>Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Vol. VI, No. 4, October 2019 >>>>> Article #5

Article #5

 

Superintendent Evaluation Responsibilities of the

Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education

 

Members of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education have responsibility for hiring, evaluating, and either retaining or dismissing the Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools.  Typically board members have a strong sense of what to expect programmatically from the superintendent and also have considerable indication of the superintendent’s administrative style.  Board members tend to approve recommendations of the superintendent and staff, although strong pressure from constituent community members occasionally alters votes.  The typical tenure of an urban superintendent is four-six years, by which time various pressures and in some cases perceived greater opportunity induces the superintendent’s departure.  There are many intersecting areas of responsibility pertinent to the role of the superintendent and that of members of the MPS Board of Education;  hence, the relationship cultivated by the superintendent with members of the board,  and vice versa, determine the exact course of district policy and the longevity of the superintendent in her or his position.   

 

Below I give the evaluation form that current members of the MPS Board of
Education use to evaluate Superintendent Ed Graff:

 

Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Evaluation Form

At the Wednesday, 12 September 2018, meeting of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education committee for evaluation of the superintendent, Ed Graff made available to the committee the following form (this is my own typed rendering, so there are a few minor stylistic differences) as the template for evaluating Graff’s case for a new contract as the end (30 June 2019) of his first three-year tenure approached.  The form offers another look at the programmatic emphases of Graff for the academic and overall program of the Minneapolis Public Schools.

MPS

Evaluator  ___     Name     __        __     Signature     _          ____ Date      __

For new Superintendents, year 1 focuses on the development of an effective school system.  Year 1 may focus on a series of important projects, development of plans, and/or the dev elopement of necessary infrastructure for an effective and well-managed school system.  Year 2 will focus on implementation of developed systems and plans.  This an evaluation for year 2.

Below, the 2017-18 deliverables for the District’s strategic priorities and accountability are listed.  These deliverables were presented to the Board of Education in September 2017.

Deliverable 1:  Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Implementation

Not meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of below 60%

Developing  =  Completion rate of between 60 and 80%

Meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of 80% or above

Not meeting expectations              Developing                           Meeting Expectations

_____________________    ___________________                 ________________________

Add Comments:

Implementation of MTSS

• Establish a MTSS working committee
• Create Year 1 of Implementations Toolkit
• Introductory PD for all school leaders about MTSS toolki
• Training staff and district leaders about starting MTSS implementation
• Create a reference guide
• Conduct a needs assessment to understand where schools were starting with MTSS
• Allocate 0.2 school psychologist staffing at 15 cohort sites
• Enter into formal partnership with Dr. Kim Gibbons
   

Deliverable 2:  Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Implementation

Not meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of below 60%

Developing  =  Completion rate of between 60 and 80%

Meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of 80% or above

Not meeting expectations              Developing                           Meeting Expectations

_____________________    ___________________                 ________________________

Add Comments:

Implementation of MTSS

• Enter into formal partnership with CASEL
• Develop SEL professional development plan
• Select first MPS SEL Cohort Schools
• Public launch for CASEL Partnership and Cohort 1 Schools
• Develop communications plan
• Develop work plan for Family & Community Engagement
• Develop MPS SEL standards
• Conduct Cohort 1 Schools needs assessment
• Train MPS academic coaches on embedding SEL
• Finalize menu of Direct Instruction materials PreK-5
• Develop framework and trainings for Adult SEL and Equity
• Create family SEL Guide
• Integrate SEL into interview process
• Plan for middle school Direct instruction adoption in 2018-2019
• Implement fidelity checks for Direct Instruction at Cohort 1 Schools
• Set expectations for embedding SEL in school-wide plans for 2018-19
• Evaluate Year 1 Plan
   

Deliverable 3:  Equity Implementation

Not meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of below 60%

Developing  =  Completion rate of between 60 and 80%

Meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of 80% or above

Not meeting expectations              Developing                           Meeting Expectations

_____________________    ___________________                 ________________________

Add Comments:

Implementation of Equity

• Culturally responsive lesson plan template and additional materials
• Equity-focused instructional coaching training framework identified
• Professional development plan for cabinet and district developed
• Equity embedded into school improvement plan
• Draft EDIA for Human Resources
• Family, Community and Student engagement reorganized
• Restorative practices implemented
• MTSS and SEL communicated
• Develop Framework for Parent Participatory Evaluation
• Draft EDIA for Athletics
• Equity considerations for budgeting completed by departments and schools
• Complete EDIA for Human Resources
• Equity embedded into department plans
• On-going professional development
• Recruit and trains parent evaluators for Parent Participatory Evaluation
• Revise Achievement and Integration budget with additional dollars allocated to MPS Strategic Priorities
• Draft plan to apply learnings for EDIA for Human Resources
• Developing HR hiring template
• Complete EDIA for Athletics
• Draft and Complete EDIA for Community Education 
• Plan for Instructional Leadership Team Institute with embedded MPS Strategic Priority Frameworks 
• Pilot Parent Participatory Evaluation
• On-going professional development
• On-going professional development
• Evaluate progress
   

Deliverable 4:  Literacy Implementation

Not meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of below 60%

Developing  =  Completion rate of between 60 and 80%

Meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of 80% or above

Not meeting expectations              Developing                           Meeting Expectations

_____________________    ___________________                 ________________________

Add Comments:

Implementation of Literacy

• Language and Literacy Institutes for all teachers, principals, and support staff
• Implement Big Day for Pre-K materials
• Implement Benchmark Advance and Adelante materials
• Elementary English Learner teachers trained on aligning language acquisition practices with new literacy materials
• Focus on Reading Workshop and Guided Reading Implementation
• Review Quarter 1 data and implementation of Reading Workshop structures
• Targeted coaching to ensure quality implementation and instruction with Reading Workshop
• Elementary English Learner teachers trained on aligning language acquisition practices with new literacy materials
• Review Quarter 2 data and implementation of Reading Workshop structures
• Targeted coaching to ensure quality implementation and instruction with Reading Workshop
• Elementary English Learner teachers trained on aligning language acquisition practices with new literacy materials
• Targeted coaching of Close Reading materials in grades 2-5
• Review Quarter 3 data and implementation of Reading Workshop structures
• Targeted coaching to ensure quality implementation and instruction with Reading Workshop
• Targeted coaching of Close Reading materials in grades 2-5

 

Deliverable 5:  Accountability Implementation

Not meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of below 60%

Developing  =  Completion rate of between 60 and 80%

Meeting expectations  =  Completion rate of 80% or above

Not meeting expectations              Developing                           Meeting Expectations

_____________________    ___________________                 ________________________

Add Comments:

• Align School improvement plans with priorities
• Create implementation plan around priorities
• Balanced budget without relying on fund balance
• Demonstrated budget accountability through public engagement
• Initiate comprehensive review process
• Professional development aligned