News Release: McKnight focuses on improved literacy by third grade
June 30, 2009 - Building a foundation for successful adults and prosperous communities, McKnight targets resources to promote early reading success in the Twin Cities.
The McKnight Foundation has announced it will invest in a new early child development goal to increase the literacy rate of Twin Cities students by the end of third grade. More information about the literacy goal will be available in 2010; until that time, no requests for literacy funding are being accepted.
"In the Twin Cities today, 41% of third-graders read below grade level," said Robert J. Struyk, McKnight board chair. "McKnight has long focused on providing children with the resources to become successful and engaged community contributors. Better preparing our youngest to read and write at grade level will help put them and keep them on track for graduation and beyond."
The board of directors' decision to promote reading success was informed by more than a year of planning, including research into evidence-based programs and interviews with field leaders and other stakeholders in education and youth development. Consulting firm The Bridgespan Group also supported McKnight's research into strategies and goal refinement. A key finding was that the academic success of a student, as defined by high school graduation, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by knowing a student's reading skill by the end of third grade.
"This opportunity builds on McKnight's current early childhood efforts, moving further up the pipeline into important transitions from kindergarten through third grade," explained president Kate Wolford. "By adding a focus on third-grade literacy, we will safeguard our related investments to prepare children for kindergarten, leverage existing leadership and expertise, and address the educational achievement gap."
The Foundation recognizes an urgent need to focus now on early education. In coming years, the Twin Cities will increasingly compete on a national and international playing field for economic and social success. As the state's first wave of Baby Boomers approach retirement, however, only about 79% of our young people are graduating from high school, with rates closer to 40% for Asian, Hispanic, and Black students. Our future workforce must be better prepared to meet the demands of jobs requiring post-secondary education and technical skills. Research indicates that early success with reading can build a solid foundation for high school graduation and post-secondary prosperity. To ensure success, McKnight looks forward to forging new collaborations while strengthening existing alliances with a growing field of early education advocates in nonprofits, the business community, philanthropy, and the formal education system.
Mindful of limited resources, McKnight is reviewing all its strategies to support children, to determine relevance to the new goal and make adjustments as needed. After lengthy consideration, the Foundation's board has decided to discontinue discrete grantmaking to support fatherhood development, parenting skills building, and family economic success; staff have contacted all affected grantees and begun a multiyear transition out of the three funding areas. McKnight will continue its funding for multiservice family support organizations, which constitute a major component of the Twin Cities' human service infrastructure. Decisions about future support for out-of-school time programs and homeless and runaway youth are still under consideration.
"McKnight has been privileged to partner with many outstanding organizations dedicated to improving the lives of Minnesota's children and youth," emphasized Struyk, "We celebrate those successes, even as we refine our early childhood goal. This shift reflects a responsible board desire to invest more strategically in a critical developmental turning point."
Given the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in McKnight's goal to improve Twin Cities' students' literacy, the Foundation will hire a program officer with the skills and background appropriate to lead this work.
More information about the literacy goal will be available in 2010. Until that time, no requests for literacy funding are being accepted.
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, coalition-building and encouragement of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based family foundation had assets of approximately $1.6 billion and granted about $99 million in 2008.