Continued: St. Paul schools leader brings message to students

Officials in the St. Paul School District have given lots of presentations and plan several more on the big changes coming to the district as it looks for a way to deal with the considerable challenges it faces.

It has made more than $93 million in budget cuts over the past nine years. Other major issues include the fact that only half its students are proficient in reading, the achievement gap between white students and students of color is among the widest in the nation, and federal and state expectations for student achievement are accelerating.

And while the district plans to spend lots of time talking to parents and community members about impending change, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen is taking the time to talk to the group that will be most affected by the decisions: the students.

Carstarphen has been visiting each of the student councils of high schools in the district, not only explaining the reasoning for impending changes but asking students to be the district's most enthusiastic messengers to classmates about the importance of graduating and going on to college.

"Why am I even here?" she asked student council members during a recent visit. "Who do you listen to? Not your parents, not your teachers, not me. You listen to each other," she said. "... I know that I'm here gasbagging a lot, but I'm here to get you to take ownership over what happens to your brothers and sisters."

The students seemed to respond to the challenge.

"I like how you're coming to students," senior Ann Mayhew told Carstarphen. " 'Cause we have a view that you and the teachers might not have."

Carstarphen asked students to participate in the district's new "Belief" campaign, which is addressing a problem that district research has revealed: Students in the district are deciding whether they will be college-bound by the time they hit fifth- or sixth-grade. At earlier and earlier ages, Carstarphen told the student council, "we are struggling with our youth about believing in themselves, and struggling about whether or not they are going to make it in this world."

The district plans to try to instill more self-confidence in students through the Belief campaign, which will involve spotlighting stories of student success and encouraging students to set their sights higher.

Tenth-grader Madeline Sedowski told Carstarphen that she was "shocked to hear about these young kids that don't think they're going to go to college."

Junior Alexandra Miller said she was "hopeful about what we can do to put the plan into action," but she also knows that "it's a really big task and we might not see results right away."

One issue Carstarphen took on passionately was the idea that some students in the district might have that district officials don't believe in them.

"People say we don't believe in you, and I just want to run through the halls and yell, 'It's not true,' " Carstarphen said. "We love you, and we love you enough to take effective action to change the outcomes in your life."

Emily Johns • 651-298-1541

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