I wish them well, but there are a few things that were not published here. The article fails to state why Davis is leaving after 15 years. We would like to know and if it's personal, say personal, but that was not said. And at the end of the day, Nathan is going back to his office and then home. Would you like to compare/contrast that to the students who go to school here? Finally, if you read through the lines, the school report card sounds like it has peaked, and is still below the norms of the district. Acceptable? PS. It sounds like they have some very dedicated teachers here but I would like to hear more about the seniority list in this school as well.

It seems very clear why Davis is leaving, 65 years old with years spent at a very stressful job, its called retirement. Turning around a middle school is a very tough job and this principal and staff deserve our congratulations. If you asked the teachers if the turn around job is finished I am sure the response would be it is never finished, there is always much to do. Good job teachers, admins and especially students.

That shcool just like any other school will be successful only if there are informed and engaged parents involved assuring and caring that it does, nothing more and nothing less than that. Others cannot do it for them!

I have seen a similar strategy pay off at my neighborhood middle school. Many of the neighborhood families historically sent their kids to schools farther away, or even outside the Minneapolis school system, but this year a large group of parents not only sent their kids to the school, but got involved as volunteers and took an active role in trying to improve the experiences for all students. Pair that with staff that cares, and you can accomplish quite a bit. I'm glad to see the Sanford neighborhood is rallying around their school. It is hard for a school to succeed if its own neighbors are not sending their kids there.

my kids had a great experience at Sanford. We arrived at the start of the turnaround a year after the batch of Dowling kids decided to go to Sanford instead of busing across town. Once you get that momentum of local kids deciding to stay, the momentum keeps rolling, getting better each year. I applaud Meredith's efforts for being instrumental in the turnaround. And teachers as Kobbe and sparks, they connected wiht the kids and the parents. Nice story.....

Ms. Davis has been a fantastic principal. What a difference this school has made for us! After an outright horrible experience w/one of the MPS K-8 schools that was consistently praised as "outstanding" but delivered nothing of that sort to its non-white or under-prepared students, it was Sanford Middle School that reignited our sense that our public school system can be effective for all. Thank you, Ms. Davis (and, of course, all of her academic & support staff), for three years of Middle School that prepared our now 9th grader and his peers for high school (and hopefully college) success!

In the 90s I had a choice to go to Sanford (3 blocks away) or Anne Sullivan (1.5 miles), and my parents sent me to Sullivan because my brother basically lost 2 years of his educational life at Sanford. It's great to see that Sanford is leading the way in school improvement, but EXTREMELY troubling that the school, after 15 years of turnaround, is still below average. Let's hope the next principal makes even more strides to improve the quality of the education and Sanford can become what it should be -- a high quality school in a middle class neighborhood.

Lots of great things happening at this school. A great leader who supports her teachers, a balanced population, involved parents despite their own challenges, teachers dedicated to building relationships with their students (don't underestimate that one!) and students who won't give up. Nice story of MPS. It's about time Strib! Thank you!

I can't imagine the challenge of teaching in an environment where students come to you so far behind the curve and you are expected to get them up to speed in a school year. I say hats of to the whole school cimmunity

This article implies that the school has "doubled enrollment in seven years, and scores are reaching district norms" is due to a "long-term principal" and "staffers that stayed loyal" and "parents who adopted the school". The article does NOT say that the district closed several schools in this time frame, therefore sending more students to Sanford and that the district closed the citywide choice program, also eliminating options for students who lived inside Sanford's school boundaries to choose another school. As a result, many of the incoming students, who would not have been going to Sanford, if they had a choice as before, are doubling the size and bringing up the test scores. The article does not inform the readers of this. implying it is all from the school. Many of these students would be doing well in any school. As a parent of a high achieving student who attends Sanford, it is always hoped that the struggling students and the excelling students can make gains accordingly. This is not often the case, as stated in the article, that "the range of ability in one classroom makes it hard for teachers to tailor curriculum to so many differing needs". A feel good piece on Mpls schools is good, but an accurate reporting of why would be better.