Macarre Traynham is
the Executive Director of the Department of Teaching and Learning at the
Minneapolis Public Schools, receiving an annual salary of $117,000.
The following gives
Ms. Traynham’s academic credentials, based on information conveyed to me upon
request:
Macarre Traynham, Executive Director of
Teaching and Learning
Ed.D.: Educational Leadership & Equity,
Lewis and Clark College (anticipated)
M.A.: Educational Administration, California
State University
Administrative Licensure, Portland State
University
B.S.: Mathematics, Norfolk State University
At the
portal for the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Minneapolis Public
Schools website, the following mission statement appears:
Teaching and Learning
Mission
Through
the lens of racial equity, Teaching and Learning provides culturally relevant
resources and leads the implementation of research based instructional
practices that ensures all students meet or exceed grade level standards.
At the
portal for the Office of Academic Affairs, led by Susanne Griffin (to whom
Macarre Traynham reports), the following goals are set that are highly
pertinent to purposes of the Department of Teaching and Learning:
Steps
to Student Success
>>>>> ACT > 24
(College and Career Ready)
>>>>> B+ in
Algebra by 11th grade
(Students are successful in HS math)
>>>>> 3 AP/
IB/ CIS courses (Students enroll and
succeed in advanced HS courses)
>>>>> EXPLORE
> 20 (Students are prepared for rigorous HS courses
by 8th grade)
>>>>> MAP
Math > 228
and proficient on MCA II Science (Students are advanced in
math
and
science by 5th grade)
>>>>> students
are advanced readers by 3rd grade
>>>>> beginning
of kindergarten literacy > 216
(students are ready for kindergarten)
>>>>> Attendance rate > 95%
(students attend school at least 95% of the time)
Macarre Traynham leads a department that
currently consists of 52 staff members, making Teaching and Learning the
largest department at the Davis Center, which at 1250 West Broadway in North
Minneapolis houses the central offices of the Minneapolis Public Schools. My current calculations yield a figure of
approximately $3,300,000 in salary outlays for staff at the MPS Department of
Teaching and Learning. There are
presumably grant-supported staff and programs that also go to this department,
information that I will collect in time.
There has been considerable turnover at the
MPS Department of Teaching and Learning since I first began collecting salary
information; also, the following list is
drawn from a combination of lists that respectively emphasized a complete rendering of current staff
positions and figures for staff most directly involved in prime academic
tasks. Hence, the following list is the
most recent information available for current staff positions; and features annual salary information for
select positions, given in parentheses:
Teaching and Learning Staff Directory
2016-2017
Director
1. Macarre Traynham ($117,000)
Administrative Office Support
Position
2. Amanda Andrews ITT and Online, Office specialist
3. Jeanne Lacy Executive
Assistant ($52,416)
4. Yana Manalov Business
Services Financial Specialist
AVID Position
5. Maria Roberts Program
Manager, AVID ($100,958)
6. Christen Lish AVID
Elementary Coordinator
7. Paula Killian AVID
Middle School Coordinator
8. Tommie Casey AVID
High School Coordinator ($77,019)
Elementary Team
Position
9. Casey Seeley Director,
Elementary Education ($96,093)
10. Janna Toche Elementary
DPF ($78,070)
11. Julie Tangeman Elementary DPF ($81,223)
12. Sara Naegli Elementary
DPF
13. Sarah Hunter Elementary
DPF ($66,511)
Focused Instruction
Position
14. Tina Platt Project
Manager ($73,237)
15. Jake Hirschman Curriculum Assets Assistant
16. Nancy Mai Curriculum
Assets Assistant
Instructional Technology Team
Position
17. James Stock Learning
Assistant Administrator DPF
18. Jeff Brazee Applications
Trainer
19. Kevin Keller Technology
Integrationist DPF
Material Management
Position
20. Terry Dinovo Materials
Coordinator
21. Judy Stack-Nelson Materials Handler
Online Learning
Position
22. Edith McDonald Online, Art
23. James Carr Online,
Physical Education
24. Karen Maverick Online, Special Education
25. Katy Hemmah Online,
Program Counselor
26. Kelsey Zogby (Passa) Online, Math, Telescope
27. Lynn Lurvey Online,
English
28. Seth Levitt Online,
Math, Elementary
29. Tom VanErp Online,
Health
30. Tony Patterson Online, Associate Educator
31. William Holm Online,
Math, High School
Science Center
Position
32. Timothy Lilla Science
Senior Materials Handler
33. Donell Shinder Science Materials Handler
34. Mark Berg Science
Materials Handler
35. Tara Newhouse Science
Materials Handler of Living Organisms
Secondary Team
Position
36. Naomi Taylor Director,
Secondary Education
37. Chris Wernimont Secondary Math
DPF ($77,019)
38. Colleen Atakpu Secondary Math DPF
39. Hibaq Mohamed Secondary ELA/ Reading
40. Jennifer Rose Secondary
Science DPF ($81,223)
41. Katy Stephens Secondary
ELA/ Reading DPF ($65,461)
42. Kleber Ortiz-Sinchi Secondary Social Studies DPF ($52,580)
43. Samantha Weiman Associate Educator ($71,078)
Specialists
Position
44. Ashley Crohn K-12
Library and Information Media DPF
45. Kathy Dunbar Arts
Exploration and Extension Coordinator
46. Nora Schull K-12
Arts DPF
47. Sara Loch K-12
Health/ Physical Education
STEM
Position
48. Charley Ellingson STEM Integrationist
49. Elizabeth Stretch STEM Integrationist
Talent Development and Advanced
Academics
Position
50. Alyssa Polack Elementary
Talent
Development and
Development and
Advanced
Academics DPF
51. Kelly McQuillan High School Talent ($54,952)
Development and
Advanced Academics DPF
Advanced Academics DPF
52. Theresa Campbell Middle School Talent ($80,171)
Development and
Development and
Advanced
Academics DPF
Be reminded that the
most recent results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), given in
spring 2016, are as follows:
Percentage of Students Recording
Grade Level Performance on MCAs:
Disaggregated Data for Academic Years
Ending in 2014, 2015, and 2016
Math
African American 2014 2015 2016
Male 20.8% 22.0% 19.1%
Female 21.2% 20.7% 20.5%
African (Somali, Ethiopian, Liberian---
(late 20th/early 21st century immigrant populations)
2014 2015 2016
Male 24.2% 25.0% 23.6%
Female 24.1% 25.9% 21.5%
Hispanic 2014 2015 2016
Male 32.1% 33.5% 32.1%
Female 29.4% 30.3% 30.4.%
Native American/ 2014 2015 2016
American Indian
Male 19.9% 16.5% 16.0%
Female 25.0% 21.9% 21.3%
Asian 2014 2015 2016
Male 44.1% 47.4% 45.4%
Female 51.3% 53.4% 54.1%
White/ Caucasian 2014 2015 2016
Male 76.7% 78.4% 77.4%
Female 77.0% 77.9% 78.4%
All Students 2014 2015 2016
Male 43.1% 44.3% 42.9%
Female 43.9% 44.5% 44.4%
Percentage of Students Recording Grade Level Performance on MCAs:
Disaggregated Data for Academic Years Ending in 2014, 2015, and 2016
Reading
African American 2014 2015 2016
Male 18.8% 18.5% 18.2%
Female 24.0% 24.5% 23.4%
African (Somali, Ethiopian, Liberian---
late 20th/early 21st century immigrant populations)
2014 2015 2016
Male 18.8% 19.3% 20.4%
Female 27.6% 24.3% 23.2%
Hispanic 2014 2015 2016
Male 22.0% 22.9% 24.7%
Female 24.5% 26.6% 27.6%
Native American/ 2014 2015 2016
American Indian
Male 18.3% 13.9% 15.3%
Female 23.6% 26.1% 25.9%
Asian 2014 2015 2016
Male 36.0% 35.8% 38.8%
Female 44.7% 44.1% 50.6%
White/ Caucasian 2014 2015 2016
Male 75.3% 74.3% 74.0%
Female 81.0% 80.2% 80.0%
All Students 2014 2015 2016
Male 39.2% 38.7% 39.6%
Female 45.3% 45.1% 45.8%
................................................................
My Analysis
The above academic outcomes from the spring 2016 MCAs, given also in my article assessing the performance of Chief Academic Affairs Officer Susanne Griffin, are wretched.
Anyone bearing the
title of Director of Teaching and Learning must embrace the responsibility of
transforming these outcomes to ensure that all Minneapolis Public Students are
achieving at grade level or, in the case of special needs students and English
Language Learners, are attaining the highest performance of which they are
capable--- if quality of curriculum and
teaching were to give them a viable chance to demonstrate such capability.
Ms. Traynham is
recently arrived at the Minneapolis Public Schools, so that she is not
responsible for the MCA results of spring 2016.
The question is,
then, is she capable of overseeing curriculum overhaul, teacher training, and
academic remediation (tutoring) necessary to raise student performance to grade
level and then move forward toward a rigorous, college preparatory program?
The answer, based on
the best information available to me, is “no.”
This information strongly suggests that Macarre Traynham does not
believe in broad and deep knowledge-intensive curriculum in grade by grade
sequence throughout the K-12 years, with particular upgrading necessary at
grades K-5.
Macarre Traynham’s academic
training is slim in the legitimate subject area disciplines other than math
(i.e., history, economics, English literature, fine arts, chemistry). She does commendably have a bachelor’s degree
in math, but otherwise her training is entirely in programs granting degrees
and certifications in education, the least academically rigorous and the most
jargon-infested area of study on any college or university campus.
Chief Academic
Affairs Officer Susanne Griffin brought Macarre Traynham to the Minneapolis
Public Schools expressly to emphasize culturally responsive curriculum, so that
at this point I offer similar comments to those that I rendered in my articles
focused on Michael Walker (Director, Office of Black Male Achievement) and Anna
Ross (Director, Department of Indian Education):
1) All curriculum should
be culturally responsive.
All subjects, particularly history, government, other social sciences, and literature should give generous coverage to the specific histories and cultures of key ethnic groups in our society of many origins and belief systems; and the culturally specific information so imparted should be contextualized by the history and culture commonly shared by citizens of all ethnic groups.
All subjects, particularly history, government, other social sciences, and literature should give generous coverage to the specific histories and cultures of key ethnic groups in our society of many origins and belief systems; and the culturally specific information so imparted should be contextualized by the history and culture commonly shared by citizens of all ethnic groups.
I provide such a curriculum in my Journal of the K-12
Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis Minnesota and in
my nearly complete new book, Fundamentals of an Excellent Liberal Arts
Education. My presentation of curriculum is consistent with the
approach taken by E. D. Hirsch at the Core Knowledge Foundation, on which I
work my own innovations and extend logically into the high school years (Hirsch
has long emphasized curriculum at grades K-6 and more recently at grades 7-8).
2) Culturally responsive curriculum is vital, but an exclusive
focus on building cultural awareness is not sufficient for academic
improvement, nor is it sufficient for excellence in education.
We need to simplify our approach and discard the verbal detritus and philosophical poverty of schemes hatched in our wretched departments, colleges, and schools of education.
Be clear >>>>>
By simplifying our approach to focus on matters relevant to curriculum and teachers throughout the Minneapolis Public Schools, we are then free to concentrate on the truly difficult work of generating a knowledge-intense curriculum and training teachers who are capable of imparting such a curriculum to students of all demographic descriptors.
A logically adept response to the needs of all students will include as a key facet the delivery of high-quality academic remediation (tutoring) to those students lagging below grade level in mathematics and reading.
Decision-makers at the Minneapolis Public Schools need to be clear as to the reason for the existence of the Department of Teaching and Learning. As it is, there is too little learning, and the teaching is too mediocre. Macarre Traynham and her staff should clearly be responsible henceforth for the academic outcomes given as goals in the Acceleration 2020 Strategic Plan and measured on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and other objective instruments such as the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress).
By simplifying our approach to focus on matters relevant to curriculum and teachers throughout the Minneapolis Public Schools, we are then free to concentrate on the truly difficult work of generating a knowledge-intense curriculum and training teachers who are capable of imparting such a curriculum to students of all demographic descriptors.
A logically adept response to the needs of all students will include as a key facet the delivery of high-quality academic remediation (tutoring) to those students lagging below grade level in mathematics and reading.
Decision-makers at the Minneapolis Public Schools need to be clear as to the reason for the existence of the Department of Teaching and Learning. As it is, there is too little learning, and the teaching is too mediocre. Macarre Traynham and her staff should clearly be responsible henceforth for the academic outcomes given as goals in the Acceleration 2020 Strategic Plan and measured on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and other objective instruments such as the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress).
If they do not provide the excellent quality of education that will ensure the desired outcomes, their employment status should be under serious scrutiny.
As to her own employment status, given her expertise in
culturally responsive curriculum, Macarre Traynham may have a specialized role
to play in the Department of Teaching and Learning.
But her training is too limited to position her to lead a department in which the greatest abiding need is to overhaul curriculum for the delivery of grade by grade knowledge in the liberal, technological, and vocational arts.
But her training is too limited to position her to lead a department in which the greatest abiding need is to overhaul curriculum for the delivery of grade by grade knowledge in the liberal, technological, and vocational arts.
Thus, Macarre Trayham should be terminated in her position as
Director of Teaching and Learning at the Minneapolis Public Schools, possibly moved to another position more specialized
and less comprehensive in scope.
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