All Academic, Inc. Research Logo

Info/CitationFAQResearchAll Academic Inc.
Document

"The Choice is Yours" in Minneapolis: The Mixed Results of Busing Urban Students to Suburban Schools
Unformatted Document Text:  In 2000, the Minneapolis Branch of the NAACP and the State of Minnesota reached a settlement  involving the Minneapolis Schools which provides for up to 2,000 low-income Minneapolis  students to attend schools in one of several suburban districts.   Because of the state’s existing  open enrollment law, busing urban students to suburban schools had been occurring for many  years.  But the settlement was still significant because it was akin to official recognition that the  high-poverty   schools   of   Minneapolis   lacked   in   comparison   to   their   lower-poverty   suburban  counterparts.  In terms of the academic achievement of the suburban transfer students, as will be  discussed   below,   the   results   of   the   suburban   transfer   program   to   date   have   been   mixed.  However,   this   paper   suggests   that   allowing   students   from   high   poverty   urban   districts   the  opportunity to attend suburban schools should be viewed as one component of contemporary  urban education policy.   Concentrated Poverty and Urban Schools The politics of urban school reform has received extensive scholarly attention in recent years  (Henig et al., 1999; Henig and Rich, 2004; Howell, 2005; Portz et al., 1999; Stone, 1998; Stone  et   al.,   2001).     Urban   districts,   heavily   segregated   by   race   and   socioeconomic   class,   face  numerous obstacles when attempting to make substantive changes.  As a result, in cities such as  Minneapolis, students are increasingly opting out of the public schools by choosing to attend  charter, suburban, or private schools, and in some cases even choosing home schooling over the  traditional public schools.  These patterns necessitate an examination of urban students selecting  these other schooling options.   For   several   reasons,   students   in   high-poverty   schools   suffer   from   low   achievement.  Students in low-income areas suffer from lower levels of resources and investments at both the  family and school levels, which substantially affect educational outcomes (Roscigno et al, 2006).  A family’s economic well being can shape a child’s cognitive development in the early years,  2

Authors: Kraus, Neil.
first   previous   Page 2 of 20   next   last



background image
In 2000, the Minneapolis Branch of the NAACP and the State of Minnesota reached a settlement 
involving the Minneapolis Schools which provides for up to 2,000 low-income Minneapolis 
students to attend schools in one of several suburban districts.   Because of the state’s existing 
open enrollment law, busing urban students to suburban schools had been occurring for many 
years.  But the settlement was still significant because it was akin to official recognition that the 
high-poverty   schools   of   Minneapolis   lacked   in   comparison   to   their   lower-poverty   suburban 
counterparts.  In terms of the academic achievement of the suburban transfer students, as will be 
discussed   below,   the   results   of   the   suburban   transfer   program   to   date   have   been   mixed. 
However,   this   paper   suggests   that   allowing   students   from   high   poverty   urban   districts   the 
opportunity to attend suburban schools should be viewed as one component of contemporary 
urban education policy.  
Concentrated Poverty and Urban Schools
The politics of urban school reform has received extensive scholarly attention in recent years 
(Henig et al., 1999; Henig and Rich, 2004; Howell, 2005; Portz et al., 1999; Stone, 1998; Stone 
et   al.,   2001).     Urban   districts,   heavily   segregated   by   race   and   socioeconomic   class,   face 
numerous obstacles when attempting to make substantive changes.  As a result, in cities such as 
Minneapolis, students are increasingly opting out of the public schools by choosing to attend 
charter, suburban, or private schools, and in some cases even choosing home schooling over the 
traditional public schools.  These patterns necessitate an examination of urban students selecting 
these other schooling options.  
For   several   reasons,   students   in   high-poverty   schools   suffer   from   low   achievement. 
Students in low-income areas suffer from lower levels of resources and investments at both the 
family and school levels, which substantially affect educational outcomes (Roscigno et al, 2006). 
A family’s economic well being can shape a child’s cognitive development in the early years, 
2


Convention
All Academic Convention can solve the abstract management needs for any association's annual meeting.
Submission - Custom fields, multiple submission types, tracks, audio visual, multiple upload formats, automatic conversion to pdf.
Review - Peer Review, Bulk reviewer assignment, bulk emails, ranking, z-score statistics, and multiple worksheets!
Reports - Many standard and custom reports generated while you wait. Print programs with participant indexes, event grids, and more!
Scheduling - Flexible and convenient grid scheduling within rooms and buildings. Conflict checking and advanced filtering.
Communication - Bulk email tools to help your administrators send reminders and responses. Use form letters, a message center, and much more!
Management - Search tools, duplicate people management, editing tools, submission transfers, many tools to manage a variety of conference management headaches!
Click here for more information.

first   previous   Page 2 of 20   next   last

©2008 All Academic, Inc.