First and most important: this is not the official website of the Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force. The official website is at the Minnesota Department of Education and you should go there for the official story. This page is being maintained by one EMID parent. I am trying to attend each task force meeting and share notes with other EMID parents.
The task force has been convened “to develop recommendations for repurposing integration revenue funds to create and sustain opportunities for improved educational outcomes that narrow and close the academic achievement gap.” They finalized their report on 7 February 2012 and made it available to the Legislature on 15 February 2012.
…Eric
Report
On 7 February 2012 the task force voted 10–2 to approve a report to the legislature. The report was shared with the Legislature on 15 February 2012.
Documents
For some reason the task force is not posting all its handouts in a timely way. I’ve started to collect those I can here.
- At the request of Robert Erickson, the MDE School Finance staff prepared an estimate of the cost of various proposed changes to the Integration Revenue formula.
- Final discussion draft of task force report, with notes (PDF)
- One Minnesota Proposal PDF by co-chair Scott Thomas, shared on 31 January 2012 (earlier drafts were shared on 17 January and 24 January).
- Integration Improvement Proposal PDF, by co-chair Peter Swanson, shared on 24 January 2012.
- Recommendations for Repurposing Integration Funds PDF, by Robert Erickson, shared on 17 January 2012 (note this version leaves out roughly 30 pages of quotes from other documents that were in the original).
- Summary on Evaluating Use of Integration Revenue shared by Ann Parks of MDE on 31 January 2012.
Resources
Some resources have been mentioned either at the task force meetings or in other contexts. This is by no means an exhaustive list, feel free to suggest additions!
- Courageous conversations about race: a field guide for achieving equity in schools, by Glenn Singleton. Task force member Katherine Kersten keeps demonizing this book to the task force, bringing it up in at least three meetings. This makes me think it must be worth a read.
- Assault on kids: how hyper-accountability, corporatization, deficit ideologies, and Ruby Payne are destroying our schools, by Roberta Ahlquist, Paul Gorski, Theresa Montaño. EMID parent Mary Hess particularly recommends the chapter on the achievement gap.
- Another integration task force, the Minnesota School Integration Council, met last year and their recommendations, Every Child, Every Day, may also be of interest. Note, the president of this earlier effort was EMID’s own Kathy Griebel and the president-elect was Scott Thomas, a co-chair of the current task force.
- The Integration Report, a monthly update on the status of integration in our nation’s schools.
- 2011 MN STEM Achievement Gap Strategic Plan PDF, by the MN P-20 Education Partnership. In the report, (beginning on pg. 16), there is a significant section devoted to the role of cultural competence and addressing the achievement gap, says EMID parent and UMN teacher Mary Jacobson.
- Teresa Graham provided the task force with this very helpful compilation of 2011–2012 integration budgets from school districts across Minnesota.
Updates
- Augsburg College Public Debate: Integration Funding Two task force members debate the recommendations of the report.
- MPR: Task force recommends greater oversight, guidance for school integration efforts Interviews with various task force members.
- Integration task force report issued The Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force has issued its final report to the legislature, including the two minority reports....
- MinnPost: Integration task force forwarding results to Cassellius Just when you thought hardly anyone in the state Legislature could spell compromise, much less produce one...
- Swanson and Kersten file a minority report Content of minority report not available until final report goes to Legislature.
- Star Tribune: A positive grade for integration aid plan Editors declare that the report “strikes good balance between support, accountability.”
- Star Tribune: A bad idea just keeps coming back Katherine Kersten imagines the Twin Cities going the way of Hartford, Connecticut.
- Daily Planet: Integration revenue task force approves plan Alleen Brown summarizes the elements of the task force report for the Twin Cities Daily Planet.
- Star Tribune: State integration task force adopts plan to close achievement gap Kim McGuire summarizes “almost a year” of task force work on integration. Um.
- Integration Task Force Approves Report that Affirms Integration Minnesota’s Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force approves a report that, believe it or not, affirms integration efforts.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 7 February 2012 The task force wordsmiths a report to the legislature including both legislative and fiscal recommendations. Votes 10–2 to approve the report.
- Star Tribune: Task force seeks a deal on $100M in school integration aid Steve Brandt writes about the task force’s efforts to get past differences.
- Integration Task Force Considers Metro-wide Integration District Scott Thomas, co-chair of the task force, puts a proposal on the table that would bundle together all metro-area integration magnet schools into a single seven-county district.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 31 January 2012 The task force discusses a third version of the Thomas plan in some detail, hears from Ann Parks of MDE, and returns to plans from Erickson and Swanson. Orfield is heard to say he likes meeting with Erickson and wants to meet some more.
- MSR: State’s integration programs face uncertain future Alleen Brown story picked up by “the voice of the African American community.”
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 24 January 2012 The task force engages in some revealing dialog as they debate proposals by the two co-chairs.
- Daily Planet: Integration programs face uncertain future as task force deadline nears Alleen Brown writes about the work of the task force and the variety of integration efforts around Minnesota.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 17 January 2012 The task force discusses proposals by Scott Thomas and Robert Erickson. Beginning of discussion of parameters of report. Differences emerging.
- Testimony of Kristin Konop to the Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, 1/10/12 Kristin Konop testifies to the task force about how integrated schools affected two very different people.
- Testimony of Dr. Jennifer Marker Johnson to the Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, 1/10/12 Dr. Jennifer Marker Johnson testifies to the task force about the value of EMID as a unique environment.
- Testimony of Eric Celeste to the Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, 1/10/12 Eric Celeste testifies to the task force about the perils of relying on statewide testing scores to judge programs.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 10 January 2012 The task force takes testimony for over six hours from a cast of dozens. Tucks a few minutes of community testimony in at the end.
- Integration revenue task force seeks testimony Minnesota’s Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force is seeking public testimony at its 1/10 meeting. They have set aside time at this all-day session to hear from the public, giving each person 2–3 minutes. Please consider requesting a slot to...
- MinnPost: Task force on school integration policy hears sharp debate Beth Hawkins talks to Dan Schuman, discusses the constitutionality of integration in Minnesota, and illuminates the opposing viewpoints of two social scientists.
- Star Tribune: Cost vs. benefit steers debate over future of integration aid Corey Mitchell writes about the testimony at the 12/20 meeting of the task force. Includes a picture from EMID!
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 20 December 2011 The task force takes testimony from experts in the field, including social scientists and lawyers. Dan Schulman says, “I am ready to bring a case.”
- Robicheau and Gillette testify to integration revenue task force Interim Superintendent Robicheau, EMID Board Chair Cristina Gillette, and EMID graduate Robert Rostrom testify to the integration task force.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 13 December 2011 The task force takes testimony from many school administrators including the chair of EMID’s board and EMID’s interim superintendent.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 29 November 2011 The task force takes testimony from Tom Gillaspy, State Demographer, and Tom Melcher, MDE Finance Officer.
- Integration Task Force Meeting: 15 November 2011 First meeting of the task force.
