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Annual Report release coincides with State of District address
Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen called for community-wide "beliefin action" to realize and achieve the potential of all young people.Her 2008 State of the District Address was themed around "belief" andCarstarphen delivered it today at a breakfast. She will give the speech againat a community event 6:30 p.m. at Monroe A+ Arts School. The addresscoincides with the release of the district's 2008 Annual Report. Thereport is available online here. Carstarphen's State of the District video is available here.
Duringher speech, the Superintendent outlined the progress of the district onits own accountability measures and detailed key initiatives forclosing achievement gaps and ensuring high expectations for students.The speech both recognized community participation in public schools,and called for greater support. She reiterated the district's effortsto sustain its commitment to student success in the face of ever-higherstudent achievement expectations.
Carstarphen outlined progresson the district's aggressive Strategic Plan, which set annualbenchmarks for success that go far beyond state and federalrequirements. "Last year's data show that we have made progress in allstudent groups," she said. "While we are making gains, we are notreaching targets for all of our students. ... Those targets were basednot on what was convenient to reach, but what we would need to be onpace to meet the federal No Child Left Behind law, state mandates andthis community's expectations."
Carstarphen highlighted the needfor Large-Scale System Change, which will ensure that across thedistrict institutional structures are reinforced for the work ofclosing persistent achievement gaps. Included in this are communityengagement meetings scheduled for November and December. "This districtis at a crossroads," she said. "Business as usual is not a sustainableoption for achieving our mission."
Carstarphen highlighted"power" action items from the district's Strategic Plan for ContinuedExcellence underway or in planning this year:
- Developing and enhancing leadership districtwide;
- Ensuring cultural proficiency for all staff;
- Confirming Saint Paul
Public Schools as a wise investment;Providing supports for all students to read at or above grade level by third grade;Providingeffective transitions for students and their families, specificallywhen they enter school and move from elementary to middle school,middle to high school, and high school to post secondary;Improving efficiency and effectiveness; andCreating a districtwide model of classroom management.
Carstarphensaid that if we believe in shared accountability, schools need thepartnership of families, businesses, policymakers and the community inorder to see the kind of student achievement that will ensure allstudents are prepared for the future.
Carstarphen concluded herspeech with optimism by acknowledging the many community partners thatstrengthen Saint Paul Public Schools. This included a Superintendent'sadvisory council of community leaders, and the 15 community partners inthe citywide dialogue around Large-Scale System Change. They areComunidades Latinas Unidas En Servico (CLUES), Dar Al-Hijrah CulturalCenter, Hmong American Partnership, Hmong Cultural Center, MinnesotaDa'wah Institute, Lao Family Community of Minnesota, NAACP St. PaulBranch, Neighborhood House, Saint Paul Area Council of Churches, SaintPaul Indians in Action, St. Paul Network of Education Action Teams,Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation,Support Our Schools, and YWCA St. Paul.
Carstarphen continued,crediting corporate and philanthropic organizations for their strategicsupport including 3M, Ecolab, Health Partners, The McKnight Foundation,The McNeely Foundation, The Minnesota Thunder, The Morning Foundation,The Panasonic Foundation, The St. Paul Foundation, The Saint PaulPublic Schools Foundation, Travelers, Greater Twin Cities United Way and The WilderFoundation.
She praised all those who have taken the step tomake good on what they believe, and she challenged everyone to do thesame. "We must believe that all of our students have unlimitedpossibilities for greatness. And it is our collective job to help themachieve it. It is up to us to create, together, a sense of momentumaround the possibility of making great things happen for our studentsand their families."
The Stateof the District will be rebroadcast on Saint Paul cable channel 16 at 8and 9 p.m. tonight, it will be rebroadcast on the hour beginning at 7a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7.
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