MPS Research and Accountability Chief Eric Moore’s Ascendance to Concomitant Role as Head of Academics Should Be Followed with a House-Cleaning at Department of Teaching and Learning and Among the Associate Superintendents

Serendipitously occurring at a temporal juncture at which Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) officials Brenda Cassellius and Michael Diedrich are trying to fool the state’s citizenry one more time (see article immediately below) is a significant happenstance at the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS):  Superlatively talented Eric Moore has been tapped to lead the MPS academic program, in addition to his continuing role as Chief of Research, Innovation, and Accountability.

  

Moore’s ascendance creates the imminent possibility that the K-12 Revolution will sweep the halls of the Davis Center (MPS central offices, 1250 West Broadway) and thrust into being a knowledge-intensive, skill-replete, logically sequence grade by grade curriculum, the excellent impartation of which will be achievable with a thoroughly retrained teaching force.

 

Moore should be sending for materials published by E. D. Hirsch’s Core Knowledge Foundation and reviewing the documents that I will put in his hands in the form of my August and September editions of Journal of the K-12 Revolution:  Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in which I extended the Hirsch curriculum (emphasizing PreK-grade 6) to middle school and high school and detailed a program for the necessary retraining of teachers capable of imparting a knowledge-intensive curriculum.

 

Moore then should proceed to oversee the complete redesign of the MPS academic program, so that K-5 (elementary) students master the key subject areas of mathematics through fractions, decimals, percentages, proportions and ratios;  natural science (substantive introduction to biology, chemistry, and physics);  world, English, and ethnic literature;  world, American, and ethnic history;  economics;  psychology; and fine arts (visual and musical).  At grades 6-8 (middle school), students would continue these courses of study, with increasing emphasis on world languages.  And at grades 9-12, all non-mentally impaired students would be prepared to take Advanced Placement courses in calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, world history, American history, and English;  while now opting for an array of electives and professional preparation courses logically responding to driving personal interests.        

 

In moving toward a knowledge-intensive curriculum, Moore (who is himself highly educated in both humanities and mathematics) must face the fact that staff now responsible for academic program design are not themselves academicians.  He must, therefore, do the following:

 

1)  Interview current Deputy Chief of Academics, Leadership, and Learning Cecilia Saddler to determine if she is behind a Core Knowledge curriculum and has the academic mettle to be a key figure in design and implementation;    

 

2) evaluate and most likely terminate employment for the following people:  the current Elementary Team of Jessica Driscoll (K-5 Literacy DPF, Network), Julie Tangeman (K-5 Literacy, Science DPF, Davis Center), Marium Toure (K-5 Math DPF, Davis Center), Mary Lambrecht (K-5 Math DPF, Network), Natasha Parker (K-5 Math TOSA, Network), and Sara Naeglie, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network);  current  Secondary Team of Chris Jones (6-12 Math TOSA, Network), Chris Wernimont (6-12 Math DPF), Hamdi Ahmed (6-12 Literacy), Hibaq Mohamed (6-12 Literacy DPF), Jennifer Rose (K-12 Science DPF), Katie Stephens (6-12 Literacy DPF, Network), and Lisa Purcell (K-12 Social Studies DPF);  current

K-12 Programming staff members Ashley Kohn (K-12 Library Media Information DPF), Kimberly Heinscheid (SSPA Arts), Nora Schull (K-12 Arts DPF), Sara Loch (K-12 Health/Physical Education DPF), and Ted Hansen (Fine Arts TOSA); and current Talent Development and Advanced Academic staff members Christina Ramsey (K-8 Talent Development and Advanced Academics) and Kelley McQuillan, 9-12 Talent Development and Advanced Academics.

 

Moore must then also evaluate the performance and professional preparation of Associate Superintendents Ron Wagner, Carla Steinbach, and Brian Zambreno to determine if they have the academic and administrative wherewithal to oversee implementation of a Core Knowledge curriculum at the site level.

 

Of a sudden the doors of opportunity have been flung open by MPS Superintendent Ed Graff’s tapping of Eric Moore as the new dual head of research and academics.

 

Graff and Moore now have the chance to be two of the very most important public figures in the United States, via the design and implementation of a knowledge-intensive curriculum and teacher training that can be a national model for other locally centralized school districts in the United States.

 

The realization of democracy and the preparation of students for lives of cultural enrichment, civic participation, and professional satisfaction ride on the ability of Graff and Moore to act upon this unprecedented opportunity.