Cityview Community School Renee Montague,

Principal
3350 4th Street North Sonrisa Shaw,
Assistant Principal
Minneapolis, MN 55412
Phone: 612-668-2270

February 25, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to offer my enthusiastic recommendation of Mr. Michael Miller, who has served as a principal intern here at Cityview
Community School this past year. I first met Mr. Miller in August of 2016 and was immediately impressed with both his professionalism
and character.

Mr. Miller has demonstrated several unique and valuable skills during his time at Cityview. It was immediately clear that he had an
excellent combination of educational enthusiasm and classroom management skills. He understood what it meant to create an
environment where students both felt a part of a learning community and also strove for academic excellence. More importantly, as an
administrator, he is able to translate that understanding into support for the teachers and staff in a way that moved classrooms and the
overall school community forward.

Mr. Miller has risen to the challenge of working with a student body (and their families) that comes from a diverse and challenging socio-
economic background. He has brought a passion for and organization to our Diversity Committee, as he led us in understanding the
complexities of the work before us. His success here, where the student body is over 95% free and reduced lunch eligible, between 25%
and 33% homeless and highly mobile, and from a neighborhood where crime reduction efforts are focused, will help ensure an
understanding of how to lead in almost any environment he encounters in the future. He truly believes that all students can thrive and
succeed, and wants to make sure that the tools and commitments necessary are in place to make that happen.

He has also shown that he can balance the micro issues with the macro issues in management. He made choices every day that revealed
his understanding of the big picture of managing a school while also paying attention to the details of day to day issues. He was able to
proverbially see both the forest and the trees. His work with parents was outstanding, making parents feel that they were a welcomed part
of their students education, and problem solving in a way that brought clarity and resolution to often complicated and difficult situations.

Mr. Miller never hesitated to be a contributing member of any team of which he was a part. I have worked with him on Instructional
Leadership Team, Positive Engagement Team, teams dealing with behavior management, instructional development, budget analysis,
personnel issues, and others. He contributes while also valuing the contributions of others, exercises leadership when needed, and
supports the leadership of others when he is not in a leadership role. He brings energy, insight, an ability to analyze data in useful ways,
and a creative way of including and synthesizing the contributions of all stake holders to come to useful conclusions. His communication
skills were thorough and clear, making sure that those who worked with or for him understood the vision and parameters of the work to be
done.

I have been privileged to work with Mr. Miller during this school year, and would not hesitate to recommend him for school leadership
positions, including principal positions. He will be a valued asset of any school team, and is clearly the type of leader we need for today
and tomorrow. The fact that his time at this school is ending and he is seeking other positions will be a loss for this school.

If I can offer further clarification of my respect for Mr. Miller, feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,
David E. Woodland MSW, MDiv, LISW
School Social Worker