is time to begin a citywide conversation about black boys. We need teachers and community members to discuss in comfortable surroundings about the challenges, and strategies that might help. These discussions must cross all the lines that separate us: parents and nonparents, teachers, business people, social workers, and citizens. I do not guarantee we will come up with the right answers, but perhaps we can move forward with the right questions. |
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Again, thank you for your time and support. I truly look forward to any questions, concerns, or comments that you may have. We cannot move forward on these important issues if we do not discuss them, so feel free to email me. Sincerely, 
Hussein Samatar
Director, Board of Education
Minneapolis Public Schools |
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| Samatar School Board Updates | 4601 Washburn Ave. S. | Minneapolis | MN | 55410 |
