Senior Financial Officer Ibrahima Diop is among the best in his position by comparison with colleagues at other public schools systems across the nation; Diop has taken a school district mired in budget debt and chicanery and produced structurally balanced budgets.
Karen Devet is a superb Senior Operations Officer whose work on the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Comprehensive District Design has greatly rationalized transportation and resulted in considerable savings that will be applied to enhance the academic program once current academic staff members are dismissed.
Justin Hennes trained under the superlative former MPS head of Information Technology Fadi Fadhil and gives every indication of possessing like talent; MPS technological response to the coronavirus has been a model for other districts.
Associate Superintendent for Special Education Rochelle Cox is a compassionate and skilled professional who has brought manifold improvements to a once woefully troubled program.
Across the nation, such a staff should be the envy of many a district mired in financial and other administrative woes.
But ironically, given that the core mission of any school system is to ensure excellent teaching for the impartation of knowledge-intensive, skill replete curriculum, the academic division at the Minneapolis Public Schools features ineptitude that contrasts sharply with the manifestly talented Diop, Devet, Hennes, and Cox.
Be reminded that these are the academic proficiency results for Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) students for academic years ending in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 as measured by Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment Results (MCAs were not administered in spring 2020 due to COVID-19 conditions):
MPS Academic Proficiency Rates for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019
MPS Student Academic Proficiency Rates as Measured by Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) Results 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%
3
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%
Also hold firm to the incompetence demonstrated by graduation rates:
>>>>>
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
4
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
Note that results for African American and American Indian students fall well below 30% proficiency in all categories and below 20% for many skill areas.
As of October 2020, Superintendent Ed Graff continues to shake up staff in departments and offices that have, or should have, responsibility for academic decision-making or implementation. But among academic decision-makers and staff at the Minneapolis Public Schools, not a single person has an advanced degree in any of the key subject areas of mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history, government, economics, or literature.
In my book, Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools: Current Condition, Future Prospect (entered in its entirety on this blog in March 2020 and now circulating in hard copy), I focus relentlessly on the insubstantial academic training of Davis Center (MPS offices, 1250 West Broadway).
I also detail the curriculum and teacher training that will bring knowledge-intensive education to the Minneapolis Public Schools as most of these Davis staff members are dismissed.
The following are the chief culprits responsible for the knowledge-deficient, skill deplete nature of curriculum at the Minneapolis Public Schools. Among these decision-makers and staff responsible for the academic program, Aimee Fearing should be dismissed; the associate superintendent position, the Department of Teaching and Learning, and the Office of Black Male Student Achievement should be abolished; and the legislatively mandated Department of Indian Education should be overhauled to manifest staff with genuine academic credentials. And if these changes are not met, Graff himself should be dismissed by a revamped MPS Board of Education that I strongly recommend include new members Sharon El-Amin, Adriana Cerrillos, and Michaels Duenes in the aftermath of the 3 November elections.
Consider this list of academic incompetents and the need for staff overhaul at the Davis Center:
Superintendent Ed Graff
Interim Senior Academic Officer Aimee Fearing
Associate Superintendents
Shawn Harris-Berry
LaShawn Ray
Ron Wagner
Brian Zambreno
Teaching and Learning Staff
Abdi Ogle, Cultural FacilitatorAshley Kohn, K-12 Library Media Information DPF
Christen Lish, K-8 AVID Coordinator
Christina Ramsey, K-8 Talent Development and Advanced Academics
Chris Wernimont, 6-12 Math DPF
Dina Brenny, Accounting Specialist
Erin Clarke, K-8 STEM District Program Facilitator (DPF)
Jeanne Lacy, Executive Assistant
Jenn Ross, K-12 Science DPF
Jennifer Hanzak, K-5 Literature DPF
Julie Tangeman, K-5 Literacy, Science DPF, Davis Center
Kelley McQuillan, 9-12 Talent Development and Advanced Academics
Lisa Purcell, K-12 Social Studies DPF
Lori Ledoux, K-12 Arts Specialist, Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)
Marium Toure, K-5 Math DPF, Davis Center
Meghan Gasdick, K-5 Literacy DPF
Molly Siebert, K-5 Social Studies DPF
Molly Vasich, 6-12 English/Language Arts DPF
Nora Schull, K-12 Arts DPF
Paula Kilian, 6-12 AVID Coordinator
Paulina Jacobsson, Cultural Facilitator
Sara Loch, K-12 Health/Physical Education DPF
Tara Finn, Fine Arts TOSA
Tommie Casey, AVID Program Manager
Office of Black Male Student Achievement Staff
Michael Walker, Director
Qiana Sorrel, Program Coordinator
Nneka N. Abdullah, Queens Program
Umar Rashid, MPA, Kings Program
Marjaan Sirdar, Social Studies Teacher
Richard Magembe, Social Studies
Department of Indian Education Staff
Jennifer Simon, (Cheyenne River Lake), Director
Diana Leaskas (Lakota), Account Specialist
Shane Thompson (Seneca), School Success Program Assistant
Christine Wilson (White Earth), Family Engagement Specialist
Jodi Burke, Counselor on Special Assignment
Tracy Burke, Counselor on Special Assignment
Alicia Garcia (Taos Pueblo), Social Worker
Braden Canfield, Social Worker
Jennifer Weber (Oklahoma Choctaw), District Program Facilitator
Anjanetter Parisien, District Program Facilitator
Tasheena LaChapelle (Red Lake), District Program Facilitator
Mathew Lafune (White Earth), District Program Facilitator
No comments:
Post a Comment