New York foundation threatens
to discontinue grant to Minneapolis schools


By David Peterson
Minneapolis Star Tribune
May 28, 1997

A top official of a New York foundation that has poured $1 million into improving Minneapolis' middle schools described the recent eighth-grade test scores as "incredibly appalling" and warned that he will shut off the spigot unless the school district can prove it is serious about reform.

In a meeting Tuesday with Superintendent Peter Hutchinson and a subdued school board in Hutchinson's office, M. Hayes Mizell of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation said most major U.S. school districts with which the foundation is working are ahead of Minneapolis in getting their acts together.

But he said he sees some positive signs within the district.

"I think there is now a strategy," he said, "and competent leadership to advance it. I would not necessarily have said that earlier."

Board Member Judy Farmer agreed the statewide test scores were "really miserable." Only about a third of the district's eighth-graders passed. But she added that there is now a sense of focus in the district where in the past, at times, there has been "chaos."

Board members argued that the district has laboriously put the pieces in place -- clear standards for everyone, with sanctions for failure -- that should lead to significant change.

"We're at a really interesting juncture," said Board Member Dennis Van Avery. "We realize it cannot be business as usual."

Mizell pointed to middle-school mission statements in Minneapolis that speak vaguely of preparing kids for the 21st century while treating them respectfully -- but nowhere say that their mission is to make sure kids learn stuff.

"Unless they have the essential skills," he said, "a 'creative learning environment' is not of much use to them."

Mizell did say he has given a swift kick up the backside recently to all of the half-dozen school districts who received $1 million grants two years ago.

There is a problem everywhere with middle schools that are emphasizing the "warm and fuzzy" aspects of school instead of bottom-line results, he said. "They love to talk about how 'happy' everyone is, but there is no talk about performance."

Minneapolis is behind most of the other half-dozen in attacking its problems, he said. Board members and school staff members agreed that things have moved slowly but argued that they are now on top of the situation.

One big advance that is on the horizon, they told Mizell: The district is investing $400,000 in an effort to stop just "dumping" important data about student progress into schools and start giving it to them in a form they can use.

The next step will be for the district to prepare a formal presentation to try to convince the foundation that it is serious. The existing grant will expire at the end of the year.


##

UPDATE: The Clark Foundation did end its relationship with Minneapolis in 1998.