Working along a developmental continuum from pre-kindergarten to grade 3, McKnight seeks to increase the percentage of successful third grade readers in the Twin Cities. With related project support from McKnight, Minneapolis Special School District #1 is working to implement its comprehensive PreK through third grade Partnership for Early Learning program at two pilot sites.
"We are pleased to once again partner with The McKnight Foundation in support of children and families in Minneapolis," said Dr. Bernadeia Johnson, superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. "This funding will allow us to pilot comprehensive services and a curriculum model to ensure that children are ready for school when they enter kindergarten and that they meet the important benchmark of reading proficiently by the end of third grade."
The district's key goal is to increase reading proficiency for all students, including the 95% of students who are low income, and/or students of color, and/or bilingual. The two schools that are the focus of this initial implementation request are: Andersen United Community School, which serves 1,150 students from PreK through eighth grade, and Jefferson Elementary School, which serves 628 students from PreK through eighth grade. Both schools serve high numbers of students learning English as a second language and/or living in poverty, and low percentages of students currently proficient in reading by third grade.
