Alternate Universe Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Gary Marvin Davison Embraces Plan Closing/Repurposing Seventeen Schools--- Then Proceeds to Implement a Genuine Overhaul of Curriculum and Teacher Quality

Alternate Universe Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Gary Marvin Davison (Ph. D., Taiwanese History, University of Minnesota/Twin Cities, 1993) has moved forward with the fullest of the plans in the conventional universe to close or repurpose seventeen (17) schools at the district and then proceeded with an actual initiative for systemic overhaul so as to provide knowledge-intensive curriculum and the training of teachers capable of imparting such a curriculum to students of all demographic descriptors.

 

The conventional universe plan embraced by Superintendent Davison closes the following for the delivery of current educational programming and now puts the buildings under consideration for repurposing, rental, or sale:

 

>>>>>   Anwatin Middle School (most students will now attend Franklin Middle School)

>>>>>   Bethune Arts Elementary School (most students will now attend Hall Elementary School)

>>>>>   Cityview Elementary School (most students will shift to Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary)

>>>>>   FAIR School for Arts (programming will shift to North High School)

>>>>>   Field Elementary School (students will shift to Hale Elementary School)

>>>>>   Heritage High School (Somali student program will shift to Edison High School)

>>>>>   Hiawatha Elementary School (students will shift to Folwell and other elementary schools)              

>>>>>   Hmong International Academy (culture and language magnet programming will shift to Jenny

              Lind Elementary)

>>>>>   Howe Elementary School (students will shift to Folwell and other elementary schools)

>>>>>    Kenny Elementary School (most students will now attend Kenwood Elementary School)

>>>>>   Lake Harriet Lower Elementary Schools will shift to Lake Harriet Upper Elementary School

>>>>>   Lake Nokomis Wenonah Elementary students will now attend Lake Nokomis

               Keewaydin Elementary School

>>>>>    Longfellow Alternative High School (teen parent program will shift to North High School)

>>>>>    Loring Elementary School (most students will now attend Jenny Lind Elementary School)

>>>>>    Pratt Elementary School students will shift to Marcy Academy

>>>>>   Webster Elementary School (most students will shift to Las Estrellas or other elementary

               schools)

>>>>>    Wellstone International High School (program for immigrant students ages 18 to 22

               still working toward English language mastery) will shift to South High School

 

In closing the above schools, Superintendent Davison has directed Minneapolis Public Schools senior operations officer and staff to immediately assess these buildings of sale or rental while realizing immediate savings in costs ranging from $300,000 to $1.5 million in maintenance and cleaning costs per building.

 

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But the most important part of the overhaul of the district will come with the retraining of teachers capable of imparting knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum to students of all demographic descriptors.  

 

Dr. Davison has commissioned college and university scholars to provide subject area instruction to both elementary and secondary teachers, all of whom either majored in education or matriculated in academically weak departments, schools, or colleges of education to gain certification, then in many cases sought insubstantial Master’s Degrees in education.

 

The scholars will give elementary teachers and principals instruction leading to a Masters of Liberal Arts degree, for which they will receive rigorous academic training in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history, government, geography, economics, world and English language literature, and the visual and musical arts;  they will then write an academically substantial master’s thesis in one of these key subject areas.

 

Scholars will also provide instruction to secondary teachers and principals in a field of their certification, leading to a master’s degree in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history, government, geography, economics, world and English language literature, and the visual and musical arts.

 

Given such training, teachers will (as in the case of college and university professors) return to the classroom ready to impart subject area information constituting knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum, and they will be expected to demonstrate the pedagogical ability for transmission of their knowledge to students of all demographic descriptors.

 

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With the prevalence of teachers and principals of requisite knowledge and pedagogical ability, Dr. Davison will eliminate a bevy of offices, departments, divisions, and staff;  these include the Office of Black Student Achievement (approximately nine [9] staff members), the Office of Latine Student Achievement (approximately seven [7] staff members), and the Department Academic Core and Instruction (approximately twenty-three [23] staff members.    

 

None of these offices, departments, divisions, and staff will be any more necessary than they are on college and university campuses:  Teachers and principals will now have academic expertise comparable to their college and university professorial counterparts.  The four associate superintendent positions will also be eliminated, now that principals will not need the mentoring that is the putative function of associate superintendents.   

 

The Minneapolis Public Schools Department of Indian Education is legislatively mandated and thus will have to be retained;  however, this department will be reduced in staff to a contingent of subject area experts positioned to bring greater academic rigor to indigenous students.      

 

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With such an overhaul, Dr. Davison will now deliver to the public and to donors and foundations the message that the Minneapolis Public Schools is positioned to deliver a nonpareil excellence of education to students of all demographic descriptors.  Families will opt to send their students to the Minneapolis Public Schools, rather than to charter and private schools, in part mitigating the demographic trends pertinent to lower birth rates and a declining student age population.  Donors and foundations will be eager to be part of this exciting revolution in public education, so that the additional funds necessary to supplement federal and state sources will be forthcoming.

 

With all of the above actions will Superintendent Davison develop a model of excellence in public education that will in the course of time extend the revolution to districts throughout the United States---  and also induce comparable action worldwide.