Responses to School Board Questionaire - Marika Pfefferkorn

 Achievement Gap Committee Candidate Questionnaire

1.      The Minneapolis Public Schools have struggled for some time to raise the achievement of low-income students and students of color.
      a.      What in your opinion are the most important factors in raising student achievement?   

To be honest one of the greatest contributing factors of the continuation of Achievement Gap is public will or shall I say public apathy-not my kid’s mentality.  In order to address the Achievement Gap we need to address the myths surrounding its existence and fully fund efforts taking place to counter it.  We need to clearly distinguish between what is reality and what is perception.

·        Perception: If we support the Achievement Gap my student will lose out:  At issue public perception fueled by competition which occurs during times of economic and resource scarcity.

·        Reality: when we fully implement strategies that research and experience tell us will raise student achievement,  performance will improve across the board for all students, those most affected by the Achievement Gap, our students of color, but also those disaffected by socio-economic circumstances and other factors that contribute to learning in the classroom.

·        Perception: We should have seen results haven’t we been focusing on the Achievement Gap for a long time-where are the outcomes.  Let’s look elsewhere for answers.

·        Reality: Eliminating the Achievement Gap is not intended as a short term strategy, what is required is systemic change that allows for transformation of this school district inside out to be responsive to the needs of all students now and in the future.  We will continue to experience demographic changes within our district, what needs to change is how we respond change.

·        Perception: Teacher training and education is responsive to the needs of teachers in the classroom.  Teachers should be ready to tackle any classroom challenge because they have a master’s degree in education.

·        Reality:  Teachers straight out of college experience some of the same challenges that veteran teachers face because they have been exposed to the same cannon in teachers college and professional Institutions, which has not prepared them for the day to day, face to face situations in their classroom.  Some call it classroom management; Research and best practices on eliminating the Achievement Gap call it relationship and community building. 

In addition to advancing a community conversation about everyone’s role in eliminating the Achievement Gap, there are several things that we know for sure, we already know what needs to be done-but it’s all in the execution.  School districts and school boards have difficulty in navigating policy at the systems level and consistent implementation at the classroom level. 

An approach that I support and research backs is currently underway in Minneapolis Public Schools: we are on a learning curve, but by focusing on these key issues success is possible for every child.

·        Developing principals as Master Teachers and Leaders in the building and in each classroom; this requires time because it is a skill set that we are stretching our principals to assume, knowing that up until recently we had a completely different expectation of them. 

·        Supporting teachers at the point of service in the classroom with students, through coaching, teaming and allowing time for collaboration and feedback, support applying and connecting critical student data to student performance and student goals.

·        Expanding our sense of what it means to be a learning community and creating learning environments beyond the school building and beyond the school day. Invite and engage  families, youth programs and community members and businesses into the process of resolving these lingering challenges

·        Connecting with young people about their experiences with the Achievement Gap in their terms and on their terms;  at the same time expressing that the Achievement Gap is not their failure and is not their fault, However at this time in this moment all hands must be on deck including those most impacted by the Gap.  Nothing about students without students is for students!

·        Education must be a driving force and value throughout the city of Minneapolis, we must model the relevance and opportunities that education provide and make these opportunities a reality through apprenticeship, service learning a path to follow and path towards further success.

      b.      What measures should the school board take to improve student outcomes?

·         The MPS Board has begun a process that tracks data at the classroom, grade, building, area level-unless these numbers are taken off a shelf, reviewed, explained and used to inform decision making at all levels in the district we will not make progress.

·         As a part of the strategic plan eliminating the Achievement Gap is the top priority, in times of economic deficit respond with budget decisions that are aligned with that goal

·         Eliminate barriers to allowing external support for students within the school building and within the school day. Lack of information should not be a hindrance or excuse in cultivating cooperative partnerships between schools, the district level and families, community agencies and businesses. It is no longer acceptable to respond “We can’t because of policy…”-if policy is in direct conflict with the best interests of our staff, students , families and community, we need to respond quickly and accordingly.

 
      c.       If the school board follows your suggestions, how soon would you expect to see significant results?

An ongoing information and feedback loop between administration and the board is essential, we should not be finding out about performance gaps on the fly.  We have systems in place to collect data, we have skilled staff to analyze and interpret data.  Implementation is in place to help staff react in ways to data that improves student progress on a regular basis.  It is this continued progress that we are seeking.  Quarterly reports will demonstrate themes and patterns in data so that we can have a process of continuous and ongoing improvement, this must be embedded into the culture at every level of MPS.  This can be done through policy.

2.      Some people are concerned that focusing on academic achievement for low-income students means that insufficient attention is being paid to the needs of average and high performing students. How do you respond to that concern?

 

The strategies and best practices embedded in eliminating the Achievement Gap are beneficial to all students; this is because it allows teachers to respond to students needs in a differentiated and equitable manner. This means providing opportunities within classroom space for students to explore learning based on their strengths and learning style.  The Achievement Gap affects 70% of Minneapolis Public Students and 40% of African American Student in MPS.  It is of great concern that people don’t understand the connection between how the success of students of color  directly impact the success of all students this is not an us or them situation.  When one student fails we all fail!

3.      It has been suggested that certain provisions of the teacher’s contract prevent the administration from staffing the schools adequately to meet the needs of students. Please comment on your opinion of the current teacher’s contract.    

There are a number of challenges that need to be addressed in the teacher’s contract.   Flexibility in scheduling to meet with families and connect with community outside of the building is important, Flexibility in scheduling to attend meaningful and intentional professional development as a supplement to ongoing development directly in the classroom with the support of teaching teams, the principal and teacher coaches. It is our response to teacher’s needs, not the strength of their opposition that will determine the course in our district for years to come. Yes, there are teachers that do not take this profession as a vocation, yes, there are teachers who are woefully unprepared for the challenges they face in the classroom, and yes, there are teachers that continue to model low expectations for our students.  But I believe with the right supports this group becomes less impactful and will soon be identified as the outliers not the norm in our district. Yes we need highly skilled and trained teachers of color, policy is the solution and it is also the challenge.  In the immediate we need to be innovative, take advantage of resources and programs that allow for our staff of color to be recruited and retained over the long term.

4.      One idea to improve student outcomes is to spend more time on task. That might mean a longer school day or a longer school year.
    Do you favor increasing learning  time for students, and if so, how would you like to see that happen?   

  I believe in expanding learning opportunities beyond the school building and beyond the school day.  This is an essential role of our community partners and businesses.  We do not have the capacity, funding or support to consider an option like this at a district level, however there is great opportunity for us to learn from charter schools who are implementing year long programs.  It is naive to think that doing more of the same will result in different outcomes.  Research supports expanding learning opportunities which include the arts, athletics, apprenticeship, service learning-this approach has been demonstrated to have great impact on learning outcomes for students. As long as our schools have been stripped of programming that fully engages students we cannot expect by expanding the school day to make students any more engaged in their learning.

5.      Early childhood education is often offered as an important strategy for addressing the achievement gap.
       a.      What are your views on investing in early childhood education?

I believe that we need to invest in the full continuum of education, this begins with early childhood and connects directly with K12 education, which connects with youth development and so on.  When we invest all our energy and resources in one stage of a student’s development we short change them in having resources and supports available at all points on the path to learning. 

       b.      How can there be better alignment between pre-k programs and the K-12 system?

I am quick to say that communication is always at the core of collaborating and aligning services to best affect the lives of young people.  Again, we should not be in competition with sectors that serve our young people, but rather work cooperatively to identify resources and make connections based on our common goal of educating all children.

6.      Some people suggest we need more flexible or innovative models of delivering education.
        a.      Do you favor or oppose charter schools?

 

I favor charter schools because they afford our students opportunities to reconnect with many of the activities that traditional schooling has left behind, small learning communities, arts programming, and language immersion. MPS as an institution is simply not capable of being an enormous incubator for educational reform, not on the time line we’re working on for improving student success.  We cannot have every school a pilot, it is not financially feasible nor is it in the districts best interest. However, when MPS’s and charter schools cooperate the potential for genuine transformation to take place is greatly increased.  Not all charter schools are created equal, we must be intentional about who and how we partner. 

        c.       Do you favor or oppose self-governed (teacher-led) schools?

I believe they are a model or one approach to addressing educational reform.  I do not support self-governed/teachers led schools where they are creating environments with the intention of keeping some kids out.  That doesn’t fly in the MPS district, and this should not be acceptable in charter school-which are supposed to be public and open to all children.

7.      A group of Northside residents have formed a Northside Achievement Zone, aiming to replicate some of the outcomes experienced by the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York.

        a.      How should the School Board respond?

I think the board and the city should take note of what is working in this process.  While I do not believe that everything happening in the Harlem Children’s Zone will work for us or for North Minneapolis, it is a strong community oriented model to promote.

 

 
        b.      Is it appropriate for the School Board to make special efforts or investments in a particular portion of the city?

 

Why would we expect our students to learn only in one particular fashion, through a certain type of instruction?  We cannot as a district operate in an equitable manner unless we are able to respond to the varying needs and challenges throughout our district, in a manner that supports community culture and neighborhood context.

8.      With 65% students of color, the Minneapolis Public Schools face significant challenges with regard to integration. Some people prioritize integration efforts, while others argue that that it is more important to improve the quality of schools in low income neighborhoods. What is your opinion on this? Do you favor efforts to increase integration in the city schools?   If yes, what steps would you take to make that happen?

As an equalizer for distribution of resources throughout the entire district-yes. For building upon the assets that each child brings into each school building and into each classroom-yes.  As a way to best prepare our students for the workforce-yes.  To take one step closer to Integration will require equitable distribution of resources and highly qualified staff in all buildings.  It will require that families, communities and businesses are engaged at all levels in every building.

     
9.      Improving governance of our public schools is a big topic of discussion.
      a.      What in your opinion are the main governance challenges for public education?

Transparency, communication, data informed decision making, representative governing bodies, cultural competence, understanding of systems, translating policy into on the ground practice. Funding  high quality public education with the current revenue base in place.

      b.  Are there different governance models that you believe are worth exploring?

What I believe about the MPS board is that it is a citizen board to be made up of individuals skilled and interested in working on policy to move the learning agenda of the district forward on behalf of students, families, staff, administrators and the community.  I hold this citizen school board status as an integral and essential part of the change we want to see; allowing for full representation. When constituents are educated on the issues and informed about progress, there is no greater advocate than a citizen board, but a citizen board can easily be hijacked by individuals with a privileged lens on education or good intentions while lacking practice or experience.  This does not mean that this citizen board needs to be bound to operate as usual.  There are a number of recent findings that indicate practice for boards that have direct implications for eliminating the Achievement Gap.  Board models only take you so far, it is in the day to day interactions of the board, how they work together and how they build trust within the communities they serve, based on the policy decisions impacting the lives of every young person in receiving a quality education from MPS.

      c.     The Governor recommended that the Minneapolis and St. Paul school district be managed by the cities’ mayors.
            What is your opinion of this recommendation?

The cities are no more equipped to lead a district than an outside contractor; they are just as short on resources and even shorter on staff knowledgeable and positioned to navigate the district now or in the future.

10.  Your role in the school board
      a.      How do you define the role of a school board member?

The governing body of MPS district, to establish and cultivate a relationship with the superintendent and should the superintendant leave to hire a new and highly qualified professional to replace them.  To provide performance reviews for the superintendent and address any performance gaps.  To make policy and budget decisions based on data, research and informed practice.  To represent the entire city of Minneapolis; by advocating on behalf of the needs of all students, staff, families and constituents.

      b.      How much time each week do you expect to spend on school related matters?

15-25 hours and as needed, enough time to have a community presence, get acquainted with the needs of the district and how these needs are impacted by policy.  I intend to spend a good deal of my time mastering the role through intentional development, research, reading and reflection.  Attending board meetings, as well as, representing the board at city and other community events.  Responding to and communicating with constituents.

      c.       If elected, how many terms do you plan to serve? 

I plan to serve on the school board for the long term, I am invested in the success of this district and the role I can play as a board member through policy.

11.  Finally, what does success in the Minneapolis Public Schools look like to you.

 

Success looks like engaged students, involved community, active parent participation, high achievement, diversity in all its shapes and forms.  Success looks like the elimination of the Achievement Gap and the implementation of innovation and reform at all levels of the district.  Success looks like a city that embraces the education of all children and makes it their responsibility.  Success looks like students valuing and responding to the relevant education they are receiving.  Success in MPS will be; when students that look like me and sound like me are fully reflected in hiring practices, classroom curriculum and building environments.