Background

The original 6 areas were selected from models of school climate and current district initiatives.  They served the process well in the beginning as our Steering Committee and Task Forces focused in on elements of climate.  As they worked, they began to notice the overlap of the Belief Statements that were being written.  In fact, there was overlap because every Task Force knew that there were bigger values that needed to be overarching all of the Climate Areas.

That thinking was confirmed through a Climate Survey that went out to our families in June - people ranked the 6 Areas and then explained why their top choices were so important to them.  Again, these overarching values emerged.  After the first round of engagement ended in early September 2020, Task Forces looked through the feedback gathered up to that point and worked through the new model for explaining the Belief Statements.

This new model has four Values.  Each Value is defined broadly and then broken down by classroom, staff, family & community engagement, and buildings.

Climate Framework Purpose and Rational - Executive Summary (2-pages)

Climate Framework Purpose and Rationale - Full Paper

This process will only be successful with our purposeful inclusion of the voices of those most impacted by this throughout our Minneapolis Public Schools community.  This is a challenge, but will be essential for true and sustainable change.  It is important to note that engagement in the design is just starting, only the process to support the building of the Climate Framework is outlined, not the framework itself.  This pre-work has included gathering current data and practices from our classrooms, schools, departments, and external research in order to understand the common elements of addressing climate,  but does not dictate the direction of our collectively designed Climate Framework.

Engagement opportunities include: Task Force Participation to draft belief statements (currently underway), broad feedback opportunities through a variety of modes, and full participation at the school and department levels (students, families, staff, and leaders)  in crafting and implementing  the local Climate Plan to achieve the belief statements.

Click here to see the recommendations for Summer/Fall 2020 engagement from the Steering Committee

National Center for School Climate 6 areas:

1. Safety

2. Teaching & Learning

3. Interpersonal Relationships

4. Institutional Environment

5. Social Media

6. Staff Specific

MPS Equity Framework

1. Pedagogy of Equity

2. Equity and Diversity Impact Statement

3. Families as Education Partners

4. Equity in Operations

5Essentials System

1. Effective leaders

2. Collaborative Teachers

3. Involved Families

4. Supportive Environment

5. Ambitious Instruction

MPS Academic Plan –

1. College and Career Domains and Competencies

2. Mindset and Social Awareness: Growth Mindset, Relationship Skills, Cultural Fluency & Global Awareness, Self Management, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Self-Advocacy

3. Middle Level Focus Essential Attributes: 16 characteristics (has many climate related elements)

4. Curriculum Transformation

MPS 2019 Retention Committee Findings:

1. Trust between administration and schools

2. Welcoming tone for the school community

3. Connect with families of color

4. Leaders continually work to build relationships be part of school community

5. Parents be willing to work cooperatively with teachers

6. Students work with school administration to find ways to reflect student input

7. Invite community elders to guide students

MTSS & Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports:

1. Academic Supports

2. Behavioral Supports

3. Social Supports

4. Emotional Supports

SEL (adapted from CASEL)

1. Self-Awareness

2. Self-Management

3. Social Awareness

4. Relationship Skills

5. Responsible Decision Making

MPS Climate Survey (Tableau):

1. Student School Connectedness

2. Fairness of School Rules/Consequences

3. Global competency

4. Perceptions of equity

5. Reporting and seeking help

6. School safety

7. Student-student relationships

8. Student-teacher relationships

Parent Participatory Evaluation Themes:

• Parents feel the MPS academic experience does not reflect and value the languages, cultures, and histories of MPS students.

• Parents expect staff to create safe learning environments by addressing issues of bullying and student conflict.

• Parents need better communication about schools’ expectations for behavior, as well as equitable treatment in response to behavior.

• Parents of students in Special Education programming want to better understand Special Education services and the progress their child is making.

• Parents want to be partners in their child’s education, but need schoolwide structures to support them in this role.

• Parents seek more positive communication from the District and their child’s school.

• Parents want to be able to communicate with school staff, but often do not find multilingual staff or interpreters at MPS schools.

• Parents find it essential that schools make their cultures visible by creating and displaying culturally-specific works and languages, and acknowledging important cultural holidays.

• MPS must prioritize hiring staff who represent the students who attend schools in the District.

• Parents want MPS staff to know more about their students’ cultural histories, values, and practices.

• It is important to many parents that MPS provide transportation to all students.

Youth Participatory Evaluation Findings:

• Relationships (student-to-staff and student-to-student) are impacted by student identity (race/ethnicity and gender), the presence or lack of trust, and a perceived belief gap.

• Students feel school policies are enforced inequitably based on student identity and require modifications.

• Student learning is impacted by a school culture and environment that often lacks diversity, engaging and culturally relevant curricula, and positive student-teacher relationships.

National Center of Safe and Supportive Learning Environments:

1. Well-rounded education

2. Improve school conditions

3. Improve use of technology

National Association of School Psychologists:

1. School safety for all students

2. Positive prevention systems and effective interventions

3. School connectedness

4. Positive discipline

5. Cultural Competence

6. Home-School Collaboration

US Dept. of Education School Climate Survey:

1. Engagement: cultural and linguistic competence, relationships, school participation

2. Safety: emotional safety, physical safety, bullying/cyber bullying, substance abuse, emergency readiness/management

3. Environment: physical environment, instructional environment, physical health, mental health, discipline

Organizational Climate (Burke-Litwin Model)

1. Management

2. Expectations for work

3. Performance recognition

4. Decision Making

5. Challenge and fairness

6. Support from co-workers

7. Cross unit collaboration

Positive School Climate Toolkit (expired)

1. Behavior

2. Attendance

3. Health

4. Safety

5. Cultural competence and equity

6. Family and community involvement

7. Operational systems

• Greta Callahan - President, MFT Teacher Chapter 

• Shaun Laden - President, MFT ESP Chapter 

• Jessica Burton - President,  MPS Clerical and Technical Chapter AFSCME

• Monica Shockency - President, MPS Association of Professional Employees 

• Martin Goff - Business Agent, Teamsters

• Aaron Janson - President, SEIU Food Service and Janitors

• Chris Stinson - Political Director, SEIU

• Basilio Diaz - Member, World’s Best Workforce Committee

• Victoria Balko - Member, World's Best Workforce Committee

• MPS School Board's Student Representative

• Emily Sowell - Member, District Parent Advisory Council

• Dulce de la Rose - Member District Parent Advisory Council

• Cheryl Flugaur-Leavitt  - Member, District Parent Advisory Council

• Asia Givens - Member, District Parent Advisory Council

• Maggie George - Member, District Parent Advisory Council

• Abdul Abdi - Member, District Parent Advisory Council

• Sherrill Lindsey - Principal Hall Elementary

• Michael Luseni - Principal Heritage Academy

• Ellen Shulman - Principal Anwatin Middle School

• Candace Miller Lopez - Member, Equity Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA) Committee

• Aimee Fearing - Sponsor of the High Expectations for Teaching and Learning Climate Area

• Maggie Sullivan - Sponsor of Interpersonal Relationships, Respect and Leadership Climate Area

• Suzanne Kelly - Sponsor of the Community and Family Engagement Climate Area

• Rochelle Cox - Sponsor of the Wellness: Social, Emotional and Physical Climate Area

• Karen DeVet - Sponsor of the Physical Environments, Security and Accessibility Climate Area

• Eric Moore - Sponsor of the Sense of Safety and Belonging Climate Area