If we are ever to overhaul K-12 education so as to achieve knowledge-intensive academic instruction, imparted by pedagogically skilled teachers of broad and deep knowledge, for all of our precious young people, we must undertake a rigorous analysis of those people and programs in place at the level of the locally centralized school district.
My own effort is to model in the New Salem Educational Initiative those features of K-12 education that should be extrapolated for application by the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS)--- then to induce decision-makers at MPS to make the required changes in personnel and curriculum that will be necessary to achieve educational excellence.
In reading the immediately prior article, my readers should be aware that the changes made recently by Superintendent Ed Graff do little but to reorganize staff composition and structure while leaving too many of those people and programs in place that have resulted in such low quality of education at the Minneapolis Public Schools.
Most notably among those in place are Graff himself, who comes to MPS after an undistinguished tenure as Superintendent of the Anchorage (Alaska) Public Schools; and Susanne Griffin, who has presided over a disastrous academic program at MPS during her three and a half years as Chief Academic Officer. And understand also that Griffin hired Macarre Traynham as Director of Teaching and Learning while leaving Christina (Tina) Platt in her position as point person for Focused Instruction:
None of these four people are dedicated to the kind of knowledge-intensive education that we must have at the Minneapolis Public Schools; and none understand the precise nature of the teacher training that we must have to produce teachers of deep and broad knowledge with the pedagogical ability to impart a knowledge-intensive education to all students.
So if administrative staff and teachers currently on the payroll of the Minneapolis Public Schools are not adequate for making the needed transformation, is there hope for the needed leadership on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education?
As you peruse the following list, note that as a result of the election of 8 November 2016, Bob Walser will as of February 2017 replace Josh Reimnitz in District 4, Ira Jourdain will replace Tracine Asberry in District 6, and Kim Ellison will replace Carla Bates as a member At-Large, and Kerry Jo Felder will move into the District 2 position vacated by Kim Ellison when the latter opted to run for the At-Large seat previously held by Carla Bates.
As I will discuss in detail in my next article, none of these are favorable changes. The loss of the retiring Carla Bates is a terrible blow, and this is even more true in the cases of Josh Reimnitz, who narrowly lost to Bob Walser, and for Tracine Asberry, who lost by a similarly slim margin to Ira Jourdain. Kimberly Caprini also lost narrowly to Kerry Jo Felder, another case of the more capable candidate losing narrowly to her opponent.
Examine, then, these lists of current and newly elected membership of the MPS Board of Education, with my comments above in view, as you wait for my more detailed exploration of these changes as unfortunate in my next article:
Current Membership of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education
District One >>>>> Jenny Areneson
District Two >>>>> Kim Ellison
District Three >>>>> Siad Ali
District Four >>>>> Josh Reimnitz
District Five >>>>> Nelson Inz
District Six >>>>> Tracine Asberry
At-Large >>>>> Rebecca Gagnon
At-Large >>>>> Carla Bates
At-Large >>>>> Don Samuels
Membership of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education as of February 2017
District One >>>>> Jenny Arneson
District Two >>>>> Kerry Jo Felder
District Three >>>>> Siad Ali
District Four >>>>> Bob Walser
District Five >>>>> Nelson Inz
District Six >>>>> Ira Jourdain
At-Large >>>>> Rebecca Gagnon
At-Large >>>>> Kim Ellison
At-Large >>>>> Don Samuels
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