Aug 23, 2026

Article #1 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 3, September 2026

Article #1

Department of Core Academics and Instruction

 

With regard to fundamental skills of students at the Minneapolis Public Schools, note that reading and mathematic skills languish for students in general and that for African American, Native American, and Hispanic students, proficiency rates to not reach 20% in any category  >>>>>

 

>>>>> 

 

Minneapolis Public Schools 

Academic Proficiency Rates

Years Ending in 2014 through 2025

as measured by Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments

 

            

All

Students

 

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

 

Math    

 

44%  44%  44%  42%   42%  42%  35%   33%  35%  35%  35%

 

Reading 

 

42%  42%  43%  43%  45%  47% 40%  42% 41%  40%   41%

 

Science  

 

33%  36%  35%  34%  34%  36% 36%  33%  31% 32%   22%

 

African                      

American

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

 

Math         

 

22%   23%   21%  15%  18%   18%   9%   10% 8%   8%  10%

 

Reading    

 

22%   21%   21%  21%  22%   23%  19%  18% 16% 15%  16%

 

Science      

 

11%   15%   13%  12%  11%   11%   11%   8%  6%   6%     3%

 

 

American

Indian

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

 

Math            

 

23%  19%  19%   17%  17%  18%   9%    9%  10%     12%   13%

 

Reading      

 

21%  20%  21%   23%  24%  25% 20%  22%  19%    18%    19%

 

Science        

 

14%  16%  13%  12%  14%  17%     9%   9%    7%  12%        6%

 

 

Hispanic/

Latine

 

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

 

Math           

 

31%  32%  31%   29%  26%  25%  12%  12%  12%  11%   11%

 

Reading       

 

22%  21%  21%   21%  22%  23%  19%  18%  16%  12%   13%

 

Science        

 

17%  18%  21%   19%  17%  16%  10%  11%   9%   8%      5%       

 

Asian

American

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

 

Math           

 

48%  50%  50%  49%   50%   47%  46%  39%  25%  26%  28%

 

Reading       

 

41%  40%  45%  41%  48%   50%   54%  49% 33%  31%   27% 

 

Science         3

 

1%  35%  42%  35%   37%  40%   43%  36% 27%  28%    19%

 

White

 

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

 

Math           

 

77%   78%  78%  77%   77%  75%    62%  61% 65% 68%  68%

 

Reading       

 

78%   77%  77%  78%   80%  78%    74%  71% 72% 73%  75%

 

Science        

 

71%  75%  71%  70%   71%  70%    61%  60% 59% 61%  45%

 

<<<<< 

 

 

The Academic Division and Department of Core Academics and Instruction have responsibility for the overall academic program at the Minneapolis Public Schools and thus must bear the guilt for the lack of knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum as actually delivered and low teacher quality. 

 

Those thus responsible are the following:

 

Melissa Sonnek

Senior Academic Officer

 

(Sonnek has overall responsibility for leadership of the Academic Division, including the Department of Core Academics and Instruction and the Office of Black Student Achievement, the Office of Latine Achievement, and the Department of Indian Education [the later three entities are covered in the succeeding articles)

 

Department of Core Academics and Instruction

Maria Rollinger
Executive Director, Core Academics 

Brandon Button
Director, Literacy & Humanities

Sizi Goyah
Director, Math & Sciences

Anna Baumann-Smith

Content Lead, Social Studies

 

Casey Strecker

Content Lead, College Programs

 

Chas Thomsen

Content Lead, Science

 

Jenifer Hanzak

Content Lead, K-5 Math

 

Jessica Rose

Content Lead, K-5 Literacy

 

Jourdain Colliman

Content Lead, 6-12 Literacy Intervention

 

Julie Ripplinger

Content Lead, K-5 Literacy

 

Kelsie Leonard

Content Lead, 6-12 Math

 

Kristin Caquelin

District Program Facilitator, STEM

 

Lori Ledoux

Content Lead, Arts

 

Immanda Bellm                                                                

Content Lead, Library Media

 

Marie Olson

Content Lead, K-5 Literacy Intervention

 

Rachel Grayson

Content Lead, 6-12 EL

 

Robert Kohnert

Content Lead, Concurrent Enrollment

 

Sizi Goyah

Director, Math & Sciences

 

Steven Montgomery

Content Lead, Ethnic Studies

 

Teresa Emery

Content Lead, Advanced Learners

 

…………………………………………………………………………..

 

The goal for decision-makers at the Minneapolis Public Schools must be to secure university-based subject area specialists (decidedly not education professors) to retrain teachers capable of delivering a knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum.  Once such an action is taken, other support policies may be instituted to ensure that these sufficiently trained teachers fulfill their responsibility to impart excellent education to students of all demographic descriptors. 

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