Minneapolis Public Schools Department of College and Career Readiness Staff, March 2018 >>>>> Due for Elimination in the K-12 Revolution

The Minneapolis Public Schools College and Career Readiness has fifteen staff members who purportedly follow department imperatives as expressed on the pertinent portion of the MPS website, as follows:

 

What We Do

CCR is a team of specialized professionals who provide leadership, structures, programming, and support to students, families, schools, and district leadership to educate and empower students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in college and careers. We are fierce advocates for career and college readiness across the district. 

Students who graduate high school career and college ready will possess the knowledge, skills and behaviors to successfully complete workforce training, certificate programs or entry-level credit-bearing college courses. More specifically the student will possess:

Academic Readiness

>>>>>  mastery of core foundational knowledge and the cognitive skills necessary to do post-secondary work 

>>>>>  College knowledge – the skills to navigate the systems necessary to enroll and succeed  in post-secondary education

>>>>>  Career awareness – knowledge of career pathways and opportunities, and the relationship between education, training and career goals

>>>>>  Personal and social readiness – individual determination and perseverance to thrive and learn in a post-secondary environment

>>>>>  Intercultural competence – the ability to learn, work and communicate in a multi-cultural world 

Minneapolis Public Schools will assist students in becoming career and college ready through:

>>>>>  Academic readiness - providing access to and support for coursework that is challenging to each student and that provides the content knowledge and cognitive skills necessary to do post-secondary work and promoting understanding of content at deeper levels through intergration of interdisciplinary topics. MPS keeps a focus on critical thinking and out of the box idea generation and collaboration.

CCR aligns with the MPS Acceleration 2020 strategic plan through the following programs and initiatives:

>>>>>  Core Academic Content - Multiple Pathways to Graduation, MC3 (Multidisciplinary Apprenticeship/Trade Programming), GEAR UP - Tutoring, Early Warning Monitoring System 8th/9th Grade, School Counseling

>>>>>  Life and Career Skills - GEAR UP - Community Impact, Check & Connect Services, My Life Plan, Work Based Learning, College Readiness Centers

>>>>>  Learning and Innovation - Extended Learning, Academic Enrichment and Support, Alternative Education Redesign, Personalized Learning, CTE/STEM

Key Learning Techniques for Successful Transitions >>>>> 

 

>>>>>  8th to 9th Grade Transition

>>>>>  College Entrance Preparation

>>>>>  Social/Emotional Development and Support

>>>>>  CCR Mentoring Programs

……………………………………………………………………….

 

In abbreviations given above and below, WWYB stands for We Want You Back;  CTE stands for Careers in Technology and Engineering;  and STEM stands for Science, Technology, and Math.

 

Know also that Q-Comp was supposed to be a form of merit pay rewarding particularly excellent teacher performance but was very soon corrupted in the usual ways by teachers unions Education

Minnesota and Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and other members of the interlocking directorate of the education establishment.

 

The MPS Department of College and Career Readiness is comprised of staff members by position as follows:

 

Minneapolis Public Schools Department of College and Career Readiness

 

(March 2018)  >>>>>

 

Staff Member                                    Position

 

1)            Terry Henry                              Executive Director   

2)            Alexandria (Alex) Spirov       WWYB Associate Educator

3)            Coleen Kaibel                           Director of Student Retention

            and Recovery   

4)            Heidi Olson                               WWYB Associate Educator                 

5)            James (Jim) Bierma                 Distric Q-Comp Counselor  

6)            Jennifer Ennen                         Office Specialist      

7)            Jill Bjorklund                            STEM/ CTE Project Coordinator         

8)            Julie Montgomery-Weiss      District Lead Counselor      

9)            Melissa Butler                          WWYB Associate Educator 

10)          Michael (Mike) Ash                Account Specialist

11)          Paul Klym                                  Career Development Coordinator                  

12)          Quyen Phan                              ALC 9-12 Manager  

13)          Sara Etzel                                   Director, STEM/CTE                               

14)          Tamala Washington-Green    Office Manager  

15)          Vanessa Moe                            JAG Coordinator     

 

 

……………………………………………………………………….

 

The MPS Department of College and Career Readiness is mainly a coordinator of programs with external origins and significant funding outside the MPS budget.  The programs come with appealing titles but have not been effective in preparing the bulk of students at the Minneapolis Public Schools for career or college.

 

This department has failed miserably in its central purpose of preparing MPS students for career or college.  The overall MPS student four-year graduation rate is under 70%;  of those who do graduate within four years, one-third need remedial coursework once matriculating on college or university campuses.  Less than 25% of MPS African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Hmong, and Somali students meet state achievement standards for mathematics, reading, and science.

 

The MPS Department of College and Career Readiness is not organized in a manner conducive to raising student academic achievement and thus for preparing students for career or college.

 

As the K-12 Revolution sweeps the halls of the Davis Center (central offices of the Davis Center, 1250 West Broadway), the Department of College and Career Readiness will be jettisoned. 

 

In the ensuing thorough reorganization, Department of College and Career Readiness staff members will be invited to apply for positions in the new Department of Family Resource Provision and Referral;  or the new Department of Academic Assistance  Successful carryover staff from this and other offices and departments at the Minneapolis Public Schools will engage in a major effort to reach struggling families right where they live.  Newly trained teachers and tutors will impart the new knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum to students, thus truly preparing them for career and college. 

 

In the context of these logical facets of the new administration at the Minneapolis Public Schools that replaces that of current Superintendent Ed Graff, students of all demographic descriptors will meet state standards in mathematics, reading, and science;  and they will graduate with an abundance of knowledge in history, economics, literature, and music, as well as the visual, vocational, and technological arts. 

 

Minneapolis Public Schools students will in the aftermath of the transformation go forth from graduation prepared to participate as culturally enriched, civically prepared, and professionally satisfied citizens;  implicit in such preparation will be career and college readiness.