Supt. Graff: Schools have 'passion for making an impact' but lack unified focus

After weeks of dropping hints, Minneapolis schools Superintendent Ed Graff delivered his first concrete plans on Tuesday for how he will reshape the Minneapolis Public Schools.

In July, Graff waded into a district rife with finger-pointing and an ailing achievement gap between white students and students of color. His approach in his first three months has been more like a researcher than a steamroller — gathering information, listening to the district's information hounds and collecting his thoughts.

On Tuesday, those thoughts took shape in a presentation to the school board that hired him, showcasing updates to the strategic plan with his leadership team.

Billed as his findings after 100 days in office, it includes such tangible items as adopting a literacy curriculum, which is in progress, and training staff.

Graff's priorities fall in step with Acceleration 2020, the district's ambitious strategic plan that promises to close the achievement gap and boost test scores by 2020.

Graff talked about opportunities in the district and called the students "extraordinary." He also referred to hurdles impeding progress. "We definitely have an intention and a passion for making an impact and I'd observe that, unfortunately, we're not unified and focused and consistent in that effort," Graff said at the meeting.

Graff's stated priorities are equity, accountability, achievement and engagement.

Graff, who edged out state Education Department Commissioner Brenda Cassellius for the superintendency, hails from Alaska, where he ran the Anchorage school district, and was previously a teacher, principal and administrator.

He's championed social and emotional learning for students — an umbrella term that includes skills like self-control, decisionmaking and social awareness.

Graff told the school board in September that he wants to find a sustainable plan for the district.

The district's goal of increasing math and reading test scores by 5 percent each year fell flat, the Star Tribune reported in July. Minneapolis schools did boost graduation rates by 10 percent in its first year.

The school district's research and evaluation director, Eric Moore, said he knows that people in the district can hold one another accountable. He compared the district's progress to the Selma to Montgomery marches for civil rights in the 1960s, before outlining specific updates.

Graff defined accountability and touched on positive school culture. "It means simply that we do what we say, and if something isn't working, we adjust quickly," he said.