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Magnet school for Native Americans draws fire from school officials
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
March 26, 2003

School board officials were greeted by a traditional drumming ceremony at the Four Winds American Indian Magnet School. (MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

Minneapolis school district officials are considering a plan to overhaul and relocate a magnet program for American Indian students. Four Winds American Indian Magnet School is among the district's lowest performing schools. Superintendent Carol Johnson says it's time to reorganize and return the school to its original mission.

St. Paul, Minn. — Four Winds opened in 1991 with a rigorous academic program and an emphasis on American Indian language and culture. The kindergarten through 8th grade school is housed in the former Mount Sinai Hospital on Chicago Avenue. A decade ago, 90 percent of the students were American Indian. But changing neighborhood demographics and competition from charter schools have cut that percentage in half.

Superintendent Carol Johnson says the school district has not lived up to its commitment, and it shows in poor test scores.

	Different building, same story?

"We haven't seen the performance gains that we'd like to see. We've seen some improvement and we've seen some improvement in attendance, but we have to make substantial gains in order for those students to enter high school ready to perform, ready to graduate in four years," she says.

Johnson uses the term "fresh start" to describe the proposed shakeup. It's the district's harshest intervention for a struggling school. The changes include hiring a new principal and teaching staff. Current teachers could reapply. Johnson also wants to move the magnet program to a new location this fall. The old site would become a neighborhood elementary school. Students can choose either school, or select another Minneapolis school. Johnson says the fresh start is an appropriate step for Four Winds.

"There is no magic bullet obviously about a fresh start. But we think it's a fresh commitment to the community that we want to partner with them to meet the challenges ahead as it relates to making sure American Indian students in our community achieve at high standards," according to Johnson.

The superintendent and school board members went to Four Winds American Indian Magnet School to gather public input on the proposal. They were greeted by a traditional drumming ceremony.

Clyde Bellecourt, who has been working with the school district as part of the American Indian Council on Education and supports the fresh start plan, says American Indian youth need a chance to learn and take pride in their heritage.

"Our children today know more about Eminem and Tupac Shakur than they know about their own chiefs and their own culture and their own traditions. If you don't believe it, pull them ear phones off they got on their head when they're sitting in a classroom. Listen to what they're listing to," Bellecourt said.

	'Students need a chance to learn...'

The fresh start proposal has angered some teachers at Four Winds. Tracy Ketterling says she's part of a committed staff that faces enormous challenges. She says community leaders should help them improve student performance without moving the school.

"You can fresh start here, you can fresh start there. I don't care were you're going to fresh start, it's going to be the same story. You can't take the same problems and put it in a different building and say, 'OK, now it's fixed.' That isn't going to happen," Ketterling said.

The superintendent's plan would downsize the magnet program to serve about 175 students in kindergarten through 8th grade next year. Cheryl Archambault has three children at the school. She says she thinks the reorganization could be a good way to strengthen the school's mission.

"My children feel really sad they're not going to have the school here. But talking to them, they do want to go to where the school program will have a cultural part to it," said Archambault.

The Minneapolis school district has ordered fresh start reorganizations for three other schools since 1996, including Morris Park, Harrison and Benjamin Banneker. School board members are expected to vote on the Four Winds plan April 8.

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