Chapter Twenty-One >>>>> Office of Black Male Achievement

Current (March 2018) staff composition of the Office of Black Male Student Achievement is as follows:

 

Minneapolis Public Schools Office of Black Male Achievement

 

(March 2018)  >>>>>

 

Staff Member                                   Position

 

1)          Michael Walker                                 Director
2)            Andria Daniel                                    Family and Community

Inclusion Specialist

3)            Cierra Burnaugh                               Office Specialist, Senior
4)            Corey Yeager                                     Coordinator, Educational Equity 

5)            Marjaan Sirdar                                  Teacher, Social Studies
6)            Richard Magembe                           Teacher, Social Studies

7)            Jamil Jackson                                     Community Expert Classroom Coach

 

Descriptions of individual staff experience are given as follows:

                                                                                    

Michael Walker, Director of the Office of Black Male Achievement

 

Michael Walker brings a career focus on youth development and assisting black youth to achieve success. He earned his undergraduate degree in physical education from Southwest Minnesota State University and his master’s degree in counseling from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls as well as his administrative license from St. Cloud State. From 1998 to 2006, Walker served as community outreach, program and youth development director at the YMCA of Minneapolis and Greater St. Paul, where he developed programs for social, academic, athletic and employment skills for youth and served as the coordinator of the Black Achievers program. Walker worked as a career and college

center coordinator for AchieveMpls at Roosevelt High School (2006-2009) before serving Minneapolis Public Schools as Roosevelt’s dean of students from 2009 to 2011 and assistant principal from 2011 to 2014. He is the inaugural director for the Office of Black Male Student Achievement, where his sole responsibility is changing outcomes for Black Males who attend Minneapolis Public Schools. Walker is a product of Minneapolis Public Schools.

 

Andria Daniel, Family and Community Inclusion Specialist

 

Andria Daniel is passionate about helping build communities where everuyone’s voice is heard and valued.  She believes it is important for families and students to feel full supported.  Over the years, she has worked with parents to create and facilitate listening sessions to address issues that affect the academic success of children.  Andria’s goal is to generate unique and positive experiences for families and to create new pathways between home and school.  She has a master’s degree in family education from the Univerisity of Minnesota.  As the family and community coordinator for the Office of Black Male Student Achievement (OMBSA), Andria works with parents ton understand how important it is to be involved in their children’s education fromm cradle to career.  As a parent of thrre, she believes there is a shared responsibility of building the capacity of effective family engagement, which is linked to learning.

 

Cierra Burnaugh, Office Specialist, Senior

 

Cierra Burnaugh is a native of north Minneapolis and a graduate of North High School.  Cierra is deeply rooted in her community. Through her work with the Office of Black Male Student Achievement and as a dance studio owner in north Minneapolis, Cierra strives to build, uplife, and empower her community.  Cierra has worked win multiple positions within the Minneapolis Public Schools and in many positions in her community to service the evolution of her people.  Her passion for her community and her people drew her to the Offfice of Black Male Student Achievement.  As the senior office specialist for the Office, Cierra works directly with staff, student, and community members to ensure the mission fo the office is achieved.  Ner mission in life is to provide knowledge of self to her community to wnsure they know where the come from and where they are going.

 

Corey Yeager, Coordinator, Educational Equity

 

Corey Yeager is a licensed marriage and family therapist.  Yeager is currently the educational equity coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools, working under the umbrella of the Office of Black Male Student Achievement.  He is completing his Ph. D. at the University of Minnesota, with an emphasis in family social science/couple and family therapy.  Corey’s therapeutic work is primariliy focused on serving African American adolescents and their families.  Much of his professional career effors have been intentionally concentrated on facilitating community change through democratic, grassroots efforts.

 

Marjaan Sirdar, Teacher, Social Studies

 

Marjaan Sidar grew up in a low income, single parent home in east Bloomington,  He attended predominately white schools and often felt invisible.  Marjaan never had any teachers of color or any positive Black men to look up to.  This led to anger and violence as a teenager with the potential of prison or death.  The experience led him to teaching.

 

Marjaan worked with homeless youth for most of the past seven years.  He’s a graduate from Metro State and he is completing his master’s degree in urban education.  As an educator, his goal is to help young people unlearn the dominant narrative of white supremacy and use education as a means of liberation rather than a tool for social control.  As a community organizer, marjaan works on building leadership and power in communities of color wo we can tell our own stories, create our own narratives, and control our collective futures.  This is his seoncd year at Franklin Middle School and his first year at FAIR Downtoen.

 

Richard Magembe, Teacher, Scoial Studies

 

Richard Magembe joined the Office of Black Male Student Achievement (OBMSA) in August 2018.  He has been an employee of MPS since 2012, formerly serving as a school support program assistant at Stadium View School.  In his new role as a life coach, Richard will assist the OBMSA in their mission to close the achievement gap between black male students and their peers.

 

Prior to hbis employment with MPS, Richard received his nundergraduate degree in social work at St. Cloud State University and his master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Argosy University.  In 2009 he started his career in education serving as a teaching assistant at Hancock elementary.  Richard served as an educational assistant at St.  Paul’s Johnson High School during the 2011-2012 school year.

 

Jamil Jackson, Community Expert Classroom Coach

 

Jamil Jackson is a community expert classroom coach for the OBMSA.  He is also executive director of C.E.O. (Change Equals Opportunity), a life skills mentoring program for males of color ages 12-25, assisting in the areas of college, career, and cultural exposure.  As the executive director of Run and Shoot E & L (Elite Basketball League), he uses sports as a way to build authentic relationships with yong Kings of the community, help assis with college recruitment/placement, and bring together both youth and adult males to fellowship and learn from each other about what “Being a Man of Character is.”

 

Jamil was raised and resides in north Minneapolis, where he coaches youth sports at Farview Park.  He is an active board member for the Farview Area Community Council, TakeAction MN, and Core Team Member for J4A (Justice for All), working to reform our criminal justice system and build relationships with incarcerated mem to help assist their transition back into our community.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

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

(Results of Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments [MCAs], administered each spring of those years)

 

Math                       2014        2015       2016       2017       2018       2019

 

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

American

 

Reading

 

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

American

 

Science                                    11%        15%      13%       11%       10%      11%

 

African

American

 

The following evetns were taken from the Office of Black Male Student Achievement in spring 2018 and represent the sort of activities promoted by that office:

 

April 26, 2018

 

Believe and Achieve 

 

January 15, 2018

 

MLK Basketball Tournament at Roosevelt High School, 4029 28^th Avenue south, Minneapolis, from 8 AM until 8 PM.

 

This event is for the purpose of fundraising for OBMSA Scholarships.

 

January 18, 2018

 

Career Fair is located at 800 West Broadway from 9 AM until 11:30 PM.

 

February 12, 2018

 

National African American Parent Involvement Day

 

Join us at the Roller Garden for a free family event from 8 PM until 8 PM.

 

February 22, 2018

 

BLACK TEEN SUMMIT

 

The Office of Black Male Student Achievement, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, will host its Second Annual Black Teen Summit.  Selected students from Minneapolis Public Schools and surrounding districts in the metropolitan area will have a chance to hear from leaders within the African american community.

 

April 26, 2018

 

Believe and Achieve Celebration

 

Join us to honor the efforts and contributions of students, educators, parents, and community members.  This special event will feature an award ceremony, student performances, and a year-end presentation from our Director of Black Male Student Achievement, Michael Walker.