By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 6:00 AM
PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
Of the more than 32,000 students that attend St. Louis Public Schools, only slightly more than 4,000 of them are white. Despite whites making up only 14% of the district population, two out of every five seats in some of the city's best schools — top-performing magnet schools — are reserved for white children. And because so few of their parents are choosing to send their kids to SLPS, many of those seats go unfilled, despite the fact that waiting lists of black students wanting to attend these good schools grow longer every year.
Yesterday, at a public meeting of parties in the Liddell v. The Board of Education case (the historic desegregation case which led to 15 years of court-ordered busing between city and suburban districts), teachers union president Mary Armstrong asked the parties if they would consider releasing those empty seats to black students whose families are desperate for better educational opportunities.
Armstrong said many of those families choose charter schools because they are turned away from SLPS magnets, costing the district millions of dollars every year.
In this exclusive video Armstrong mentions Mayor Francis Slay's plan to aggressively expand the number of charter schools in the city, which will put further economic strain on the district. And attorney William L. Taylor, the lead lawyer in the desegregation case, asks Armstrong her position on pay-for-performance plans for teachers.
Applications for acceptance to the following magnet schools must be received by Friday, November 16:
- Central Visual and Performing Arts
- Cleveland NJROTC
- Gateway Institute of Technology
- Kennard Classical Junior Academy
- McKinley Classical Junior Academy
- McKinley Classical Leadership Academy
- Metro Academic and Classical High School
- Soldan International Studies
Labels: Education, Exclusive, Race, Schools
12 Comments:
"The unattractiveness of our schools is lacking."
This is who is teaching our children.
11/15/2007 9:20 AM
Well, to be picky, Mary Armstrong isn't teaching anybody's children. My understanding is that she's a full-time union representative.
If you're going to pick nits, then go all the way.
11/15/2007 10:06 AM
At Wilkinson Early Childhood Center we have seen our enrollment drop, despite the fact that our school is not only a fantastic environment but also consistently scores right behind Kennard on Terra Nova testing. The parents there complain every year that Recruitment and Counseling won't help us fill our seats--even white siblings aren't always allowed in.
My white 3 year old was one who was not allowed in despite sibling priority. Her admittance would have let two black students come in off our waiting list. Until R&C gets its act together, understand that it isn't that white families aren't willing to use these schools, the problem lies within SLPS deterring them by bad customer service (and I know Dr. Bourisaw is working on that, thank you Dr. B) and a failure to prioritize the issue.
We have been told that the NAACP does not want to increase the amount of African American students allowed in because the higher the percentage of non-white students, the less likely it gets that white families will send their kids. As a white parent who does not feel that way, and who has heard from the white parents at Wilkinson that they do not feel that way either and our kids are staying put, I hope the NAACP will give us more credit than that. Every child in this district deserves a school like Wilkinson, and to see empty classrooms there while knowing how many kids are on the waiting list is an outrage.
11/15/2007 10:26 AM
Where's Ward Connerly when you need him?
11/15/2007 10:50 AM
Outside of whatever legal requirements these schools operate under as a result of the past cases, it doesn't make sense to have empty seats in high performing schools. Students should be allowed to attend those schools if the space is available and if they meet other requirements (like the testing requirment at some).
On the other hand, it seems obvious that a large number of white families have opted out SLPS. It is unclear what can be done by the district if change that situation, if district officials wanted to. Some of those families are unlikely to come back to the district because of racial attitudes--some white families do not want their children educated in a majority black school--others might if the district promoted schools better, and some would if the district had a plan for improving schools. The district can and should do nothing about the first issue, but it can about the other two. KW's comments aside, my perspective is that the materials and outreach around elementary magnet schools has improved--the program information is much clearer and staff in the program are much better about responding to questions; however, most significant is the last point. Where can parents find clear plans for improving schools and maintaining those improvements? That sort of plan would assure both white and black parents that the district is doing more than lurching from one political controversy to the other.
In my opinion, Mayor Slay has done little to publicly address this last issue. Even with the set of mayors and cities that Slay gets compared to, there are numerous models of public school improvement--outside of changing the governing structure of schools, which it is clear he is interested in--that St. Louis could look at. The recent endorsement of more charter schools seems to be an indication by the mayor that he has abandoned the path of public school improvement in any meaningful way, outside some vague notion that ultimately the pressure of charters will force public school improvement.
11/15/2007 10:55 AM
I agree with the above poster that there are some very good staff within SLPS working on outreach--I'm working with one in particular who is fabulous. They deserve credit for working on improvements and give me hope for the district.
11/15/2007 11:48 AM
Katherine---I have tried to find out about the charter school at 4300 Goodfellow.
I know three things.
1. This is its first year of operation.
2. The state board of education, (the same people who decided you should have no power to decide matters at slps)is sponsoring it.
3. The American Can company, from Texas, seems to have been outsourced to operate it---they have some very questionable practices in Texas---over 40 students in their math and science classes, and a huge percentage of lower-paid first year teachers. Is there any meaningful information available about how the state board is performing at this point?
11/15/2007 12:57 PM
At least a few high schools that start later than 7:18 AM would help keep students in the district. Yes, the buses are the tail that wags the dog, but a few would help. If they were non 60-40% racial balance magnets, then they could be bus transportation optional.
11/15/2007 1:55 PM
If we know the Magnet schools are performing well, then why are they not used as models all over the district? I'm curious, what are the graduation rates of the Magnet high schools?
11/17/2007 7:21 AM
The kids who make it into the magnet program know how to behave. If they don't, they are kicked back into a regular school where there are not enough resources or people to deal with them effectively. The problem is there are no alternative placements for discipline problem kids. (There was supposed to be but that was a big lie)
11/17/2007 2:12 PM
Isn't the CAN Charter School
where the student broke his leg
and was carried onto a bus and sent
home? I think the driver left
the student on the curb.
11/19/2007 1:34 PM
I think so. I have also heard several reports of dissatisfied parents, teachers wanting to quit, etc...
I'm wondering how much of it is true and how much is sensationalized.
I'm still waiting to hear about a LAWSUIT from the parents of the kid with the broken leg.
11/19/2007 8:19 PM
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