Here are some interesting statistics forwarded by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education:

• Percentage of all white high school seniors in 2004 elected to an academic honor society: 26.2%

• Percentage of all African-American high school seniors in 2004 elected to an academic honor society: 13.1% (U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all African-American high school seniors in 1972 who participated in a student government organization: 25.3%

Reuters is reporting that segregation in public schools continues to be a problem.

"Blacks and Hispanics are more separate from white students than at any time since the civil rights movement and many of the schools they attend are struggling, said the report by the Civil Rights Project at the University of California." - Read more

Minneapolis Public Schools have committed to a transformative academic agenda with the goal of increasing achievement for every child in our city. Achieving the goals of “every child, college ready” and over 80% proficiency in reading and math will require substantially improving public trust and creating a universal culture of accountability.

Think of this year’s referendum effort by supporters of Minneapolis Public Schools as an ink spot.

Some see it as a simple request for $60 million dollars that is needed to “manage class size,” support academic reforms, and provide students with updated materials and technology.

Others see it as yet another needless tax increase for something they care little about.

When the annual No Child Left Behind reports on Adequate Yearly Progress are released you can expect a few typical things: schools will be assailed for failing kids, NCLB will be accused of being designed to end public education, and a million prescriptions for academic improvements will be made - most of which will miss the point.

A major goal of our strategic plan for Minneapolis Public Schools is to close the achievement gap by 75% within five years and to remove race as a predictor of academic achievement.

This would be a tough task for any urban school district, but it is further complicated by the historically fractured relationship between MPS and the African-American community. Last year, when relations were more strained than ever due to the Northside Initiative, I began a dialogue with those in the community who demanded a greater role for African-American parent leaders.

There is some interesting commentary on the New York Times Freakonomics blog about closing the achievement gap.

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation has released an interesting new report that ranks teacher union contracts in the 50 largest school districts. What is notable about the report is that it talks about the link between restrictive contracts, which are more likely to be in high poverty minority districts, and low performance.

Some of the report's key findings, as reported by Education Week, are below:

2008 has started with a great deal of optimism for Minneapolis Public Schools. Expectations are high and there is a great sense of common cause in the community.

What a difference from just a year ago.

As I prepare for the hard work ahead, I can't help but reflect on 2007. We gained a masterful superintendent, reorganized our resources, and moved forward with a strategic planning effort that was long overdue.

Last Thursday I attended the 20th Anniversary celebration for the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership at the invitation of my colleague, Dir. Lydia Lee. The keynote speech titled "Black Boys: The Litmus Test for Public Education" was delivered in a colorful and direct fashion by Dr. Rosa Smith.

After exposing many daunting statistics that paint the picture of crisis for black youth, statistics that we are all too familiar with, she punctuated her charts and graphs with a simple truth:

"It doesn't have to be this way," she said. “It’s a choice.”