Graff is himself not a scholar, nor is Interim Senior Academic
Officer Aimee Fearing; there are no
academicians in Graff’s cabinet of MPS leaders;
and there are no scholars in the Department of Teaching and Learning,
the Office of Black Student Achievement, or the Department of Indian Education.
Thus my key observation--- discussed
at length in my September edition of Journal
of the K-12 Revolutin: Essays and
Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota and my 561-page book (entered in its
entirety on this blog in March 2020), Understanding
the Minneapolis Public Schools; Current
Condition, Future Prospect--- that
there is not a single scholar who has any deep knowledge of a major subject
area on staff at the Minneapolis Public Schools remains lamentably the case in
this very month of October 2020.
The Department of Indian Education, which exists under a Minnesota
legislative mandate, brings special cultural programming to Minneapolis Public
Schools sites that have the highest enrollment of American Indian
students; the department also reaches
out in family engagement efforts.
The website for the Department of Indian Education vows to provide
the following:
>>>>> Support
for Instruction
>>>>> Support
for Family Involvement
>>>>> College
Readiness
>>>>> Advocacy
for Families
Mission and vision are given as follows:
Our Mission
Improve American Indian Student achievement and graduation rates
through rigorous culturally relevant instruction, family and student
engagement, and collaborative partnership with departments, schools, and
communities.
Our Vision
All American Indian students are empowered as lifelong learners to
become fully engaged leaders, stewards, and citizens.
The Department of Indian Education website provides descriptions
of several curriculum initiatives for access by teachers, students, and the
community, including the following:
>>>>> Rockin’
to Indigenous Music
>>>>> Walking
the Good Faith
>>>>> Lunar
Energy in Native Culture
>>>>> Freshwater
Ecosystems
>>>>> Jungle
Dress Teachings
>>>>> Help
from the Animals
>>>>> Plotting
the Stars
>>>>> Sacred
Stories
But this department is clearly academically ineffective, as
witnessed in the following abysmal academic record for MPS American Indian
students:
Academic proficiency rates for American Idian students enrolled in
the Minneapolis Public Schools for academic years ending in 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2018, and 2019 are given as follows:
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
American 23%
19% 19% 16%
17% 18%
Indian
Reading
American 21%
20% 21% 22% 23%
25%
Indian
Science
American 14%
16% 13% 16%
13% 17%
Indian
Peruse the following lists and understand just how little has advanced
in terms of scholarly weight with staffing changes in the Department of Indian
Education:
Department of Indian Education Staff, September 2020
1. Jennifer Simon,
Director
(Cheyenne River Lake)
2. Diana Leaskas
(Lakota), Account Specialist
3. Shane Thompson,
(School Success Program Assistant)
(Seneca)
4. Christine Wilson
(White Earth), Family Engagement Specialist
5. Jodi Burke, Counselor
on Special Assignment
6. Tracy Burke, Counselor
on Special Assignment
7. Alicia Garcia, Social
Worker
(Taos Pueblo)
8. Braden Canfield,
Social Worker
9. Jennifer Weber
(Oklahoma Choctaw), District Program Facilitator
10. Anjanetter Parisien,
District Program Facilitator
11. Tasheena LaChapelle
(Red Lake), District Program Facilitator
12. Mathew Lafune (Fond du
Lac) Ojibwe Language Teacher
Lafune has been added to the MPS Office of Indian Education staff
since listings of September 2020.
No longer with the department as of October 2020 were these staff
members that had been listed in September 2020:
Gary Lussier, District Program Facilitator (Red Lake)
Miskwa Mukwa Desjarlait, Youth Engagement Specialist
(Red Lake)
Department of Indian Education Staff, September 2019
1. Jennifer Simon, Director
(Cheyenne River Lake)
2. Diane Leskey, Office Senior Specialist
3. Jodi Burke, Counselor
on Special Assignment
4. TBD, Counselor on
Special Assignment
5. Tracy Burke, Counselor
on Special Assignment
6. Alicia Garcia, Social
Worker
(Taos Pueblo)
7. Braden Canfield,
Social Worker
8. TBD, TOSA, Special
Education
9. Anjanetter Parisien,
District Program Facilitator
10. Gary Lussier, District
Program Facilitator
(Red Lake)
11. TBD, District Program
Facilitator
12. Shane Thompson (School
Success Program Assistant)
(Seneca)
13. Christine Wilson,
Family Engagement Specialist
(White Earth)
14. Miskwa Mukwa
Desjarlait, Youth Engagement Specialist
(Red Lake)
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