Which of the two districts.... (Minneapolis, St. Paul: environment, work, homes)

[brikag]

Which of the two districts would the people of MSP would like to live in, NE area (St. Anthony,Falcon Heights, Como Park) or Calhoun Isle (uptown). Factors.... homes with character, good schools, mom-n-pop shops, accessibilty to grocery stores and other neccessities. We looked at all the different areas and we narrowed it down to these two districts.

Thank You

[golfgal]

The St. Anthony area is fairly nice. None of the areas you have listed are areas where you will find good schools. There will be OK schools but the St. Paul/Minneapolis schools are not the best. You might want to look into private schools if you live there. Also, I know a lot of people here tout the charter schools but they do not perform well on state testing and most people I know that have had kids attend charter schools find that once they leave the charter school they aren't very well prepared for the next level. Almost all of them LOVE the schools but find out later that their kids aren't ready for high school like they should be.

[brikag]

Hello Golfgal,
That is very good to know about the charter schools. You mentioned private... any good Lutheran private schools.

Thanks Golfgal

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by brikag

Hello Golfgal,
That is very good to know about the charter schools. You mentioned private... any good Lutheran private schools.

Thanks Golfgal

St. Croix Lutheran in Stillwater and one in New Ulm MN are the only ones I know of off hand. With St. Croix Lutheran though, you won't want to drive to Stillwater every day so if you want to go there you might as well live in Stillwater but then in Stillwater the public schools are very good so you wouldn't need to send them to a private school.

[The Icy River Vagabond]

If you take care of your children, I am sure that they will be fine in Minneapolis public schools. I bet the teachers love being insulted like that.

[brikag]

Originally Posted by The Icy River Vagabond

If you take care of your children, I am sure that they will be fine in Minneapolis public schools. I bet the teachers love being insulted like that.

What are you saying?!?!?

[Minnehahapolitan]

I don't want to speak for the last poster, but I would assert that alot of the gaps in testing in Mpls. schools are due to a lack of parent involvement. There are alot of single parents that can't be there when they are needed. This has an adverse effect on education. More so than disinvestment, lack of technology, lousy teachers and schools in general. A good school is important, but if you only after school option is the Latin Kings it won't matter if your enrolled at North High of Blake. Generally speaking, schools are not "bad" because of the system, but because of wider problems in a student's life. It is also unfair to say that all Mpls. schools are bad. Broad, fluid and ultimately inflammatory remarks serve neither those schools or you'r personal beliefs. As to the original question, it is a matter of preference. Uptown is on a beautiful setting, is filled with trendy (perhaps uppity) shops. Northeast is more older, closer to Downtown, less gentrified, environmentally friendly and wholly unique. Both areas are safe and pleasant places to live that will give you what you seem to be looking for. (Your orig. post seems a little vague as Falcon Heights is a suburb and Como Park is in Saint Paul, did you mean Northeast as in the quadrant of the city? I assumed so.) Ironically, Minneapolis' Scandinavian roots have failed to produce a Lutheran school (in my memory). I think Minnehaha Academy bills itself as generally Christian. I would personally shy away from charter schools, but that is your decision. Thats my two cents, the best of luck to you.

[brikag]

So, charter schools bad, public schools so-so, and private schools...they have a chance?

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by brikag

So, charter schools bad, public schools so-so, and private schools...they have a chance?

In Minneapolis/St. Paul that pretty much covers the spectrum. In the suburbs you have the best schools in the nation so you also have to realize that the inner city schools probably aren't as bad in Minneapolis/St. Paul as they may or may not be in other major cities. The Twin Cities schools do produce many top students, many National Merit Scholars, etc. yet they also major issues with attendance, gangs, apathy toward education, etc. and not that the suburban schools are perfect it is just that the general learning environment is much better. The quality of the Mlps/St. Paul schools is not because of the quality of the teachers, they are probably better teachers overall then a lot of the top schools but since they have to deal with so many non-education issues it really makes a difference in what happens in the classroom.

Across the nation you will find that urban schools tend to not do as well as suburban schools. There are some suburban areas in the Twin Cities metro area that might appeal to you as well. I don't know where you will be working but two towns that come to mind are Stillwater and Northfield. They are not your typical suburban towns, very old towns that have been well maintained, downtown shopping districts plus shopping on the edge of town with Target, etc. type stores. Something to consider.

[Ben Around]

"It is also unfair to say that all Mpls. schools are bad. Broad, fluid and ultimately inflammatory remarks serve neither those schools or you'r personal beliefs. As to the original question, it is a matter of preference."

This is so true!

RE: charter schools, again, put the broad brushes down folks! My daughter attendied Twin Cities Academy for a time, and we were so impressed with the staff and adminstration! Most of the staff had been hired from other public schools, both city and suburban. They were young but experienced and SO enthusiastic. While the school is located in an old catholic shool building in a part of town the broad-brushers would be offended or terrified to be in, the school drew students from miles around, with as many suburban kids as city kids. The nice thing about it was that every kid was there because his/her partents chose the school for them, not because they lived in the "district". So that meant parent involvement was phenomenal.

Our friends have a daughter who just graduated from Avalon High, also a city charter school. She thrived there, and is now at Macalester on a full ride scholarship.

You can find lots of examples of failed or poorly run charter schools in the TC, but they are not all that way!