Sean Kershaw's Weblog
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September 5, 2006
Calling Mr. Kershaw: Updates
September 5 Update: So I guess this blog is going to teach me about transparency and accountability. (I'm starting to see how this whole internet thing can change civic discourse too.) The good news is that people are paying attention. The bad news...
Integrity might be all I have going for me -- so I'm posting this amendment to my earlier blog entry about Dr. Carstarphen.
So: going after Dr. Carstarphen -- and her motives -- doesn't serve our agenda or how I want to be known as a leader myself. I don't like this in other people. My genuine disappointment at her absence could have been better tempered, e.g. not using words like "blow-off". Especially when - frankly - I wasn't the one taking the RSVPs. Apologies and mea culpas on my part. Rather than change the previous post, take it down, or write this as a comment in the blog entry, I should be more up-front so I'm posting my thoughts here.
And the connection between Kent Pekel in his current role (which relates to this post-secondary conversation), Kent Pekel in his former work (which related to our study in Saint Paul), and Kent Pekel in his aspirational role to be Superintendent should have been clearer to me. Dumb. Not what I intended to convey.
I'm contacting the Superintendent directly to see if I can talk to her. If I'm going to initiate the attitude, I should initiate the real face-to-face conversation. I look forward to working with her in the future, and I should probably withhold these types of posts for people that I know better to begin with.
The tone of my entry also missed the two points that ARE part of our agenda.
1) The leaders who were at the meeting made great progress in building a common mission and agenda focused on post-secondary success for all students in Saint Paul. There really is an opportunity to make real systematic improvements in this arena. The meeting was a small, positive step. The participants and Mayor Coleman deserve credit -- and the last thing I want to do is detract from this. It confirmed the work of our study a year ago.
2) The whole idea of "common ground, common good" really does have legs. Simply having these leaders come together on a common agenda creates the capacity to do the real policy and civic work in the future. It's not sufficient, but it's a start -- and the right role for the Citizens League. I need to keep this in mind as I blog.
September 6 Update: Called the Superintendent's Office and had a constructive and honest conversation with one of her senior staff. I appreciated their responsiveness and direct approach. We talked about a good set of next steps.
Posted by Sean Kershaw at September 5, 2006 3:42 PM
Comments
Nice response. The work you were trying to get done was important. It was just a bit unrealistic to expect a new superintendent to show up to your deal a week before school starts.
Posted by: Charlieq | September 6, 2006 11:40 PM
Hi Sean--
A lot of us have made rash comments at some point, when we should have known better. (I could tell you stories... I've got some good ones.)
You learn from it!
Even if you're in the right, the best course when you've been disappointed (or worse) is to take no action if you don't have to. Instead: contemplate the next steps, and come back to whatever the issue is later.
Anyway Sean, you're doing alright. Keep at it.
Posted by: T Graham | September 7, 2006 11:08 PM
Charlie, do you know what the Superintendent was busy with at the time? Enquiring minds want to know.
Posted by: Katie K | September 15, 2006 2:23 PM
I believe the Superintendent was preparing for a meeting that she had in the afternoon with community leaders to talk about the achievement gap. (I thought I mentioned this in earlier comments.) - Sean
Posted by: Sean Kershaw | September 15, 2006 3:36 PM