PreK-12 Revolution at the Minneapolis Public Schools Must Include Aggressive Skill Acquisition for Students Languishing Below Grade Level in Reading and Mathematics

The severe ineptitude of academic decision-makers, administrators, and teachers at the Minneapolis Public Schools is seen most readily in the figures giving proficiency rates in mathematics, reading, and science, as follows:

 

MPS Academic Proficiency Rates for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019

 

Math                     2014       2015       2016      2017      2018         2019    

 

African                  23%       19%         19%      16%          17%          18%

American

 

American             23%        19%           19%       16%        17%         18%

Indian

 

Hispanic               31%         32%          31%       29%        26%         25%

 

Asian                     48%         50%          50%       44%        46%        47%

 

White                   77%         78%          78%       77%        77%         75%

 

Free/                     26%         26%          25%       24%        22%        20%

Reduced

 

All                          44%         44%           44%     42%        42%          42%

 

Reading               2014       2015       2016      2017      2018       2019

 

African                  22%       21%         21%      21%       21%           23%

American

 

American             21%        20%         21%      22%        23%               25%

Indian

 

Hispanic               23%         25%          26%       26%        27%      29%

 

Asian                     41%         40%          45%       38%        44%      50%

 

White                   78%         77%          77%       78%        80%       78%

 

Free/                     23%         23%          23%       25%        25%      25%

Reduced

 

All                          42%         42%           43%     43%        45%       47%

 

Science               2014       2015       2016      2017      2018        2019

 

African                 11%       15%         13%      11%       10%                  11%

American

 

American             14%        16%        13%      16%       13%           17%

Indian

 

Hispanic               17%         18%        21%      19%       17%          16%

 

Asian                     31%         35%       42%       31%       34%          40%

 

White                   71%         75%        71%       70%       71%               70%

 

Free/                     14%         15%        17%       16%      15%          14%

Reduced

 

All                          33%        36%        35%        34%      34%                 36%

Even more embarrassing, since only class attendance and a modicum of good behavior are necessary to graduate from the Minneapolis Public Schools, are the low graduation rates.  Rates have risen in recent years as ways have been found to speed a few more students through the system without improving the quality of education, but the wretchedness of the data is still daunting:

Percentage of Students Graduating

 

                                2013   2014   2015    2016     2017   2018

 

Student

Category

 

African                             44.8%   47.8%  52.8%  59.5%  56.9%  61.7%  

American

 

American         38.1%   25.6%  36.3%  37.4%  29.8%  37.8.%  

Indian

 

Asian                 69.7%   78.8%  83.3%  85.6%  82.5%  87.1%  

 

Hispanic           42.8%   44.5%  57.6%  50.6%  56.7%  57.1%  

 

White               75.8%   77.4%  82.5%  85.1%  86.0%  86.7%  

 

Free/                 47.4%   49.7%  56.8%  56.9%  56.7%  61.4%  

Reduced

Lunch

 

Homeless         26.1%   26.1%  37.3%  35.7%  40.1%  37.8%  

Highly

Mobile

 

Advanced        85.6%   86.7%  90.4%  89.3%  83.3%  90.8%  

Learner

 

Female             60.3%   62.1%  69.0%  71.7%  69.3%  71.8%  

 

Male                 51.9%   55.6%  61.3%  63.0%  63.1%  66.6%  

 

All                      56.1%   58.8%  65.1%  67.3%  66.0%  69.2%  

Students

 

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Officials of the Minneapolis Public Schools indulge in the conceit that white and middle class students are well educated by the district. 

 

In fact, all students who do manage to graduate walk across the stage to claim a piece of paper that is a diploma in name only;  no one is truly college or career ready.

 

One-third of MPS graduates need remedial instruction once matriculating on a college or university campus. 

 

Others muddle through. 

 

A very few dig deep within their own resources to find their way to a knowledge and skill base that is above average.  But most Americans graduate even from college and university institutions with limited education;  they never make up for what they did not get at preK-12, so that even those who succeed in their majors and go on to graduate or professional school emerge well-trained in specialties but limited in their grasp of subject area knowledge across the liberal, technological, and vocational arts.

 

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The maladroitness of academic decision-makers, administrators, and teachers is stunning when one considers the limited skills base involved in getting academic proficiency rates to grade level in mathematics and reading.

 

In mathematics, there is so little to learn.  An entire preK-12 mathematics sequence consists of just the following:

 

addition

substraction

multiplication

division

fractions

decimals

percentages

ratios

proportions

tables, charts, graphs

algebra I

geometry

algebra II                                                     

trigonometry and statistics

calculus

 

That’s it.

 

Given competent instruction, all students except those facing truly exceptional cognitive challenges master the addition through graphs sequence with alacrity and have little trouble with algebra I and geometry.  Mathematics courses from algebra II through calculus get a bit more abstract but are entirely comprehensible to students who proceed on a firm mathematical foundation.

 

Instead of wasting so much class time with manipulatives and inefficient activities, teachers first need to get their own mathematics skills where they need to be (a very real challenge for most preK-5 [elementary] teachers but also for many teachers presiding over math-specific classrooms) and then just teach the material.

 

Teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, tables, charts, and graphs. 

 

Impart the necessary skills directly. 

 

Work in word problems for a few applications. 

 

Get basic math conveyed efficiently.

 

Make sure that all students are comprehending these basic skills.  Spend extra time with those who are momentarily struggling but have full confidence that this material is not difficult and that with just a bit of extra explanation all student can achieve fundamental math mastery.  Teachers should understand that they do not have to stand on their heads or engage in a lot of gimmickry;  just explain again, varying the examples a bit, engaging in lively banter, letting students know that the instructor cares and has confidence in the student’s ability to master the material. 

 

They will. 

 

And then, as they move from preK-5 (elementary school) to grades 6-8 (middle school) and grades 9-12 (high schools), upon this strong basics skills base, students will be able not only to survive but to thrive, so that by the time they get to high school they will be able to proceed to Advanced Placement calculus courses.

 

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As to reading, quit teaching this skill so tentatively and terribly.

 

Forget the wars over phonics versus whole language.

 

Forget you ever knew that forlorn creature known as an education professor.

 

Move through phonics and phonemic awareness efficiently at grades preK-2

 

and then

 

start students on a knowledge-intensive curriculum focused on, in addition to mathematics, what should be the reading-heavy subjects in the

 

natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, health),

socials sciences and humanities (government, history, geography, economics, and psychology),

English literature and usage,

and the fine arts (visual and musical).

 

Have students read broadly.

 

Most teachers should acquire the new and novel habit of reading broadly themselves;  most teachers are not good readers across a wide swath of literature.

 

Reading high quality, challenging material, across the liberal, technological, and vocational arts develops that sophistication of vocabulary that will make reading a pleasure, stock up on subject area knowledge, result in high scores on the ACT and SAT assessments of college readiness, find students reading better than their post-secondary peers, and enable them to achieve the three great purposes of preK-12 education:

 

>>>>>      cultural fulfillment

>>>>>      civic awareness

>>>>>      professional satisfaction

                                                                                                                                 

Ability to read well across a wide range of subject areas will follow students their whole lives.  Newspaper and website articles will come alive.  Life will have more depth and meaning.  Knowledge will accumulate and with knowledge the world will come alive and a sense of personal power will be internalized, giving the person high probability of living happily, confidently, abundantly.

 

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Academic decision-makers, administrators, and teachers should first but quickly, because there is no time to waste, go to work on themselves.  They must read.  They must improve their own knowledge bases and believe fervently that reading and the acquisition of knowledge is vital to their students.  They must feel in their guts that all students with an IQ of 85 or above can learn anything;  someone with an IQ of 125 or above will learn more rapidly but all students will learn the material over time, at grade level.  Confidence in student ability is crucial.

 

Get basic skills done quickly and efficiently at preK-5.

 

At that level, set aside an hour each day for what shall be termed “academic enrichment.” 

 

For students still needing to acquire grade level skills at given academic year junctures, the hour should be spent each day until mastery is achieved.  If additional assistance is needed, via teacher’s aides, Educational Support Professionals, or volunteer tutors, then do what is necessary.  For most students, the properly handled class day will be sufficient, but for those needing additional assistance, then such should be rendered after school.  Meanwhile, for students who have achieved mastery, the hours per day can be used for exploration of driving personal interests.

 

Do what is necessary.

 

Have confidence.

 

Students can achieve basics skills mastery and go forth to ever increasing levels of knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum.

 

Failure of academic decision-makers, administrators, and teachers to impart foundational skills to students is appalling.

 

They must follow the above approach to highly intentional skill acquisition in mathematics and reading, get the job done, or head quickly out the Davis Center (MPS central office, 1250 West Broadway) door.