Panel stresses urgency of closing achievement gap

Higher Ground Academy Founder-Director Bill Wilson  Credit: Shane of Necessary Exposure

by Charles Hallman
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 11/10/2010 

But shift in political winds could stall progress

Putting students first is among the most important things to be done if ever the Black-White student achievement gap is to be closed, several education professionals and advocates agreed at a recent public exchange of ideas on the subject. Higher Ground Academy Founder-Director Bill Wilson, St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Valeria Silva, Minnesota State Representative Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul), St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, and St. Paul Federation of Teachers President Mary Cathryn Ricker addressed the issue during a 90-minute education panel discussion November 3 at Macalester College.

Based on Minnesota statewide math and reading test scores, the educational achievement gap between Blacks and other students of color and Whites starts at around 30 percentage points as early as third grade and continues to widen the remainder of their school years. “We do well with many students,” but not with Black students, admitted Silva. “We have to start owning that our African American students are not achieving the gains they should be.”

Many Black children “cannot see the return on investment… They are discouraged” by school, noted Wilson, who added that more early childhood programs are needed. “The teaching of children must start at least at six months [of age and] then go forward.”

If the gap were reversed and White students performed academically poorer than Blacks, Mayor Coleman believes “there would be a riot.” 

Said Ricker, “I believe every student should have a high school diploma” no matter how long it takes.

“The achievement gap exists because of a disconnect between students and teachers,” believes Wilson. 

“I’m not an educator but a politician and policymaker,” said Mariani, executive director of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership (MMEP), which since 2001 has annually tracked the academic progress of Blacks and other students of color.

The 2009 MMEP report noted that the chances of students of color “successfully graduating from high school…are not much improved from eight years ago.” 

Mariani agreed with Wilson that educators “making connections” with both students and their parents is “how you close the gap.”

“There’s no silver bullet,” said Coleman, adding that developing “out-of-school programs” at local libraries and parks is needed. Because the overall population in Minnesota is becoming “less White and more diverse,” closing the achievement gap is becoming increasingly important for Minnesota’s economy, whose workforce needs to be “highly educated,” Coleman said. To help close the gap, “It takes everyone [in the community] to take a role.” 

“This is an urgent matter,” Silva said, “but not just for us as educators. [It’s also urgent] for everybody that is working to improve the quality of life of students and families in the city.” 

The superintendent pointed out that education “is not a priority” nationwide as well as in Minnesota. “Education is not cool in America.” 

But last week’s panel might have been a “preaching to the choir” experience for many of the 150-175 persons in attendance, who were either students studying education or persons working in education. That’s how it looked to Macalester Humanities, Media and Cultural Studies Professor Leola Johnson 
“They [the panelists] are talking about things that people in the audience already agree with,” Johnson said. “What we actually need to do is to persuade people who don’t agree, but those people don’t show up at forums like this.”
Nonetheless, each participant on last week’s achievement gap panel “is clearly committed to doing their part [in] solving this problem,” noted Ricker. 

“We all came here saying, ‘This is what we all are doing to solve this problem,’ and we only got to scratch the surface on what we actually are doing. 

“If anything, this gave me the opportunity to continue the conversation with everyone here,” Ricker said. “We need to have the right conversation.” 
Wilson says he’d suggested further meetings with Silva, Mariani, Coleman, Ricker and others to work on solving the gap problems: “I am going to call the mayor and ask if he would host that meeting.” He also urged a closer look at area charter schools such as his Higher Ground Academy in St. Paul. 

“We have a population that is 85 percent East African, and we are making AYP [annual yearly progress] every year,” Wilson pointed out. “Let’s sit down and talk about what we are doing, and we’ll get some answers from others. If we’re really serious about that, I think that is going to be done.”

“There are so many issues here, but for me the primary issue was to really encourage this community to embrace the necessary competencies to build a great multi-racial community,” said Mariani. “Our inability to do that is one of the big things that are hurting our kids in our schools. They don’t feel a part of this system in so many ways.”

On the day after last week’s general elections, which resulted in a changeover of power from Democrat to Republican in both the Minnesota House and Senate, Mariani expressed concerns about future education funding. 

“While money shouldn’t be the total answer, it’s very difficult to do new things without the resources as well,” he said. “I think that the new majority has made it clear that not only will there not be any new resources, but actually there will be less.

“[It] wasn’t perfect under Democratic control either,” the DFL legislator noted, but he’s uncertain if “the new political realignment will further the discussion of multi-racial competency, equality and equity. I think it is going to be really tough.” 

“I think there is a real danger that [the achievement gap issue] will be pushed back” among legislative priorities, Johnson said. “We’ve got people who have come to power now who ran on getting rid of the Department of Education and who really would love to privatize everything. I think that there is a real possibility that, at the very best, what we are going to get is gridlock and stalemate.”

“I think if we put all of our ideas in one place, we really can accomplish a lot,” concluded Silva. “If there is any place in this country where we can close this achievement gap, it is in St. Paul. I really believe that.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-re corder.com.

Shakopee Dakota donate to MCTC Success Program

The SMSC are continuing to be charitable this year:

$5,000 was given recently to the Minneapolis Community and Technical College Foundation for their tutoring costs for their American Indian Success Program to help students succeed in college.

Other donations supporting Indian Education ( $132,00o total ) include:


-$10,000 to Migizi Communications (Minneapolis,, Minnesota) for a youth leadership development program and to help improve Indian education in the Minneapolis Public Schools by training staff and providing consultants.


-$3,000 to the Duluth Public Schools Indian Education Office (Duluth, Minnesota) for winter clothing.

-A $20,000 donation to the Minneapolis Public School Indian Education Program helped purchase school supplies, pay activity fees, and support family involvement activities and an awards ceremony.

Source: http://nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1029&Itemid=37

Cam Gordon on Minneapolis School Board Accountability

I am encouraging folks to vote for the ABC/Establishment of School Board Election Districts Referendum
The ballot question reads "SCHOOL DISTRICT BALLOT QUESTION 2 – ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTION DISTRICTS FOR SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1. Shall the Board of Special School District No. 1, Minneapolis Public Schools consist of six members elected by district and three members elected at-large for a total of nine members? Board of education members elected on or prior to November 4, 2008 shall complete their terms. The six districts shall be of equal population and shall initially coincide with the six park board districts for the Minneapolis Park Board. Three districts shall be given even numbers and three districts shall be given odd numbers."

This would create a board with some members elected at large and some from districts assuring that more families and all areas of the City are represented on the Board. Currently, 48% of school districts nationally elect some or all of the Members from districts. Over the last three years the majority of school boards that received awards for their quality of governance, relations with their communities, and progress on closing the achievement gap from the Council of Urban Boards of Education where boards that were elected by districts. Eleven School Boards in Minnesota currently elect their schools board by some sort of District including the state's largest- Anoka-Hennepin.

As a parent, I have had children in the Minneapolis Schools for over 20 years and it has been a persistent problem connecting with and getting effective and responsive representation from the School Board members, however talented and wonderful they may be. The at-large structure appears to make it most likely the board members will listen to staff and listen to each other and less likely that they will spend time attending and listening to residents at PTO, neighborhood association or other community meetings. Additionally, given the large number of schools throughout the City, it has never felt like anyone on the school board had the kind of in depth knowledge about the particular community, neighborhood and schools near where I live that would lead to me to believe that the particular concerns of those schools and neighborhoods were being reflected and represented well on the School Board.

As a City Council Member I know how valuable it is to have Colleagues on the City Council who do understand, and are accountable to, the residents in their particular part of the City. It helps me understand problems better and find solutions to them that serve the interests of the entire City. I also see how having a Park Board member, state legislators and a County Commission from particular parts of the City also helps me be part of a team or teams, who can work together to serve the neighborhoods we represent. There is no one from the School Board, however good they maybe, who I can turn to and work with in the same way. This was particularly clear earlier this year when schools in and near my ward were fighting for survival. Geographic representation has advantages. Don't get me wrong. I also believe that at-large representation can be valuable too and have often wondered how City Council decisions might be improved if we had one, two or three people, besides the mayor, representing the City as a Whole.
They are both valuable and with its blend of geographic and at-large representation I think that the re-structuring offered by this referendum provides the balance we need to make our school system work better for everyone.

At-large plurality elections are known for being the very hardest for minor party, independent and grassroots candidates to win. Running city-wide forces candidates to depend on doing well in the areas of our City where voter turn out is the highest and not to be as concerned with those areas where there are fewer voters. It also means that candidates typically need more money and/or the endorsements of major parties or well funded groups in order to campaign city-wide.

I believe that this amendment (that is endorsed by both the Green and DFL parties) will improve the School Board's responsiveness and accountability to the people of Minneapolis. It will ensure that every part of the city has a representative, which the current at-large election cannot do, and that there would be at least one board member able to develop a deeper understanding about each area of the City that they will be able to bring to the table during important school board policy decisions. Equality of geographic representation will help the public trust that tough decisions that can sometimes pit neighborhoods against each other are being made with equal concern about the fate of all Minneapolis neighborhoods. This new election method will provide more opportunities for diverse cultural and political voices to gain a seat at the table.


Cam Gordon

Seward neighbor and
Minneapolis City Council Member, Ward 2

America's first Holistic charter school to open in Minnesota

Quest Academy is a new concept in school, engaging students in active learning to access all the intelligences. Through inner exploration, students integrate mind, heart, and body while developing their particular talents and capacities. They practice social and emotional intelligence as they explore the world together. And they bring their gifts into the community, helping transform society and heal the environment.

An extended day includes learning in subjects such as the new physics, indigenous cultures, peace and reconciliation, integrative healing, and contemplative inquiry. These are embedded within a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum featuring math, language arts, world language, social studies, the sciences, and the visual and performing arts, helping students achieve academic mastery while also learning to think well beyond the box.

Our children will inherit a world full of challenges. We must prepare them to find the opportunities within those challenges. As a 21st Century working laboratory, Quest Academy partners with research institutions and universities worldwide to bring new scientific understandings in brain-mind development and transformative learning directly into the classroom, forging a powerful new model of education.

Students at Quest Academy:

* Begin each day harmonizing body and mind through activities such as yoga, tai chi, and the martial arts;
* Learn to look within for health, integration, and discernment;
* Explore the world through leading edge scientific paradigms;
* Cultivate social and emotional intelligence in daily life through deep listening and circle process;
* Develop imagination and focused attention through a full spectrum of visual and performance arts;
* Practice active discernment and critical thinking while pursuing a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum.

Candidates silent to LGBT issues

Obama and Clinton failed to address GLBT discrimination at religious universities.

n Sunday, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton traveled to Messiah College in Pennsylvania to speak at an event aired by CNN called "The Compassion Forum." Unfortunately, the senators failed at their chance to discuss Messiah College's less than compassionate discriminatory policies toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. Messiah is one of a hundred universities that discriminate against the GLBT community. It is disappointing that the senators did not address these policies that breed intolerance and misunderstanding.

Campuses across the nation from Pepperdine to Wheaton still discriminate against GLBT students. These students have been kept from coming out and even face disciplinary penalties for acknowledging their sexuality. Penalties range from suspension and even exile from the university. Professors at such universities are sometimes forced to sign agreements and waivers proving they don't promote the reconciliation of faith and homosexuality.

Religious universities are a place for students to continue their studies in faith, but discriminating against those who want to find common ground between their faith and sexuality only promotes religious bigotry. Religion and theology, like every area of academic study, are multifaceted subjects. To accept one dominating ideology of homosexuality limits students and professors from gaining a complete perspective of religion's connection to modern society.

Both senators preach the politics of unity and hope. They've rallied the nation under the belief that our nation can only be its greatest when its citizens come together - regardless of religion, race or creed. Speaking out against fear and division is a good political platform, so the senators' choice not to acknowledge the oppressive location of "The Compassion Forum" is disheartening. They could have used the opportunity to address the great divide between religion and homosexuality in our nation.

Addressing faith and politics is critical if the candidates want to unify our diverse country. Speaking about policies through the prism of faith adds an important dimension to their platforms. Both candidates missed the mark yesterday, letting down their GLBT brothers and sisters by choosing silence over controversy.

source: http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/04/15/72166665

Ramsey International Fine Arts tells parents: Keep your money

By KATHRYN NELSON, Star Tribune
The parents of the Ramsey International Fine Arts Center Foundation have donated more than $280,000 to their school in south Minneapolis in the past dozen years.

That still wasn't worth the aggravation to school officials.

In a rare move, the Minneapolis School District sent a letter to the foundation, telling its leaders not to contact school staff, administration or the principal about fundraising issues. The principal sent a letter halting the annual Read-a-Thon and Plant Sale fundraisers for the foundation.

"They're treating us like we don't matter," foundation president Kristin Rigg said.

Many Minneapolis schools have similar parent fundraising foundations, but none has had as much trouble as Ramsey, said Associate Superintendent Craig Vana.

Officials with the state association of parent-teacher groups agreed that such disputes are rare in Minnesota.

The public dispute follows years of disagreements between parents and school officials over how fundraising money is spent. The dispute has persisted through changes of principals and parent leaders.

Parents say school officials failed to account for the donations they were given. School officials say parents tried to interfere with how the money was spent. Unable to agree, both parties are now communicating through lawyers.

At a time when parent fundraising is becoming an ever more important asset to public schools, the standoff is stunning to outsiders.

"It's ridiculous," said Roberta McCue, who was picking up her granddaughter Savannah Ness, 13, from Ramsey last week.

"We don't have any books. We have to share," Savannah chimed in from the backseat of the car.

School board member Tom Madden said he met with members of the foundation and the parent-teacher organization (PTO) last year, but they didn't take him up on his offer of help.

"This is a very unusual situation," he said. "There's certainly room for improvement on both sides."

Still, he is optimistic that a truce can be reached. "I suspect that the differences aren't that great and they can be worked out," he said. "Things are never one-sided, period."

Strong feelings, strong letter

Money from the foundation has been used to support a school opera, to buy band and gym equipment and to pay for museum visits. But foundation officials said they suspected that the school had used some of it to pay for a teaching position. District officials flatly deny that.

The conflict intensified last fall when Ramsey Principal Karen Hart wrote that she would no longer support foundation events that used school resources, including students. The scheduled February Read-a-thon, which had been managed by the foundation since the 1990s was put on hold.

Vana sent foundation leaders a letter in late November stating that the school's officials "have been directed to focus their energy on academic achievement. They are not to be distracted by the ongoing fundraising issues."

Foundation treasurer Carol Peterson and Rigg were told "not to contact the principal, staff, or members of the site council about issues related to the Foundation."

Both the foundation and the PTO filed grievances to the school's site council, a group of teachers, parents and school officials.

The PTO's grievance stated that money raised by the foundation was to be spent within a year. Because the school did not spend all the money, the remainder should be returned to the foundation. Receipts for expenses have not been turned over either, Peterson said.

"We're donors to this school, and as donors we can restrict how the money is spent," Rigg said. "You are obliged to be accountable to that."

Both grievances were reviewed and rejected, said Margaret Westin, the district general counsel.

More trouble than most

David Curle, foundation treasurer at nearby Clara Barton Open School, said there haven't been any major conflicts between his school and foundation.

"Frankly," he said, "I think [the situation at Ramsey] really is isolated."

Sandy Zarembinski, of the Minnesota PTA, said most schools and fundraising groups cooperate for the benefit of students, but issues can arise.

Sometimes parents want control over the money because they worked to collect it. Administrators may want to use it to solve problems with state funding. Principals, she said, can also be pressured by the district to control funds that may not legally be theirs.

"Sometimes, it's who can throw the bigger temper tantrum," she said.

Can this problem be solved?

Rigg moved her children to another Minneapolis public school last year, but will finish out her foundation term in late 2008.

"I feel like my commitment to the foundation was really separate from my commitment to my children's education," she said.

Asked why the district can't make peace with a group that has raised so much money, Vana said. "It's all about the foundation leadership."

Though the district appreciates the work the foundation has done, Vana said, Ramsey is more than capable of conducting fundraisers independently.

Indeed, last month's Read-a-thon went on without the foundation's help.

Vana said he's still interested in gathering all parties to talk. "My goal is to bring everyone together," he said.

But collaboration seems unlikely.

"I'm not interested in giving them a dime until they can tell me where it goes," Rigg said.

Kathryn Nelson is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.

© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

source:http://www.startribune.com/local/16664661.html

Elliot Spitzer and America's Ethical Perversity

by Rabbi Michael Lerner

The cross-the-political-spectrum attacks on Elliot Spitzer and the intensity of the demands that he resign his office show just how far the Right-wing sexual moralizing has been able to trump any other kind of ethical reasoning in American society.

Going to a prostitute is legal in some states and some countries around the world, and is often the very arrangement that saves families from splitting up whose sexual energies have diminished but whose love is intact. It's not uncommon for men (and now increasingly women as well) who have achieved great power in our society by adopting an outer show of ruthless pursuit of power and influence (even, as in Spitzer's case, if the power is aimed at pursuing laudable ends) to feel a deep emptiness and loneliness that is not addressed by friends or spouse, and hence to seek some kind of outside connection no matter how superficial that is not bound by previous rules and roles. Nevertheless, I and many others in the religious and spiritual world oppose that practice when it involves adultery or prostitution, because it depends on the objectification of another human being, so that sex is disconnected in ways that it should not be from a significant encounter with the spirit of God in the other or a deep recognition that is the only real way to overcome existential or situational alienation.

Moreover, the trade in women for sexual purposes has frequently led to rape and abuse and the kidnapping of young women who are sold into sexual slavery. All of these outrageous practices are abhorrent and should be challenged. The flaunting of sexuality in the media, and the implicit message that the only real satisfaction comes from having the most physically attractive people as sexual partners, not only generates huge dissatisfaction even as it allows corporate advertise to become predators manipulating our personal sense of inadequacy to sell their products, but also generates desires that feed the sexual trade in women. Given this larger social context, until sexual satisfaction is so broadly available in our society that no one has to pay for it and so deeply tied to love that no one is objectified in the process, this kind of exploitation of women and degradation of sex is likely to continue. All of these practices foster the sexual predators of the contemporary world.

So Elliot Spitzer deserves to be critiqued and ought to be doing deep atonement for what he did. His previous moral arrogance and willingness when he had power to do so to prosecute others for their participation in creating prostitution rings makes him an easy target. We, in turn, might practice the forgiveness that our religious and spiritual traditions preach, particularly those of us who have been willing to honeslty face how flawed we ourselves are, and how at times we ourselves fail to embody in our actual practice with others the values that we publicly espouse. Humility and compassion are also part of the path of a spiritual progressive.

But the intensity of the critique of the N.Y. governor, tied with the demand that he resign, shows more about American society's ethical perversity than about Spitzer.

The President of the U.S. and the Vice President, working in concert with several other high ranking officers of our government, lied and distorted to get us involved in a war that has led to the death of over a million Iraqis, the displacement of 3 million more, the death of 4,000 Americans and the wounding of tens of thousands more. After token opposition in Congress, our elected representatives have overwhelmingly passed budgets funding this war, rather than refuse to fund any military projects until the President stopped the war and withdrew the troops.

Meanwhile, our government has overtly engaged in torture, wiretapping of our phones, and violation of our human rights and the rights of people around the world. Senator Diane Feinstein and Senator Charles Schumer votes to confirm as Attonrey General a right-wing judge who refused to repudiate these crimes.

The U.S. government has rejected every attempt to implement the Kyoto environmental agreements or to work out new agreements sufficiently strong to reverse environmental destruction that is certain to lead to new levels of flooding particularly in several poor countries around the world. The consequence: tens of millions of deaths.

The Clinton Administration pushed, along with corporate support, a set of trade agreements that have devastated the farmers of many developing countries, forcing many off their farms and into city slums where their daughters and sons are often sold into sexual slavery. The global economic system we have fostered has led to increasing gaps between the rich and the poor, so that over one out of every three people on the planet lives on less than $2 a day, 1.5 billion live on less than one dollar a day, and over 15,000 children die every day from malnutrition-related diseases and inadequate availability of medicine that is hoarded by the rich countries who can afford the prices made to ensure huge profits to the pharmaceutical industry.

Health insurance companies and private medical profiteers are doing all they can to ensure that there will be no health care for tens of millions of Americans, unless that is provided in ways that guarantee corporate super-profits and thereby guarantee that the cost of health care paid through taxes will be huge and create anger at all government social welfare and well-being programs, leading to their likely de-funding.
People in the US have faced severe economic crises on a regional and soon on a national level because corporations move their centers of production to countries in Asia where they can exploit workers with less government or union interference and where they can destroy the environment with less societal restraints. Wild to achieve greater profits, corporations and the rich have managed to support politicians who lower the taxes on the rich, in the process bankrupting the public sector or severely reducing its ability to provide enough funds for quality education, health care, libraries, public transportation, and social welfare.

That there is no outcry for these government officials and corporate leaders to resign immediately or be impeached, that there is no moral outrage at the entire system that produces this impact, is America's ethical perversity. Instead, the only crime against humanity that the media takes seriously and the politicians fear is being exposed for personal sexual immorality. While everyone basks in their own self-righteous demands on Spitzer, we all allow media and elected officials to fundamentally distort our ethical vision and play out our morality on the smallest of possible stages while ignoring the global and personal consequences of our larger ethical failures.

Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun magazine www.tikkun.org <http://www.tikkun.org> , Chair of the Network of Spiritual Progressives www.spiritualprogressives.org <http://www.spiritualprogressives.org> , rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue-without-walls in San Francisco and Berkeley, and author of The Left Hand of God. He welcomes comments at RabbiLerner@tiikkun.org

If you agree with this perspective, call your local media and ask that it be presented alongside the mainstream views. And help us continue to provide alternative analyses by joining the Network of Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org) and urging your friends to do so as well!

No excuse for recycling apathy

The lack of effort by students and staff is disheartening and maddening, especially since it is relatively easy.

By Chelsey Perkins

he physical act of tossing a bottle or can into a recycling bin is no more strenuous than that of throwing it into a trash can. Of course, you might need to walk a few extra feet, or make room for the recyclable in your bag until you find the proper place to dispose of it. But these are not difficult tasks, nor are they emotionally stressful or a financial burden.

So I cannot understand for the life of me why so many people not only do not make the negligible amount of extra effort needed to recycle items like cans and bottles that are the easiest to recycle rather than trash them, but act affronted by the mere concept.

Of course, I know there are many people who do make the effort, and I also know that outside of cities with comprehensive recycling programs, it might be difficult and maybe even impossible to recycle certain items. In my own hometown, for example, there is no recycling pick-up at all, and the closest recycling drop-off no longer accepts plastic.

But here on campus, for the most part, a majority of the effort has already been made for us. If you have yet to notice, bins all over the place, compartmentalized nicely and neatly, make it possible to rid yourself of last week's Sudoku, your empty Diet Coke bottle and the rest of that $2 burrito you couldn't bring yourself to finish all in one go. In most classrooms I've been in, three separate bins stand directly next to one another, labeled clearly.

Yet I regularly see people throw recyclables into the trash even though literally a foot away they could recycle them.

A friend told me this weekend that her parents poke fun at her when she asks them to recycle; another friend of mine waited until she found a recycling bin for her newspaper and her brother asked, "So, what, are you like an environmentalist now?"

As our world faces an environmental crisis like we have never seen before, the tasks before us seem daunting and nearly unattainable and it is easy to feel helpless. It's not as though the average person can simply waltz into Exxon Mobil and shut them down or halt clear-cutting in the Brazilian Rain Forest.

Why, then, is one of the tasks possible for an individual to complete on their own, a task that undeniably is crucial to environmental health, so often brazenly disregarded?

Even if you subscribe to the notion that humans are not the cause of global warming or could care less what happens to the planet after you're gone, why not just put that bottle in the freaking recycling bin when it is right there in front of you?

The thing is, although it might seem like a long shot, we can as individuals make a difference for our environment by the products we buy and the sustainable habits we commit to. Collectively, we have unlimited power to make change on the environmental front.

If you feel like that one bottle will not make a difference, multiply that by the 50,000 or more people that are on this campus every day for nine months, and you can see what kind of impact can be made. Whether it's a positive or negative one is up to you and which of the three slots you choose.

Chelsey Perkins welcomes your comments at cperkins AT mndaily.com

source: http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/12/04/72164839


[ Minnesota has tens of thousands employed in the recycling industry. One of my battle buddies at basic training in the Minnesota National Guard works at one of the factories.

Each can of aluminum you recycle saves a bit more than half a cup of oil. Recycling is interconnected to the economy, natural resources, Global Warming, Peak Oil, and municipal taxes.

Even if you pay $3 a month to do this in suburbs such as Brooklyn Park, you are still making a profound difference. ]

It's easy being green at this school

By Patrice Relerford, Star Tribune

Orono Intermediate School's cafeteria buzzed with activity as students formed two lines on opposite sides of a stainless steel countertop and sorted food, paper napkins and plastic bottles from their tray into color-coded bins.

As a fail-safe, 10-year-old Michael Winkey and other "green team" members stood nearby waiting to grab "the claw." It's a metal clamp students use to pluck items placed in the wrong bins.

"How exciting is it to watch a trash can?" said Orono School District food services director Kris Diller of the student, staff and parent volunteers. "But they were excited and we felt like we had the support right from the beginning."

Orono purchased the bins, the stainless steel counter top and, yes, the claws with a $19,600 grant from the Hennepin County Waste Abatement Incentive Fund.

It also bought biodegradeable trash can liners and more biodegradeable paper products, and is paying for weekly organics waste removal pickups.

All of the district's elementary and secondary schools eventually will participate in the program.

"We've been putting a lot of effort into organics for the past five years," said John Jaimez , coordinator of Hennepin County's organics recycling program.

The launch of Orono's program and three others -- in Brooklyn Center, Edina and Wayzata school districts -- means eight west Hennepin County school districts now recycle organics.

Organics include food scraps and food-soiled paper products, such as napkins, cardboard, brown paper bags and milk cartons, that can be mixed with a heating agent such as manure and eventually turned into compost.

'It's a chicken and the egg thing'

Orono's more than 2,648 students and staff members produce tons of cafeteria waste each year. But this year "we're already seeing less trash," Diller said.

Since the organics program launched, Diller said more than two-thirds of the waste at the intermediate and elementary school is recycled as organics or co-mingled paper. Diller also said trash pickups are now scheduled once a week instead of three times per week.

As part of the changeover, Orono's food service staff has swapped some items such as plastic soup bowls for biodegradable paper substitutes and replaced individually wrapped condiments with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise dispensers.

Orono City Council Member Lili McMillan said the city of Orono launched its residential organics recycling program in May. Three other west metro cities -- Medina, Minnetonka and Wayzata -- launched organics programs earlier.

"My hope is that the schoolchildren will continue doing this at home," McMillan said. "It's a chicken and the egg thing."

Getting the hang of it

Earlier this school year, Orono teachers and administrators and college students from the University of Minnesota taught the students the difference between organics and regular recyclables such as plastic water bottles.

Jaimez said Orono's organics loads have been mostly "clean." He said Resource Recovery Technologies' Dakota County compost facility allows up to 10 percent contaminants.

Recently, Michael Winkey kept one eye on the recycling center as he talked about lunchtime. "The first few days everyone made mistakes, but now they've mostly got the hang of it," he said.

Alexis Mac Art, age 11, said she's thought about how landfills contribute to global warming, and she wants to keep more trash out of them.

Besides, "I think it's kind of fun," Alexis said -- and "it's helping the environment."

Patrice Relerford • 612-673-4395

© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

For a state to compete, it must lead in education

By WENDELL R. ANDERSON and ARNE H. CARLSON

Recent coverage of global competition raised the question of whether u.s. education, particularly in math and science, will keep pace with that of emerging countries such as China and India. For years, we have been warned that the outsourcing of vital employment will continue as long as we refuse to improve our educational outcomes. Now,' Govs. Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz., and Tnn Pawlenty, R-Minn., have declared that the nation's governors will focus on this problem. Before going national, however, they maywant to improve their own states' pictures.

In Minnesota, better results will not occur if we continue on the current course. For us to compete effectively on a global basis, we must maximize opportunities for educational success for all young people. That means removing barriers to academic achievement, including poor nutrition and lack of access to health care. It means more quality early childhood learning, a challenging K-12 experience and affordaole higher education. Minnesota is losing ground in all these areas.

Access to higher education is increasingly being blocked by stag. gering tuition hikes. On the K-12 front, our state government's commitment to technology in schools ranked No.1 in 1999, but our lack of investment caused us to place 49th among states by 2006.

As a public, we recognize declines in investment more readily in transportation than we do in education or health. But all are vital if we intend to successfully compete.

During the past decade, our political leadership sold us on the notion of war without sacrifice, tax cuts with spending increases and massive debt accumulation without consequences. The results will be tragic. Efforts to compete must rest on the understanding that leaders challenge the status quo and motivate people and institutions to elevate their expectation and vision.

Pawlenty has indicated that it may take another Sputnik to make us act on the crisis in education: Visionary leaders seize the initiative and create their own Sputniks.

Wendell R. Anderson and Arne H. Carlson are former governors of Minnesota

Earth Voice Food Choice

Our world is facing huge problems, from environmental and health issues, to wars and resource mismanagement. These problems seem unsolvable and affect us all on a deep emotional level. Suprisingly, there are actually solutions. All of us can contribute – everyday – without expensive campaigns, demonstrations or lawsuits.

Most people can agree that our world is run by money. The billions of people of the Earth spend money every day. What most are not aware of is that with every dollar they spend they cast a vote. Our monetary vote is a powerful tool to speak directly to industry and corporations. If we don’t want polluted lakes and rivers, but keep buying toxic food we cast a vote for a toxic world. This is just one example of how we all can start speaking out without waiting for politicians or government to “fix it” for us. Voting with our dollars goes right to the source. If we don’t buy it, they won’t make it. We have this power.

The effects of our individual food choices are far-reaching. Our everyday food choices directly affect global warming, water pollution, and topsoil depletion as well as obesity, cancers, and heart attacks. Buying and consuming more whole, organically grown plant foods is one of the most powerful, yet simplest actions we could do everyday to help our health and the health of our world.

The production of animal food products is responsible for causing many of the planet’s most catastrophic environmental problems and depleting natural resources at an unprecedented rate. The animal and chemical agriculture industries are the primary polluters of our planet’s water and soil. They accelerate desertification, forest loss, global warming and the depletion of water, soil and ozone. Chemicals and animal agriculture are major causes of species extinction, like the vanishing bees. Furthermore, the livestock industry is consuming most of America’s grain supply, which could be used to help solve world hunger problems.

Animal products such as meat, poultry, fish and dairy are also heavy contributors to most of the diseases afflicting Americans. Heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, osteoporosis, some forms of cancer, obesity, and other less life-threatening diseases are all influenced by the excess consumption of animal foods. Treating these diseases is costing hundreds of billions of dollars per year in health care and health insurance. Notwithstanding advice from experts, the United States government continues to spend billions of tax dollars to subsidize these industries.

In contrast, a diet of organically grown plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds produced without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, enhance personal and environmental health. Plant foods contain vitamins, nutrients, protein, fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, essential fatty acids and many other beneficial compounds designed by nature to promote health and prevent disease. Plant foods are heroes for health. Plants are the only living things on Earth that have the ability to take the sun, the air, the water and the soil, and make food and oxygen for most of the living beings on our planet.

Compared to animal foods, plant foods are less polluting to the environment and conserve natural resources. If plant foods were consumed more and animal foods less, hundreds of billions of dollars could be saved on health care costs.

The animal and chemical agriculture industries, through the Department of Agriculture (USDA), supply enormous volumes of chemical laden, animal foods to children in schools. “The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is our government’s largest feeding program. It is based on an outdated model that teaches children little about the cause and effect of their food choices. Our health and our planet are suffering the effects of an economically driven food program that needs to be updated to twenty-first century nutrition standards. The manner in which our children view food, the development of their eating habits, their health and the condition of the world they will inherit, are directly linked to the NSLP.

Earth Voice Food Choice is a multimedia Manual and DVD designed to educate teachers, parents, students and government officials how to present, inform and inspire people to eat more unrefined, organically grown plant foods and fewer chemically processed animal and junk foods. The Project is designed to initiate a positive shift in human awareness and in the hearts and minds of children, parents, teachers, and people in government. The possibilities for beneficial change are monumental.

Earth Voice Food Choice is a “How to” manual for anyone who wants to initiate a healthy food and education project in their schools, homes, camps, or institutions. This Manual contains over 350 documented facts; history of the USDA; proven field tested strategies for implementing the project in schools; tips how to present to students; actions students can take to inspire government to support the concept of healthier foods in schools; kitchen preparation ideas for food personnel; institutional size recipes that fit within the RDA’s and the USDA’s meal pattern requirements and draw off existing and available USDA commodities; delicious recipes for home use; handouts for students and parents, letters of introduction, news articles, announcements and everything else people will need to implement a successful project. (200 Pages, 8.5” x 11” Manual with 100 Recipes.)

Earth Voice Food Choice DVD takes you on a ride through outer space in search of a planet that has the three things humans need for survival: air, water and soil. Fly into the atmosphere of Earth and witness the profound beauty of our world and the animals we share it with. Watch hundreds of beautiful pictures of the natural world and learn about Earth’s life support systems. Experience how humans have destroyed much of our natural resources. Learn how animal and chemical agriculture are negatively affecting health, environment, economy and world hunger. Travel into the interior of the human body and learn how to prevent disease. Meet the super heroes for health and the power of consuming and producing more organic plant foods. Learn how to make mindful food choices, vote with our monetary purchases and become part of the solution. This DVD is great for classroom and auditorium presentations and for home use. (39 minutes, plus 57 minutes of bonus features.)

For more information, to see clips of the DVD or pages of the Manual, and to order these materials, please visit www.earthvoicefoodchoice.com or contact him at 928-301-4552 or email toddwinant@esedona.net. You may also write to Earth Voice Food Choice, 730 Sunshine Lane, Sedona, AZ 86340

by Todd Winant

Todd Winant, founder of the Earth Voice Food Choice Project is the co-author of EarthSave's Healthy School Lunch Action Guide (now out of print). His new project addresses the detrimental effects of America’s current National School Lunch Program and offers logical suggestions for its improvement.

The Great Global Warming Swindle: Response

The key argument mounted by Martin Durkin in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’, was that the sun’s activity had more to do with global warming than levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We asked Dr Richard Betts of the Met Office Hadley Centre to explain the scientific evidence for why the sun is not to blame for current climate change. He responded:

Date:15/03/2007		Author:Richard Betts
"Although the sun can play a part in climate change, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that it is not the cause of the climate warming that we have seen over recent decades. There have been proposed 2 mechanisms for how the sun might might be influencing climate. The first is that changes in the amount of solar radiation given off by the sun might be to blame. Solar irradiance has been monitored continuously for the last 28 years, and although an 11-year cycle has been well-established, no significant long-term trend has been detected over that period. The warming trend in global temperatures over recent decades therefore cannot be explained by changes in solar irradiance, simply because there has been no overall change in solar irradiance over that time. Earlier records show an increase in solar irradiance in the early part of the Twentieth Century, followed by a brief decrease before the current period of no significant trend. Global temperatures also underwent a warming until around 1940 and a subsequent cooling until around 1950, but then warming set in again and became more rapid. Computer models of climate suggest that solar irradiance changes may well have been a significant cause of climate change until the mid-Twentieth Century. However, the correlation between solar irradiance and global temperature breaks down after the 1960s as temperatures rose while solar irradiance did not. Over tens and hundreds of thousands of years, the amount of energy received by the Earth from the sun has changed because of changes in the Earth's orbit and the tilt of its axis. These changes led to the coming and going of ice ages in the past and are part of a natural cycle of climate change. However, these changes take many thousands of years and are therefore much too slow to account for climate changes seen over a few decades. The other hypothesis is that changes in cosmic rays associated with solar cycles might affect cloud cover and hence influence climate. However, while cloud cover was reported to be correlated with cosmic ray fluxes some time ago, this correlation has broken down as more years of data have become available. The available data therefore do not support the cosmic ray hypothesis."

Buddhism class starts in January

The Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihara will be teaching a new class on Buddhism and Meditation for non-Buddhists starting in January 2007 to run through July 2008. The classes will be held on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Vihara, located at 3401 North 4th Street, Minneapolis.

The course is meant for anyone who doesn't know about Buddhism, and would like to learn in a friendly and non-imposing environment. Students may have different ambitions. Some are researching, others with to learn or investigate the faith and culture.

The school is now known as The Buddhist & Pali College (U.S.A), which is an affiliated college of the Buddhist & Pali University of Sri Lanka and its sole representative in the U.S.A. (Pali means language, as in the Buddha’s original language).

It was established in January 2006 by the Venerable Witiyala Seewalie the founding Principal of the College. The Buddhist & Pali College (USA) offers a one-year Diploma in Buddhism. It also prepares students for external degree and diploma examinations of the Buddhist & Pali University of Sri Lanka.

The course is meant for the beginner with or without any familiarity or previous exposure to Buddhism. “We don't want to convert people,” Seewali added. “But, the interesting thing about Buddhism is that we can teach to anyone who wants to learn.

The mission of the school is to achieve excellence in teaching Buddhism and the Pali language such that students aspire to the highest in virtue and knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma and to create conditions that foster and nourish Buddhism as a way of life in America.

“The Buddhist teaching is important for people to learn with the idea of practicing daily in life,” he said. “So, it is important to know that they can practice their own faith and at the same time practice the Buddhist teaching.”

The Vihara temple in Minneapolis opened on June 24, 2006 and its inaugural class of 15 Asian and mainstream community students will conclude in July 2007.

The volunteer faculty includes Rev. Seewali, who holds a B.A., Hons, MA, D. Litt. as president. The vice president is Rev.Maitipe Wimalasara Thero. Professor Ananda Guruge, will serve as Dean of Buddhist Studies and Professor K. Warnasuriya as Dean of Pali Studies.

Bhikkhuni (Nun) Satima, a Buddhist nun will serve as an assistant lecturer. The Board will be rounded out with Dr. Susantha Herath, registrar, and Ven. Bisho Kirti Majajan, will serves as an assistant instructor, treasurer and secretary.

The eventual goal will be to establish the first Buddhist and Pali College in the United States. There are such schools in Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom. They now have a library and technology center to aid students in their studies.
“This is one step to try to use our temple facilities, and in the future we have the idea of (a Pali) university.

The first three months will be basic Buddhist background and an introduction to the philosophy of meditation. Then they move on to more theory about Buddhist teaching.
The program is free and all donations greatly appreciated. For more information visit online at www.minnesotabuddhistvihara.org or call Rev. Witiyala Seewalie at 763-786-1811 or email mnbvusa@yahoo.com.

Meet the staff at the Vihara when it holds a New Year Blessing Ceremony on January 1, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.

Concern for toddler on vegetarian diet

Ask Dr. H

By Mitchell Hecht

Question: I am concerned about my 21/2-year-old grandson, who is being raised as a vegetarian. Should he be taking iron drops? He also drinks very little milk (although he does eat cheese), but I know how important calcium is to him. Any suggestions?

A: A toddler vegetarian diet isn't necessarily deficient in iron or calcium. Eggs, dried beans, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits like raisins, and iron-fortified cereals and bread are sufficient sources of iron. Dairy products like cheese, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, soy and rice drinks, and fortified cereals are all good sources of calcium.

Protein doesn't have to come from meat. Dairy products, tofu, egg whites, and dried beans are all good sources of protein. Peanut butter is also a great source of protein, but due to its allergy potential, some pediatricians advise withholding it until a child is 3 years of age.

The real issue is not whether there are adequate vegetarian substitutions, but whether a picky toddler will consume enough vitamins, minerals, protein, fats and carbohydrates for healthy growth and development. It's also important for parents to make sure a vegetarian diet is providing enough calories. A multivitamin like PolyViSol or a children's chewable may be useful to fill in certain vitamin/mineral gaps.

source: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/health/16314183.htm

Chris Stewart: An apology and a call for action to lift kids out of poverty

Furor over website has diverted attention from serious challenges that confront the Minneapolis schools.

Chris Stewart

I write to express my sincere apology to Tammy Lee, the citizens of Minneapolis and the students, staff and board of the Minneapolis public schools for my role in the creation of a website lampooning the Lee campaign. The site was offensive and crude and reflected behavior unbecoming a public official. My connection to the Web page has disappointed many people, called into question my integrity and set back the important work of healing in the Minneapolis public schools.

The timing could not be worse for our school district. Over the course of the last several months I have met many people who put their faith in me and who voted for me. They were looking to my colleagues and me to restore public trust in our district. What should have been a joyful and hopeful time after the election has been damaged by news of this incident. I am painfully aware of the gravity of this situation.

I entered the race for school board with a lot of energy, some good ideas, the best of intentions, and a stubborn mission to open the doors for kids to leave poverty. I wanted to craft policies to help kids who are struggling find a path into the workforce, much as I had been able to do. The last thing I wanted to do was give people a reason to criticize our schools or divide along racial lines. I feel particularly sick to be associated with something viewed as "hate." I hate no one and I believe that we can work through the difficult and painful politics of race by discussing the issues openly. I am deeply sorry for damaging the public discourse on race that we so badly need to have.

Some people have asked for more details, so let me state a few things for the record. I have been part of several writers' groups for years. I have published poetry, short stories, and newspaper articles on poverty and race. Over the years I have made many friends who write for different purposes. The Tammy Lee spoof was written by a group of people who blog together. I participated in very loose conversations about politics with these friends and some of what I said is part of the spoof they created. I did not create or publish a hate site, nor am I responsible for everything posted on it. I have contributed to the blog in the past and once owned the domain name. Despite these disclaimers, I accept responsibility for the site and its misguided content.

I feel strongly about restoring order in our schools, increasing the prominence of math and science in the curriculum and using public education as a way to move young people into jobs with good pay. Too many kids are not making it into the workforce, and I have a strong vision of how vocational education can prepare many of them for a better life. I am deeply troubled by poor performance in high-poverty, racially isolated schools. I decided to run for the Minneapolis school board because I believed my experience in workforce development, social services and staffing would open doors for people who might otherwise be excluded from the prosperity of Minneapolis. This still drives me to push an agenda for those who have no one opening the gate for them.

I pledge to work hard to bring real change for our schools. Despite my mistake, I want and intend to prove myself as a reliable and effective leader who can help create a vision that leaves us all in better shape.

Chris Stewart is a consultant and member-elect of the Minneapolis School Board.

John Chavis - Free African American in 18th Century America

John Chavis

John Chavis was born on October 18th, 1763. He was a Black educator and minister who made great strides educating both Black and white students in the South during the early 19th century.

From North Carolina, his family was legally free which allowed him to pursue an education. Chavis arrived at Liberty Hall Academy in 1795, one year prior to George Washington's gift of 100 shares of James River Company Stock. He was a student when the institution changed its name to Washington Academy. On November 19 1800 with high honors they granted him a license to preach. His academic performance attracted much public attention because it contradicted the belief that Blacks were intellectually inferior to whites. In 1808, Chavis founded a school for the children of white slave owners. As an educator, Chavis taught full time.

He trained white children during the day and free Black children at night. He prepared the white children for college by teaching them Latin and Greek. The school he opened in Raleigh was described as one of the best in the state. It surely was an excellent school, for some of the most powerful men in white society entrusted their sons’ education to Chavis. His students include Priestly H. Mangum, brother of Senator Willie P. Mangum; Archibald E. and John L. Henderson, sons of Chief Justice Henderson; Governor Charles Manly; The Reverend William Harris; Dr. James L. Wortham; the Edwardses, Enlows (Enloes), Hargroves, and Horners; and Abraham Rencher who became Minister of Portugal and Territorial Governor of New Mexico.

John Chavis' influence was far reaching. A dedicated opponent of slavery, John Chavis was an influential abolitionist leader in the South. The circumstances surrounding his death in 1838 remain unclear, although many suspect that he was murdered because of his work to better the lives of Blacks.

Reference:
African Americans/Voices of Triumph
by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Copyright 1993, TimeLife Inc.

Founder's Day Lecture Washington & Lee University


The Negro in the American Revolution.
by Benjamin Quarles
University of North Carolina Press for
the Institute of Early American History and Culture,
Williamsburg, Va., 1961.

http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/406/John_Chavis_educator_and_mentor