| Students are Fleeing Minneapolis Schools | | | | Minneapolis public schools. Not that they |
| Minneapolis schools are being faced with the | | | | have any reason to feel differently. In 2005, |
| prospect of empty school buildings as more | | | | barely 29 % of black students in the eighth |
| and more students flee the system to charter | | | | grades in Minneapolis schools managed to pass |
| schools in the district. Minneapolis | | | | basic math tests and just 47% could manage to |
| schools' enrollment figures have plummeted to | | | | scrape through the reading tests. Graduation |
| just 36,000 this year - that's almost half | | | | rates for black students at Minneapolis |
| its capacity of 50,000 students. Schools in | | | | schools were some of the lowest at fifty |
| the north side have felt the pinch the | | | | percent. Besides blacks, Asian students are |
| hardest with a 44 percent drop in enrollment | | | | joining the growing movement out of |
| over the past five years. All indications | | | | Minneapolis schools. Moves to Stem the Tide |
| are that there is no stemming this tide and | | | | at Minneapolis Schools The success of charter |
| Minneapolis schools have already announced | | | | schools can be traced to a number of factors. |
| plans to close 5 schools leaving more than | | | | School sizes are smaller, and it is |
| 2000 students in the lurch, desperately | | | | generally believed that teaching staff are |
| scrambling to find new schools. The Exodus | | | | more in tune with students' requirements and |
| of Blacks and Minorities from Minneapolis | | | | are better able to meet these needs. |
| Schools A bulk of the students that chose to | | | | Minneapolis schools have begun to realize |
| leave Minneapolis public schools belongs to | | | | that immediate steps have to be taken to |
| high poverty black neighborhoods and other | | | | avoid the current migration of students. |
| minority communities. The statistics reveal | | | | School authorities have proposed initiatives |
| a strong yet disturbing trend. In the | | | | that require schools in the district to offer |
| '99-'00 academic year, more than 48,000 black | | | | additional emphasis on music, arts, and |
| students sought admission in Minneapolis | | | | language besides improving their core |
| schools. Compare this to the bleak picture | | | | academic curricula. It's hoped that raising |
| painted for 2008 when enrollment from black | | | | the bar on academic learning will stem the |
| students is expected to touch barely 33,500. | | | | growing tide. Even if the schools do not |
| Most black students prefer to enroll at | | | | succeed in attracting students back to their |
| charter schools in the district which have | | | | fold, one hopes that at the very least they |
| perceived higher standards than public | | | | will be able to stop students leaving in |
| Minneapolis schools. This problem of "black | | | | masses. |
| flight" is, authorities agree, a serious | | | | |
| problem for Minneapolis schools. Surveys in | | | | Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools |
| the African American community show that | | | | K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all |
| black parents in general tend to be | | | | U.S. public and private K-12 schools. |
| dissatisfied with the quality of education in | | | | |