Invitation to Apply for the Position of Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools--- With Explanation as to Why Rochelle Cox, Should She Decide to Apply, Would Clearly Be the Best Candidate
Below I provide the invitation to apply for the
position of Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools.
First read the following accounts giving the low
academic qualifications and dismal records of those who have served in most
cases as superintendents or as high-level administrators in school districts or
for the Minnesota Department of Education.
Then read my account of the superior performance of
Rochelle Cox, who has for over thirteen months now served as Interim Superintendent
of the Minneapolis Public Schools.
Then please find the invitation to apply for the
position of Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools at the end of this
article.
As you read this article, understand that there are
typically no good candidates for superintendent.
The following superintendents that have served from
the 1980s forward have all been failures
>>>>>
>>>>>
1980-2022
Richard R. Green (June 24, 1980-Feb. 26, 1988)
(Acting, for 1st week)
William C. Phillips (Interim) (March 1-July 31,
1988)
Robert Ferrera (Aug. 1, 1988-Feb. 2, 1993)
Mitchell Trockman (Interim) (Feb. 2-March 8, 1993)
John B. Davis (Interim) (March 8-Aug. 1993)
Mitchell Trockman (Acting) (Aug.-Dec. 1993)
Peter Hutchinson (Dec. 14, 1993-May 27, 1997)
Katrina Reed (Acting) (May 29-Sept. 2, 1997 ñ
Carol R. Johnson Aug. 30, 1997-Sept. 30, 2003)
David M. Jennings (Oct. 1, 2003-June 30, 2004)
Mitchell Trockman (Interim) (July 1-19, 2004)
Thandiwe Peebles (July 20, 2004-Jan. 26, 2006)
William Davis "Bill" Green (Interim Jan.
26, 2006-Feb. 13, 2007) (Feb. 13, 2007-June 30, 2010)
Bernadeia Johnson (July 1, 2010-December2015)
Michael Goar (Interim, January 2015-May 2016)
Michael Thomas (Acting, June 2016)
Ed Graff (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2022)
And there are no superintendents near the Minneapolis Public Schools whom we would want to serve our students. Note the slim accomplishments of the following superintendents that have recently shuffled positions in the northern Twin Cities suburbs, along with the low academic proficiency rates of students in the pertinent school districts
>>>>>
Cory
McIntyre (Superintendent, Osseo
Public Schools)
(Superintendent
designate, Anoka-Hennepin Public Schools,
beginning
academic year 2023-2024)
Principal Certification
(University of Minnesota/Twin Cities, January 2013)
Superintendent Certification
(University of Minnesota/Twin Cities, July 2010)
Program Administrator/Director of Special Education
Certification
(University of Washington/Tacoma, 2003)
Program Administrator/Director of Special Education
Certification
(University of Washington/Tacoma, June 2003)
M.S.. Education/Specialist Certification in School
Psychology
(University of Wisconsin/LaCrosse, August 1996/May 1997)
B.S., Psychology and Biology
(Minnesota State University/Mankato, June 1995)
Osseo
Public Schools
(Corey
McIntyre, Superintendent)
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
(N/A)
Reading 56.2% 55.0% ------- 50.7% 49.5%
Mathematics 52.6% 49.3% ------- 41.9% 41.7%
Science 43.4% 40.9% ------- 38.8% 34.5%
Kim
Hiel (Superintendent,
Fridley Public Schools)
(Superintendent
designate, Osseo Public Schools, beginning academic year 2023-2024)
Educational Administrative Leadership (Doctorate)
(St. Cloud State University
Educational Administrative Principal License (Educational
Specialist)
(University of St. Thomas
Educational Leadership (Masters of Education)
(Hamline University)
Elementary Education (Bachelor of Science)
(University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
Fridley
Public Schools
(Kim
Hiel, Superintendent)
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
(N/A)
Reading 44.8% 44.3% ------- 34.6% 32.5%
Mathematics 41.8% 37.8% ------- 27.3% 21.5%
Science 30.4% 24.0% ------- 19.4% 17.1%
Nor
would we want the following people associated in the past or at present with
the Minnesota Department of Education >>>>>
Brenda
Cassellius
(former Minnesota State
Commissioner of Education)
Doctor
of Education – EdD
Organizational
Leadership
2004- 2007
Specialist
Educational
Leadership and Administration, General
1993 – 1995
Master's
degree
Secondary
Education and Teaching
1990- 1991
University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities
Bachelor's
degree
Psychology
1985 - 1989
Stephanie Burrage
(former Minnesota Deputy Commissioner of Education; currently educational equity officer for the
Minnesota Department of Education)
Ed.D. (Educational Policy and Administration)
University of Minnesota/Twin Cities
M.Ed. (Elementary Education)
University of Wisconsin/Madison
M.Ed.
St. Mary’s University
B.A. (Secondary Education)
Western Michigan University
Nor would we want any of the following superintendents
that search firm BWP Associates has touted as resulting from their successful
recruiting efforts. Note the dismal
academic performances of the districts in which these superintendents
previously served as administrators >>>>>
Crystal Hill
(Superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools)
Ed.
D., Gardner-Webb University
Educational
Leadership
M.
Ed., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Instructional
Technology
Educational
Leadership
B.
A., North Carolina A&T State University
Elementary
Education
Superintendent Crystal Hill previous served in this
low-performing school district >>>>>
Cabarrus County Schools
42 Schools
32,810 Students
50% BIPOC
(Black/American Indian/People of Color)
8.7% English Language Learner
24.4% Free/Reduced
Price Lunch
Female 49%
Male 51%
College-Ready
28.2%
Graduation Rate
91.2%
White
46.6%
African American
22.2%
Asian Pacific Islander
7.7%
Hispanic/Latine
8.3%
American Indian
0.3%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
Two-Plus Ethnicities
4.8%
Grade Level Academic Proficiency
Elementary School Students
Reading 46%
Mathematics 45%
Middle School Students
Reading 49%
Mathematics 41%
High School Students
Reading 60%
Mathematics 46%
Eric N. Gallien
(Superintendent, Charleston County School District)
Ed.
D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Educational
Leadership and Policy Analysis
M.
A., Alverno College
Curriculum
Development
M.
A., Alverno College
Educational
Leadership
B.
A., University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
History
Education
Superintendent Eric Gallien previously served as
superintendent this low-performing school district >>>>>
Racine Unified School District
29 Schools
19
Preschools
21
Elementary Schools
8 Middle Schools
6 High Schools
16,254 Students
70% BIPOC (Black/American
Indian/People of Color)
14.3% English
Language Learner
48.6%
Free/Reduced Price Lunch
Female 48%
Male 52%
College-Ready
16.9%
Graduation Rate
79.7%
White
37.5%
African American
25.2%
Asian.Pacific Islander
1.0%
Hispanic/Latine
29.3%
American Indian
0.3%
Two-Plus Ethnicities
6.7%
Grade Level Academic Proficiency
Elementary School Students
Reading 18%
Mathematics 20%
Middle School Students
Reading 20%
Mathematics 20%
High School Students
Reading 33%
Mathematics 17%
Denise Watts
(Superintendent,
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System)
Ed.
D., Wingate University (North Carolina)
M.
Ed.
Bachelor
of Arts
Superintendent Denise Wats previously served as Chief
of Schools in this low-performing school district >>>>>
Houston Independent School District
276 Schools
196,943 Students
90% BIPOC
(Black/American Indian/People of Color)
36.6% English
Language Learner
59.4%
Free/Reduced Price Lunch
Female 50%
Male 50%
College-Ready
39.1%
Graduation Rate
83.2%
White
9.9%
African American
22.4%
Asian.Pacific Islander
4.4%
Hispanic/Latine
61.7%
American Indian
0.2%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
Two-Plus Ethnicities
1.4%
Grade Level Academic Proficiency
Elementary School Students
Reading 40%
Mathematics 45%
Middle School Students
Reading 39%
Mathematics 43%
High School Students
Reading 52%
Mathematics 25%
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Superior Performance of Rochelle Cox
The
history of failure of locally centralized school districts in Minnesota makes
the ascendance of Interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox to the leadership
position at the Minneapolis Public Schools a development of supreme importance.
Cox
possesses the typical official certifications necessary for a superintendent,
but she has genuine academic interests and vision for excellence.
Cox
has created a substantially new cabinet that includes an entirely new
contingent of associate superintendents who have been given a directive
carefully to monitor academic programming and results at the specific schools
for which each is responsible. The math curriculum (Bridges/Number
Corner) for the first time in recent memory was implemented across all grade
levels at all schools. And for reading/language arts, a similar
uniformity of implementation was during the 2022-2023 academic year guided by
the primary curriculum (Benchmark Advance), due for replacement after pilot
testing by and even more phonics-focused, knowledge-intense, well-sequenced
curriculum.
Cox
has overseen faithful implementation of curricula designed for struggling
readers, including the Groves curriculum, PRESS (“Pathways to Reading
Excellence”), and LETRS (“Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and
Spelling”). High dosage tutoring has been provided by the firms of
Carnegie and Axiom, with latter also providing explicit ACT training.
At
the behest of Cox, Senior Academic Officer Aimee Fearing, Deputy Senior
Academic Officer Maria Rollinger, and Director of Strategic Initiatives Sarah
Hunter are leading an effort to bring subject area substance to grades pre-K
through 5, so that student verbal skills will be developed, as they should be,
in the context of logically sequenced readings in history, government,
geography, multi-cultural literature, and the fine
arts; accordingly, students will develop vocabulary across a multiplicity
of subjects that lie at the core of advanced reading development.
Online
high-dosage tutoring and ACT training have been constituted powerful
initiatives during this (2022-2023) academic year; during academic
year 2023-2024, in-person highly intentional tutoring in will feature 133 three-person
professional teams (one licensed teacher, two trained Education Support
Professionals [ESPs]), each team responsible for addressing the academic needs
of 75 students lagging below grade level and having not experienced growth in
reading or mathematics skills for two successive quarters.
This
is an interim superintendent and staff with a chance to provide an
unprecedentedly high quality of education for students at a locally centralized
school district, particularly those facing challenges born of a brutal history
that has created and maintained conditions of cyclical familial poverty for
many decades at the urban core.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Rochelle
Cox gained Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education appointment as
interim superintendent in June 2022; in
the course of academic year 2023, the Board extended Cox’s contract through 30
June 2024. With her decisive
initiatives, Cox has positioned MPS to move forward to bring
knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum and enhanced teacher quality to
the Minneapolis Public Schools, potentially projecting MPS as a model for other
locally centralized school districts throughout the nation, with implications
for public education internationally.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Invitation to Apply
for Superintendent of Schools
The
Minneapolis Board of Directors seeks a dynamic and inspirational leader who
embraces the mission, vision, and values of the Minneapolis Public Schools. MPS
is committed to providing all students, regardless of their background, zip
code and personal needs with a high quality, anti-racist, culturally responsive
education. The ideal candidate will be a visionary instructional leader,
effective communicator, and collaborative manager, with a strong record of
accomplishments as a school district leader. In addition, the next MPS
superintendent must be able to:
- Foster unity with the community
and serve as a healing presence;
- Maintain a visible and active
presence in the community, engaging with stakeholders and seeking their
input;
- Value the community’s role in
decision-making and respects their perspectives, always remembering that
the MPS are the community’s schools;
- Remain connected and engaged with
staff to understand the administrative and teaching challenges affecting
student learning;
- Champion diversity, equity, and
inclusion, addressing inequities and racism in policies, programs,
services, facilities, and curriculum; and
- Build strong teams, act with
integrity, and relentlessly advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion
throughout the MPS organization.
Minneapolis
Public Schools, located in Minnesota’s largest city, is an urban school
district with schools in or near every Minneapolis neighborhood. MPS embraces
diversity in its students, staff and programs, working hard to accelerate
learning in everything it does. From early childhood education to early college
credits and career preparation, MPS promises a safe, welcoming environment in
which learners can grow to become confident global citizens. Learn more
at mpls.k12.mn.us.
To apply, please complete
an online application and submit a resume, letter of interest, three up-to-date
letters of reference, proof of appropriate licensure, and complete copies of
transcripts at www.bwpassociates.com.
All applications and inquires will be treated with the utmost confidentiality
allowable under Minnesota law.
A regionally competitive
compensation package will be offered to the successful candidate.
Each candidate will be
informed of the Board’s selection and appointment of the new Superintendent.
The final appointment is the sole responsibility of the School Board.
Applications are due
to BWP & Associates by November 5, 2023
BWP & Associates, Ltd.
827 N. Milwaukee Ave, #221
Libertyville, IL 60048
For additional
information, contact BWP search consultants:
Kevin Castner 434.531.8171
Steve Griesbach
708.822.8706
Jane Berenz 952.270.1728
Johnnie Thomas
773.469.4249
Applicants are requested
not to contact the MPS Board of Directors.
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