Graves Ventures featured leader Kenneth Eban

Kenneth’s work to ensure that every child in Minneapolis Public Schools receives a high-quality education was born out of his own childhood. He grew up with parents who immigrated to the United States shortly before he was born. Being new to the United States, his parents relied on news media to learn about public schools, which were often portrayed as dangerous. So, they made the decision to put Kenneth in private school from preschool through high school. Once in college, Kenneth recognized the significant sacrifice his parents made to ensure he had access to a great education. Kenneth’s work is driven by a desire “to ensure that families who look like [his] don’t have to make the same sacrifices that his parents made in order to have a great education.”

Kenneth believes that public education should matter to every single person. Even if you don’t have children in the Minneapolis Public Schools, the success of the district should matter to everyone who wants this city to be a great place to live. “There are so many issues today, like public safety, housing and climate change, and we’re going to need our young people to be well educated so they can help us solve these pressing problems,” says Kenneth Eban, Executive Director of the Advancing Equity Coalition (AEC).

In spite of the importance of public education, Kenneth often found himself among only a handful of folks in the room during MPS school board meetings. A strong believer in the power of organized people, Kenneth used his organizing skills to found The Advancing Equity Coalition, a geographically diverse, cross-racial coalition of local individuals and organizations who work together to hold the district accountable to its own equity policies, oppose the status quo and dismantle institutional racism in Minneapolis Public Schools. Graves Ventures is proud to have incubated AEC in its idea phase through funding, convening, and organizing and to see it fully launched. 

All-star teachers
One recent success has been the All-Star Teacher Initiative. “It all began with the question, ‘What if we treated our teachers the way we treat our star athletes?’ We want them to feel appreciated and recognized for work they do and shine a light on things that are working in our schools,” Eban says. The Advancing Equity Coalition reviewed student growth data and worked with administrators to identify and celebrate teachers who had made significant progress in closing the achievement gap then worked with small businesses to honor these educators. 

Keep the faith – and vote
There have been other recent successes. “I love some of the policy wins we’ve been able to get,” Eban says. “We influenced the district to include important pieces in the new strategic plan that was approved earlier this year, and there are protections for teachers of color in future layoffs, which excites us.”

“I know that many people don’t believe that change can happen, but we’re saying it can,” he says. “We need to develop the political will to make our city’s schools a welcoming place for students of color, and we need to do so much better by the kids of Minneapolis. Many folks don’t have faith, but I don’t have the luxury for that attitude.”

Eban urges every Minneapolis resident to get involved in this November’s school board election. “It’s desperately important for the future of the district,” he says. “This board will choose the new superintendent, so I urge everyone reading this to look into who’s running and make sure they’re addressing issues that matter most for communities of color.”

Partnering with Graves Ventures
“The steadying force that Graves Ventures has provided has been amazingly helpful,” Eban says. “They’ve given us a lot of flexibility to experiment with what works and what doesn’t, and they’ve shared so many important resources. Of course, financial resources are important, but I also value their partnership for connecting me with other folks in this space, answering human resources questions, and guiding us as we have built our board.”

Join us on October 6th to learn more about Kenneth’s leadership and celebrate the launch of Graves Ventures!