The Old Dog of the Education Establishment Wags Journalists on It Tail

Beena Raghavendran’s facile and shoddily presented article, “A Great Balancing Act” (Star Tribune, Sunday, March 12, 2017) demonstrates---  unwittingly, I presume---  the multiple culpability shared by many parties for the lamentable state of K-12 education in the United States, saliently represented by our Minneapolis iteration of the locally centralized school district.

 

Raghavendran observes Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Ed Graff reading students the Dr. Seuss line, “So be sure when you step, step with care and tact, and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.”  She notes that Graff has been conducting visits such as this one to Lake Nokomis Community School’s Keewaydin campus, despite having a lengthy to-do list featuring a hefty achievement gap, multimillion dollar deficits, and pressures from many with stakes in kids’ success.

 

What, then, is Graff doing about these concerns on his to-do list, and what sort of pressures are the multitudes exerting on Graff for facilitating student success?

 

We get no solid information on these critical matters, but we are assured that Graff is scientific in his approach and earnest about his task.

 

In the course of the article, we get the following account of Graff’s observations and actions during the first eight months of his tenure as MPS superintendent:

 

Graff has called Minneapolis strong and is proud of North High School’s 2016 football championship.  His decisiveness in establishing a culture of unity focused on student needs was demonstrated in clear communications during a power outage, and in the dissemination of a common message pertinent to the Ramsey County case against the officer charged in the Philando Castile shooting. 

 

Raghavendran relates that Graff has hired a new chief of operations, chief of staff, and communications director. (Note:  Actually, he already had the latter and still retains a staff member with that title;  he has hired a new chief of communications).   He has called for a new pre-K through fifth grade literacy curriculum and proposes to shave 10 percent from the central office and 2.5 percent from schools in meeting a $28 million budgetary shortfall.  Graff plans to press forward with his emphasis on social and emotional learning by leading the school board on a trip to Chicago.

 

Some of the multitudes seem either impressed or willing to give Graff time to make needed changes.  Kenneth Eban (managing director, Students for Education Reform) says that Graff has never been riled and is very sure in his beliefs.  Parent Michael Wedl commends Graff for listening carefully to concerns about overcrowding at Washburn High School.  Gary Amaroso (executive director, Minnesota Association of School Administrators) says that a program of action usually becomes clear in a superintendent’s second year.  School Board Chair Rebecca Gagnon claims “some pretty good success” at MPS and is willing to give Graff the year that he said he would need to assess district needs.

 

Graff’s wife and brother both speak well of him. 

 

Folks, this is a school district wherein fewer than 20% of African American and American Indian males meet grade level standards in  math and reading.  Despite a strategic plan that calls for ambitious annual gains (5 percentage point overall increase in students meeting grade level performance in math and reading, corresponding 8 percentage point gain for lowest performing students, 10 percentage point gain in graduation rates), there has been no overall increase in math and a two percentage point decline for African Americans.  The four-year graduation rate has risen but is still just 64% overall and for African Americans and American Indians is 52% and 36% respectively.  One-third of those students who graduate must take remedial courses for college matriculation.  Consultant Michael Casserly has told school board members that their strategic plan is not viable.   

 

The multitudes should focus attention on matters other than athletic fields;  their concern for the academic program should go beyond class size.  Graff should not be too proud of football victories.  He’ll need much more than a calm demeanor and a grade preK-5 literacy curriculum in order for students to meet state standards in math, English, history, and science.  And if his wonk-like traits are seen in lauding stellar teachers, he is not the nerd we need:  Just as eight associate superintendents are paid $141,000 apiece to nudge building principals toward adequacy, so great investment in training will be needed to raise teacher quality above the mediocrity acknowledged by many MPS administrators.  

 

Graff’s “MPS strong” mantra and Gagnon’s “some pretty good success” characterization are fanciful.  The schools of Chicago are hardly places to go looking for success in social skill and emotional stability;  the latter commendable qualities are insufficient for academic success. 

 

The public is inarticulate on matters of educational excellence. 

 

Raghavendran’s article is replete with bromides, short on incisive questioning and fact.  Her malady is widely shared by print, audio, and video journalists.

 

Channeling Dr. Seuss, my own instruction to all of those culpable in assessing or addressing the education establishment is as follows:

 

Don’t be that old dog’s sad, wagging tail.

That’ll just mean that we continue to fail.