Phillip's Musings 2007 archive

Each month Phillip Miner, director of Community Initiative at the Council, shares some personal thoughts on education and societal issues of the day as he sees them. Here are his recent columns:

Dec. 13, 2007

In October I wrote about my pleasure in the steps being taken by St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen to offer and pay for select college prep tests for high school 10th- and 11th-graders. Other targeted efforts are in place as well. Now, the Minneapolis School Board has approved a plan that "aims high." While some argue it's too vague and others worry about impact on teacher compensation and seniority, this educator applauds the focus on future performance and success of students. Whether students seek a certification in a technical skill area or a Ph.D., Minneapolis schools seem ready to prepare all students for their next step, but especially students of color and new Americans, low-income and first-generation youth.

Whether we like it or believe it, an increasing percent of youth from urban core school districts will be the future leaders who will wrestle with the great challenges facing us as a world community. These youth will address issues of war and peace, economic prosperity, the environment, race relations and geo-political collaboration. We adult professionals, faith and political community leaders, parents and the rest must ask ourselves — what are we prepared to do to ensure the success of schools in Minneapolis and elsewhere?  I've met with Eleanor Coleman, Chief of Student Support, Family & Community Engagement for Minneapolis Schools and committed to supporting two emerging initiatives. What will you do?

Note: Miner is also engaged with the Multicultural Excellence Program (MEP) in St. Paul Schools. He made a classroom presentation on college planning on Dec. 19 at Central High School in St. Paul with 10-year veteran MEP volunteer, Kimberly Delaney of HealthPartners.

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Nov. 5, 2007
The recent commitment to closing the achievement gap by public college systems across the country is to be applauded. Their commitment was reported in a recent article in Inside Education. It reads in part, "...the public college systems all have agreed to cut in half within eight years their own gaps in college-going and college graduation rates for low-income students and those from underrepresented minority groups." We are excited that our own Minnesota State Colleges and Universities are among the public systems committed to this quest.

This declaration is an acknowledgement of the systems' belief that, like their white and Asian American counterparts, young African-American, American Indian and Hispanic-American youth can indeed meet and master the academic rigor requisite to completing a high school and college degree. A belief long held by this writer and many of us in the private college world in the U. S. This basic belief will help drive the efforts of all connected to the K-16 education pipeline to work toward the same outcome — increased degree completion for all groups, but especially those from under performing communities of color.

While it is true that in our state Minnesota's Private Colleges experience the best four-, five- and six-year college degree completion rates for minority graduates (PDF, 54 KB) in the state, improvement is still needed. Our member schools continue to work hard at recruiting a more diverse class as well.  In the past 10 years, students of color have enrolled in our schools at a rate seven times that of their white counterparts and earned roughly 26 percent of Minnesota's BA degrees. See the facts.

This nationwide commitment from public post-secondary systems, coupled with the historic and on-going success in many private colleges and universities is a good sign that positive change is on the way.

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Oct. 15, 2007
This educator is excited about the bold step taken recently by St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. She has agreed to offer and pay the cost for select college prep tests for high school 10th- and 11th-graders (read more about the inititative). I share the superintendent's belief that this move will increase participation in testing by a broader population of students. I certainly hope it will for students from diverse backgrounds — especially students of color. My further hope is the many access programs in and outside the district will intentionally encourage youth of color, first generation and new Americans to take advantage of this opportunity. It is one additional step toward preparing for college. I hope these same stakeholders will also encourage students to consistently enroll in rigorous, college prep classes. Competitive test scores are important. However, nothing takes the place of subject matter mastery when it comes to preparing for success — both in high school and college.

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Sept. 17, 2007
The concept seems so simple, but does require the entire "village" to make it happen. The goal is to help more of our youth develop reading proficiency between the age of 3 and the third grade. This would require involvement and engagement of multiple adults who touch the lives of the youth including parents, day-care workers and others who interact with youth. Research has long demonstrated that academic success is greatly enhanced when literacy levels of youth are more developed by the time they enter kindergarten and certainly advanced if their literacy level is on target by third grade. The positive outcomes of such an effort are even more important and impacting for children who are either low-income, new American or from communities of color.

I hope the post-secondary community, beyond students planning a career in education, will engage with the process in Minnesota. Our collective future depends on it.

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August 24, 2007
How about an African-American AP course?
A recent story in Inside Higher Ed noted that the Advanced Placement (AP) program offers curriculums and testing in 37 areas but African-American history is not one of them.

High school and college officials should consider pushing this discussion with those college personnel who make recommendations to the College Board for new AP courses. It seems to me that this is as much an opportunity to add another rigorous academic course to the slate of AP offerings as to broaden the academic literacy of our nation.  And for African American students who have been reluctant to tackle AP, this could be a bridge into the program. To increase and diversify high school classes that are rigorous in multiple disciplines — including African American history — seems appropriate to this educator.

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August 2007
Earlier this summer, the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) published a statement. It read in part: "Educators and employers strongly agree that, to be prepared for the global economy, Americans need both knowledge of societal diversity and direct experience in working and solving problems with people of different backgrounds."
 
A shared goal across our membership is to increase racial and ethnic diversity on campus. Since 1996 our member schools have successfully and consistently increased diversity in our collective student bodies. The fall 2006 undergraduate U.S. domestic students-of-color headcount was 11.6 percent — up from 8.2 percent a decade ago. New student enrollment figures for the same population was 12.6 percent — up from 8.1 percent in fall 1996. These figures do not include international students.

Although the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down the Seattle, Wash. and Louisville, Ky. voluntary school integration plans may chill efforts at the K-12 level to create more diverse learning environments, our colleges and universities will continue our efforts to attract and enroll a student body that reflects the diversity of our country. Additionally on the retention front, with the best four-, five-, and six-year college graduation rates (download PDF report) in  Minnesota for all BA recipients and graduates of color, our schools will continue to lead in producing competitive graduates who will help meet our future workforce and community engagement needs.
 
We invite our colleagues in the Minnesota public and career college higher education systems to remain committed along with us to making the AAC&U's committee statement a practical reality in our state. Through our collective and collaborative effort, we can afford all citizens educational access, choice and success at the baccalaureate level and beyond.

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July 2007
Recently, much has been said about the value of incentives as a means to motivate or otherwise encourage youth — especially 'youth at risk' — to focus on academic success. Some states are teaming with national brand retailers to provide youth-friendly incentive gadgets (iPods, ring tones, etc.) to high school youth for good attendance. Whether it's the work in New York City schools by Harvard economist, Dr. Roland G. Fryer to pay students for attendance and test score performance, or the Web-based life planning option, mygrowthplan.org led by a Minnesota- and Florida-based not-for-profit; incentives have increasing currency when working with today's youth. Also, the one-time exceptional act of paying for college for entire classrooms of students is now fairly common. While my initial reactions are ‘old school’ (“why should we have to give youth incentive to do what they must do to be successful?”) an increasing body of research seems to suggest incentives can and do work.
 
Therefore, this old dog is learning a new trick. Given the very disturbing demographics that project a national shortage of college graduates on the horizon (see 2006 State of Students of Color) any and all reasonable approaches and strategies to better prepare an increased number of high school youth and others who obtain a college degree in a timely manner is worth considering. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.
—Phillip W. Miner

Age 3 to Grade 3 — Great Idea!
The 3 to 3 concept of working to build preliteracy skills in young children is a great idea. Bob Wedl, a former Minnesota education commissioner, helped design the model. A version of the concept has been used in Minneapolis schools as well as some Montessori schools in Minnesota. It's an old idea with a new life in Minnesota. According to a recent Star Tribune editorial, "it is a learning model that focuses on getting preschoolers the preliteracy skills they need to prepare them for kindergarten." Some older Minnesotans may recall the corporate lead and supported program called "Success by Six."

• FYI: Resources and Information for Diverse Audiences