Minneapolis Public Schools Receive Major New Support From Target, Cargill, General Mills, Medtronic
Corporations help fund student success from kindergarten to college with over $13 million in grants
MINNEAPOLIS, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and AchieveMpls, in partnership with Target, Cargill, General Mills and Medtronic, today announced major investments of over $13 million to help further MPS strategic plan priorities. These corporate grants will fund student success through 2014 in areas across the K-12 academic continuum, supporting students at all ages and levels of their educational careers.
Funding priorities include early literacy; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), a national program that helps low-income students and students of color prepare for college; AchieveMpls Career and College Centers in MPS high schools; and leadership and human capital development for MPS principals and administrators.
"These generous gifts represent the best of what makes Minnesota great—a strong partnership between the private and public sector on behalf of our children's futures," said AchieveMpls CEO Pam Costain. "These investments support the MPS strategic plan currently guiding the school district and are a strong vote of confidence in the leadership of Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson. AchieveMpls is proud to have helped facilitate this collaboration and looks forward to building broader and deeper connections between our community and the schools."
"We are tremendously grateful for the generosity of Target, Cargill, General Mills and Medtronic," said Superintendent Johnson. "These corporate citizens are providing a strong national model of how schools and the business community can collaborate to transform public education and provide our students with cutting-edge opportunities and learning tools. Together, there is no limit to what we can achieve for our students."
Grants for MPS were received from the following corporate partners:
TARGET CORPORATION
As part of its commitment to help more U.S. children reach the critical academic milestone of reading proficiently by the end of third grade, Target plans to give more than $6 million over the next three years to reading initiatives in partnership with MPS. Target will continue to fund Minneapolis school library makeovers as part of the Target School Library Makeover program. In addition, Target will fund the expansion of the Minnesota Reading Corps into every MPS elementary school during the 2011-12 school year and it intends to convene a group of experts – including Minnesota Reading Corps and the University of Minnesota Center for Reading Research – to pilot a comprehensive literacy intervention framework called Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites. The program will initially involve a three-year partnership with select Minneapolis schools, with a focus on innovative instruction techniques for teachers and students. Through programs and partnerships, the company is on track nationally to reach a total of $1 billion in giving to education, with a focus on reading, by the end of 2015.
"In order for our country to remain globally competitive, it is critical that we invest in education and help our children read proficiently by the end of third grade, which is a key milestone on the path to graduation," said Laysha Ward, president of community relations, Target and Target Foundation. "For this reason, Target is deeply committed to doing our part to address the education crisis in America by providing the resources that teachers and students need to succeed. By expanding our partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools, we hope to accelerate the literacy achievement among young students."
CARGILL
Cargill is accelerating its current support of MPS with new grants totaling nearly $5 million over the next three years. This commitment builds on more than 10 years and $18 million in support for MPS. The grants will be used to coordinate and expand STEM education, enhance college-preparedness and enable MPS to recruit, develop and retain top talent to staff and administer its schools. Cargill will provide $1.735 million for AVID, building on the company's five-year commitment to this nationally-recognized program. Cargill will also give $1.08 million to develop a new K-12 pathway for STEM education with the goal of creating consistent, high-quality programs of study that are well-defined, cohesive and build on knowledge from elementary school through graduation; and $1.05 million to support the AchieveMpls Career and College Centers, which serve nearly 10,000 students each year and have helped dramatically boost the numbers of students taking the ACT, graduating from high school and then immediately entering college.
"At Cargill, we believe that the issues facing our educational system are too large and complex for any single entity to solve alone. Today, we are delighted to come together with other leading Minnesota-based companies to focus on how to help increase the number of Minneapolis students who graduate and go on to succeed in work and life," said Mark Murphy, executive director of the Cargill Foundation and assistant vice president of Cargill corporate affairs.
CARGILL, GENERAL MILLS and MEDTRONIC: COLLABORATIVE FOR EDUCATION EXCELLENCE
Cargill, General Mills and Medtronic have created a Collaborative for Education Excellence to provide $2.8 million over three years for a new, comprehensive approach to recruiting, training and supporting high-performing principals and leaders for MPS. These three companies have been working with MPS to identify ways to leverage their unique business expertise and strong commitment to education to support the school district's strategic plan, which identifies leadership and human capital as its highest priority.
"Great schools start with great leaders," said Kirsten Gorsuch, vice president of Medtronic corporate communications. In the past 15 years, Medtronic has given more than $15 million to support STEM programs in Minnesota and was instrumental in bringing Teach For America to school districts in the metro area. "The Minnesota business community understands the value of inspiring leaders, and we strongly support Minneapolis Public Schools in their efforts for sustained, systemic school reform by starting at the top, with school principals."
The Collaborative for Education Excellence will work with MPS to design a new hiring and selection process to recruit high-potential principals and create an intensive school leader development initiative that will include a residency program to learn best practices, receive mentoring from top professionals, and observe outstanding schools. It will also develop a succession plan for principals and provide executive coaching to the superintendent and school district leaders.
"At General Mills, we take a collaborative leadership approach to supporting education," said Ellen Luger, executive director of the General Mills Foundation. "We value working with our peer companies and foundations to achieve greater impact in the area of education and beyond. For the past few years we have worked with Cargill and Medtronic to identify opportunities within Minneapolis Public Schools where collective effort could be transformative. Our foundations and companies are uniquely qualified and energized to support Superintendent Johnson's vision, strategic plan and priorities around human capital and leadership development."
"Minneapolis Public Schools students speak 80 languages and cross cultural barriers every day – and Target, Cargill, General Mills and Medtronic understand that this makes them the most valuable generation we have ever raised," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. "Our region's future economic competitiveness depends on closing gaps now and ensuring that every student graduates from high school ready for college or career. This is why these forward-looking corporate citizens are investing today in boosting college preparedness, learning in science and technology, early literacy and leadership development."
Mayor Rybak continued, "On behalf of all Minneapolis residents, I extend thanks for these critical interventions. I am pleased that our corporate partners recognize that under Superintendent Johnson's leadership, Minneapolis Public Schools are getting results for students, families and our entire city. We are headed firmly in the right direction, but we can't let up now: working together, we have to keep taking responsibility for all our youth and holding ourselves accountable for their success."
About Minneapolis Public Schools
Minneapolis Public Schools promises an inspirational education experience in a safe, welcoming environment for all diverse learners to acquire the tools and skills necessary to confidently engage in the global community. For more information, visit www.mpls.k12.mn.us.
About AchieveMpls
As the strategic nonprofit partner of the Minneapolis Public Schools, AchieveMpls mobilizes a wide web of community support and resources to ensure academic achievement, equitable opportunities and career and college readiness for all students. Preparing our young people to succeed in school, work and life is the best investment we can make in our city's health and vitality. Learn more at www.achievempls.org.
About Cargill
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.
About the Cargill Foundation
The Cargill Foundation invests in organizations and programs that demonstrate leadership and effectiveness in helping socio-economically disadvantaged children (PreK-12) improve academic performance and in eliminating barriers to their educational success. The specific outcomes for these grants are school readiness (for pre-kindergarten children), improved academic performance (for K-12 children) and narrowing the achievement gap in Minneapolis schools. The Foundation also helps enhance the vibrancy and quality of life in the Twin Cities by supporting a select group of preeminent arts, cultural and civic institutions.
About General Mills
One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Yoplait, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2010 global net sales of US$16 billion, including the company's $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.
About the General Mills Foundation
The mission of the General Mills Foundation, celebrating 56 years of giving, is to nourish communities. In fiscal 2010, General Mills awarded more than $100 million to communities across the country. Of the total, the Foundation contributed $22 million in grants in the targeted areas of hunger and nutrition wellness, and K-12 education. In addition, 82 percent of U.S. employees volunteer in the communities where they live and work. More information is available at GeneralMills.com/Foundation.
About Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people worldwide.
About the Medtronic Foundation
The Medtronic Foundation is committed to improving the lives of people around the world living with chronic disease. Its grant making is focused in three areas: health, education and community.
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation serves guests at 1,755 stores in 49 states nationwide and at Target.com. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week. For more information about Target's commitment to corporate responsibility, visit Target.com/hereforgood.
SOURCE Minneapolis Public Schools
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