MINNEAPOLIS – Lucy Craft Laney Elementary staff thought they achieved what some deemed impossible when the Minneapolis district announced Lucy Laney was no longer on the state’s list of failing schools, where it had stood for 18 consecutive years.
The celebration turned to tears Friday afternoon when Lucy Laney learned it was all a mistake, due to a clerical error. They had never made it off the list of failing schools after all.
“The momentum was there, and the hope has been here, so now to be played with a little bit, to think you have made that kind of gain and to find out you hadn’t, the staff members are angry and upset,” said Principal Mauri Friestleben. “My hope is people may really question how we do things and how we say we do and do not measure up.”
Minneapolis district officials said they incorrectly categorized the grade levels taught at the school, which resulted in higher marks in the state Department of Education's new "North Star" accountability system.
Minneapolis school superintendent Ed Graff visited the school himself to explain to staff and teachers what happened. In the district’s records, Lucy Laney was classified as a K-8 school, instead of a K-5 school, which Lucy Laney has been a K-5 school for four years. The records in the district headquarters still labeled Lucy Laney with its former K-8 school status, which resulted in higher marks in the new accountability system.
When the Department of Education caught the district’s error and reapplied the standards of the new North Star system, Lucy Laney remained at a Comprehensive level, or among the lowest performing schools, needing the most support from the state.
“It’s extremely disappointing, I take full responsibility as a superintendent that we should have that information presented to MDE accurately, and unfortunately, it’s had a huge impact on this school,” said Graff. “Working in education, there are so many opportunities for us to provide labels and put labels on things, on schools, on students, on educators, on teachers and families, it’s not necessarily reflective of who the students are and who the school is.”
Principal Mauri Friestleben said most of the teachers are processing disappointment and embarrassment over the error.
“The staff and students and families I think we have all known for a long time that doesn’t define us and I think we’ve always seen it as the final frontier, that last box to check,” said Friestleben. “I have asked, can you show me an elementary school that is almost all African American, where almost all the kids live in poverty and yet still achieved that final plateau? Having that reality check where we are back where we originally were, it’s going to be up to us to be the first ones to do it.”
In all, the clerical error affected three other schools, including Nellie Stone Johnson Community School, Richard R. Green Central Park School and Anishinabe Academy. The mistake moved Nellie Stone Johnson and Green Central down to lower designations as well, while Anishinabe remained at the lowest level.
The Minneapolis district and Department of Education emphasized Lucy Laney has made great gains in test scores year over year, along with large increases in attendance.
“Nothing about us is going to change. The growth is still there. The hope it still there, even though the rating is no longer there, it’s been challenge and honor and privilege to love on every child that comes to school, regardless how they take a test,” said Friestleben. “What I hope people see about the school and me, I’ve not let adversity define me before and I won’t let it define me now.”