Minneapolis Public Schools: Current Condition, Future Prospect >>>>> Chapter Thirty-Six (Part One, Facts) >>>>> Strategic Plan: Acceleration 2020 of the Minneapolis Public Schools

Strategic Plan:  Acceleration 2020 of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) was approved at a September 2014 meeting of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education.  Via the program advocated in the pages of the work overseen by then Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson and Chief Executive Officer (now Interim Superintendent) Michael Goar, the public schools of Minneapolis were to advance educational excellence and equity for all students enrolled in the district.

 

Six high-level goals were given in the document:  1) Improved Student Outcomes;  2) Equity;  3)  Family and Community Partnership;  4) Effective Teachers, School Leaders, and Staff;  5) Stewardship;  and 6) Resources for Students and Schools.

 

Goals offered in what was termed the “big, bold spirit of the 5-8-10 plan” included the following, to be attained in the run-up to year 2020:

 

>>>>>   5 percent annual increase in students overall meeting or exceeding state standards in reading

and math;

 

 >>>>>  8 percent annual increase in students meeting or exceeding state standards in reading

and math for MPS’s lowest performing students;

 

 >>>>>  10 percent annual increase in the four-year graduation rate

 

Officials at MPS declared that “Our targets are intentionally high to reignite a sense of urgency in the system and ensure that everyone is operating with growth mindset. Meeting these targets is absolutely possible.  Under this plan, we will achieve our vision of every child graduating college and career ready.”

 

Toward the achievement of Goal Number One, Improved Student Outcomes, officials at MPS stress that teachers at Grades Pre-K through Grade 3 should have routines in place for development of student reading and language skills;  that teachers at Grade 4 through Grade 12 and for adult learners should abet the development of such skills via guided academic conversations and “close reading”;  and that  teachers at Grade 6 through Grade 12 and for adult learners develop students’ math and science vocabulary and content knowledge using “literacy strategies.”  Also stressed are core instruction for all categories of learners;  personalized learning opportunities;  readiness at key points of transition from one major age grouping to another;  behavioral interventions that minimize suspensions;  and the availability of ethnic studies courses in high school.

 

Toward the achievement of Goal Number Two, Equity, officials at MPS stress the use of student data as examined and then acted upon by Professional Learning Communities of teachers at each site, problem-based learning and critical thinking;  multiple pathways to graduation via dual enrollment, Post-Secondary Options (PSEO), credit recovery, community-based GED and literacy programs, and online learning;  and availability of world languages.  Associate Superintendents are to monitor progress toward the goal of equity and the given sub-goals;  and staff at all schools are to be given proper supports, with enhanced supports at High Priority Schools and Focus Schools.

 

Toward the achievement of Goal Number Three, Family and Community Partnership, officials at MPS

Stress engagement with families of students, with appropriate language translation and interpreting services, with training for teachers in communication with families, and with great effort made to provide accessible locations and temporally flexible times for familial participation.  They also stress increases in corporate support, grant funding, and volunteers---  with ongoing monitoring of community partnerships for effectiveness.

 

Toward the achievement of Goal Number Four, Effective Teachers, School Leaders, and Staff, officials at MPS stress the need for diversity in hiring, identification and placement of individuals particularly suited for teaching and staff roles to meet the needs of students at certain schools, and the provision of training and supports for staff in performing to expectation.  There is also emphasis placed on providing leadership training and career advancement opportunities;  and on implementing Quality Compensation (Q-Comp) to promote staff retention and career development.   

 

Toward the achievement of Goal Number Five, Stewardship, officials at MPS stress accountability on the part of administrators at all levels for the implementation of Strategic Plan:  Acceleration 2020 via ongoing assessment of effectiveness and adjustment of strategies as necessary; use of the Baldrige Criteria for Education Organizations as a guide to ongoing staff training in planning, management, decision-making and data collection and utilization;  and central office adjustments to abet increased school autonomy.

 

Toward the achievement of Goal Number Six, Resources for Students and Schools, officials at MPS stress “zero-based budgeting” to assure that funds are used where they are truly needed, with allocations prioritized for the classroom, and with attention to services pertinent to transportation, food security, instructional technology, school environment, and athletics that have a direct impact on students’ lives.

 

All of these goals were to be attained in the context of an inclination toward school autonomy and upon the conviction that the individual site---  the school---  is the meaningful unit of change and that school staff members should have flexibility to meet the needs of their particular student population.