[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 15928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE EDEN PRAIRIE SCHOOL DISTRICT, EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I honor the Eden Prairie 
School District, in Eden Prairie, MN, which recently earned an Award 
for Excellence in Education for its exceptional and innovative 
achievements in educating children.
  The Eden Prairie School District is truly a model of educational 
success. The district takes a systemwide approach to ending a subtle 
form of racism that can plague schools and other institutions.
  Some schools use an approach to teaching that has a bias--an approach 
that benefits white students and puts black students at a disadvantage. 
Eden Prairie Schools Superintendent Dr. Melissa Krull, believes the 
district has made progress toward a solution.
  The 2005 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, MCA, results for Eden 
Prairie were impressive: All schools showed dramatic improvements. 
However, the district found that its Black students were not realizing 
the same level of success as other students.
  Eden Prairie found that even excluding factors such as poverty, 
learning disabilities, and English as a second language, the district's 
Black students were still not doing as well as White students, who 
earned approximately 22 to 25 percentage points more than Black 
students on the MCAs.
  Eden Prairie Schools have made a great commitment of time and 
resources to eliminating the achievement gap. Eden Prairie 
administrators base their response on research and data, breaking down 
test results by racial groups, then determining which schools, 
classrooms, and students need that extra attention.
  The district created a program, at one elementary school, called 
``The Mom's Club,'' inviting single mothers to visit and talk with 
staff and other single mothers while their sons interact with male high 
school students to establish friendships. Through the district's Somali 
Liaison Program, a Somali staff member visits new Somali families to 
answer questions about the schools and show families how to get 
involved. As part of a Homework Zone Initiative, staff members go to 
apartment complexes with diverse families and offer free, afterschool 
tutoring.
  Much of the credit for the Eden Prairie School District's success 
belongs to its superintendent, Dr. Melissa Krull, the dedicated 
principals, teachers, and other staff. The students and staff within 
the district understand that, in order to be successful, a district 
must go beyond achieving academic success; it must also provide a 
nurturing environment where all students can develop the knowledge, 
skills, and attitudes for success throughout life. All of the faculty, 
staff, and students at the Eden Prairie School District should be very 
proud of their accomplishments.
  I congratulate Eden Prairie School District in Eden Prairie for 
winning the Award for Excellence in Education and for its exceptional 
contributions to education in Minnesota.

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