Road to Success Tour Fall 2013

In Minnesota,
great schools change everything

 

Our Road to Success roadmap & lessons from changing-the-odds schools

We’re driven to make Minnesota the nexus of world-class public education once again. We’re hopeful that our achievement gaps and high school grad rates, which trail the nation, will soon be inequalities of the past. And with the help of research, smart policies and 10,000 member actionists, we can deliver great public schools for all. It starts with unearthing strategies from schools already beating the odds. So that’s exactly what we did. We toured 19 communities to see highly effective educators at work and learn from them and community leaders what needs to change at the capitol if we’re serious about strengthening public education. Now, we’re recharged and armed with dozens of ideas for our policymakers. Here’s the story of Road to Success.

Interactions and conversations were refreshingly candid and civil, grounded in research and best practice. And, focused on kids.

What stood out:

• Across-the-board high-quality pre-K
• Data-driven instruction & real-time assessments to track kids across the continuum
• Educator evaluations are critical–most look to multiple measures of effectiveness
• Early/immediate interventions for struggling students
• Plentiful enrichment for advanced students
• Robust ELL programs
• Professional Learning Communities = stronger school innovation
• Schools can beat the odds–it requires mindset shifts
• Leadership matters, including a strong vision & high expectations for all kids

What educators
asked for:

We traveled near & far:

1. Cloquet
Churchill Elementary
2. Grand Rapids
Middle Area Learning Center
Grand Rapids Public Schools
3. Deer River
King Elementary
4. Brainerd
Brainerd Public Schools
5. Verndale
Verndale Secondary School
6. Fergus Falls
Prairie Wetlands Learning Center
Fergus Falls Public Schools
7. Ashby
Ashby Public School
8. Bemidji
Central Elementary School
Bemidji Area Schools
9. Waubun
Waubun Secondary School

We met with:

439

Teachers
School & district leaders
Parents
Chambers of commerce
Rotaries
Foundations
United Ways
Mayors

Native American report

We engaged with Native Americans and visited top schools for Native students. These conversations contributed to our report, Native American Student Achievement in Minnesota.

Teachers Speak Up

In our 2013 statewide poll of district teachers, 89% say teacher evaluations that align with and help drive professional development will help advance student learning.

Top 10 Schools

We highlight top schools, by student performance, in low-income, black, Latino, Asian, Native American, English-language learner and performance gains.

MinnCAN’s Nicholas Banovetz and Daniel Sellers taking a quick break in Bemidji.

287 East 6th Street, Suite 513
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101
651.815.5999

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