Our Charge and Challenge:
A core premise of Strive:
“Why has Strive made progress when so many other efforts have failed? It
is because a core group of community leaders decided to abandon their
individual agendas in favor of a collective approach to improve student
achievement.”
-- John Kania & Mark Kramer, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011
Three Critical Questions:
1. Do we believe a different level and type of collective action would help to
significantly increase and accelerate the closing of achievement gaps
between white students and students of color in the Twin Cities?
2. If we agree that more and more effective collective action is needed, do we
also agree that the Strive model or a variation of it would help the Twin
Cities act collectively more effectively?
3. If we agree that the Strive model would facilitate effective collective action in
the Twin Cities, how should it be implemented here?
Our Process
Strive
Working
Group
Ask and answer the hard questions in order to make a
recommendation on whether the Strive model should
be launched in the Twin Cities
1. Clarify and endorse the charge to the working group
Critical
Decision
Makers
2. Review the working group recommendation and
decide if the effort should move from the investigation
phase to the planning phase
3. Engage key stakeholders that have not yet
participated in the process
Senior Leaders:
• Bush Foundation
•Minneapolis Public Schools
• City of Minneapolis
• Minnesota Minority Education Partnership
• City of St Paul
• St. Paul Public Schools
• General Mills
• St. Paul Foundation
• Greater Twin Cities United Way
• Target Corporation
• Itasca Project
• University of Minnesota
• Minneapolis Foundation
Agenda
•Introductions
30 min.
•Working Group Approach
15 min.
•Cradle to Career Continuum
10 min.
•Break
10 min
•Success Indicators
•Break Out
•Report Back
60 min.
40 min
•Next Steps
10 min
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Introductions
Name
Organization
A person (non-family member) from
your youth who significantly
influenced your success.
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Working
Group
Approach
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Meeting Overview
#
Date
Location
Objective
1
6/13/11
Continuing
Education and
Conference Center
Determine Success Indicators along the Cradle to
Career Continuum
2
7/12/11
Continuing
Education and
Conference Center
Finalize Project Charter & Identify and Prioritize
Evidence-based Factors Impacting Student Success
3
7/27/11
UROC
Understand the Strive Model approach, results
and lessons learned
4
8/17/11
UROC
Develop a Gap Analysis based on a review the
Twin Cities’ Organizations currently addressing
the Highest Priority Factors
5
9/14/11
UROC
Decide whether the launch of Strive will lead to
improved outcomes for students of color and
close the achievement gap.
6
9/21/11
UROC
Create a Final Report including (if launch is
recommended) a high level implementation plan.
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Meeting Ground Rules
•Speak up to share the special insights that you bring to the working group
•Respect everyone’s ideas. There really are no right or wrong answers.
•Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions and raise difficult points
•Be concise and on topic to keep us moving along the path to a decision. –
Avoid War Stories
•Be patient in learning to see the achievement gap from a Six Sigma
perspective of outcomes and factors.
•Remember that we are all neutral evaluators working on behalf of
thousands of children who are destined to difficult lives.
•No technology usage while we are in session
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Leveraging the Six Sigma Methodology
Define Success
Determine How Success is Measured
Analyze the Factors that Drive Success
and Understand Current Capability
Decide the Course of Action for
improvement
Develop Mechanisms to Sustain
Improvements
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Meeting 1
How Do You Define & Measure Success?
PRE-K
Success
Indicator
ELEM.
SCHOOL
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
HIGH
SCHOOL
POST
SECONDARY
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
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Meeting 2
What are the most important Factors for Success?
PRE-K
Success
Indicator
Factor
ELEM.
SCHOOL
POST
SECONDARY
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
HIGH
SCHOOL
Success
Indicator
Factor
Factor
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
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Factor
Meeting 4
How well are factors being addressed in the TC today?
ELEM.
SCHOOL
PRE-K
Success
Indicator
Factor
Factor
HIGH
SCHOOL
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Success
Indicator
Factor
Local
Organization
Impact
Local
Organization
Impact
Local
Organization
Impact
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
Factor
Factor
Local
Organization
Impact
Factor
Factor
Factor
Local
Organization
Impact
Which high priority factors are
being addressed with which children
in the Twin Cities and what is the
evidence of impact?
Local
Organization
Impact
Local
Organization
Impact
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POST
SECONDARY
Factor
Factor
Local
Organization
Impact
Local
Organizatio
n Impact
Local
Organization
Impact
Meeting 5
The Decision
Will the Strive model eliminate the achievement gap by
systemically ensuring that the most important factors to the
success of students of color in the Twin Cities are addressed?
Are there the commitment, shared vision of success and
resources (human and financial) within the education,
business, and civic sectors to
•Build a collaborative cradle to career network of Twin
Cities organizations
•Develop a comprehensive data system to support
data-based decisions for student success
•Change organizational priorities and align financial
resources to what the data indicate is working?
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Meeting 3
Meeting 6
A Close Look at
the Strive Model.
Preparation of
Report on
Findings with
Recommendations
for Next Steps
Pat Brown
Director of Systems
Innovation
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General Information
• Preread materials for Meeting 1-5 will be posted on
http://www.collegeready.umn.edu/resources/strive.html
• Notes from each meeting will also be posted on
http://www.collegeready.umn.edu/resources/strive.html
within 3 business days of the meeting. It is critically important to read
the notes from meetings that you miss
• Summary information on the current efforts of Twin Cities
organizations (based on the factors identified in meeting 2) will be
provided in meeting 4.
• Minneapolis & St. Paul students will be the focus of our analysis
recognizing that the achievement gap extends beyond these urban
centers.
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Cradle to Career
Continuum
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Holistic Approach to Student Success
From 100 Blocks in Harlem to Across the Nation
“The objective is to create a
safety net woven so tightly that
children just can’t slip through”
HCZ Website
Abyssinian Development Corporation (New York City, NY)
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation (Saint Paul, MN)
Athens-Clarke County Family Connection (Athens Clarke County, GA)
Berea College (Clay, Jackson, and Owsley Counties, KY)
Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation (Northern Cheyenne
Reservation, MT)
California State University East Bay Foundation, Inc. (Hayward, CA)
Cesar Chavez Public Policy Charter High School (Washington, D.C.)
Community Day Care Center of Lawrence (Lawrence, MA)
Delta Health Alliance, Inc. (Indianola, MS)
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (Boston, MA)
The Guidance Center, (River Rouge, MI)
Lutheran Family Health Centers / Lutheran Medical Center (Brooklyn, NY)
Morehouse School of Medicine, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
Neighborhood Centers, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission (Los Angeles, CA)
United Way of Central Massachusetts (Worcester, MA)
United Way of San Antonio & Bexar County — Partners for Community Change
(San Antonio, TX)
University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Little Rock, AK)
Universal Community Homes (Philadelphia, PA)
Westminster Foundation (Buffalo, NY)
Youth Policy Institute (Los Angeles, CA
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Holistic Approach to Student Success
Built on Collaboration and Data
Every child. Cradle to Career
Albany, NY
Albuquerque, NM
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Bettendorf, IA
Boston, MA
Brooklyn, NY
Buff alo, NY
Cedar Rapids, IA
Charlotte, NC
Cincinnati /
Northern Kentucky
Columbus, OH
Dayton, OH
Detroit, MI
East Bay, CA
Fresno, CA
Grand Rapids, MN
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Green Bay, WI
Indianapolis, IN
Louisville, KY
Marin, CA
Memphis, TN
Mesa, AR
Minneapolis, MN
Napa, CA
Nelsonville, OH
Phoenix, AR
Portland, OR
Richmond, VA
Santa Barbara, CA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
St. Louis, MO
Washington, DC
Cradle to Career Continuum
Cincinnati and No. Kentucky
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Cradle to Career Continuum - Twin Cities
PRE K
ELEM.
SCHOOL
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
HIGH
SCHOOL
POST
SECONDARY
At each stage, how can we determine
that a student is prepared for success in
the next stage on the continuum?
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BREAK
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Success
Indicators
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Simulated Case Study –
Astronaut Training
A controlled community of young men and women are
participating in an extended training program in hopes of
meeting NASA’s rigorous requirements to become astronauts.
The director of the program is trying to find out why after a
year in the program, many of his trainees are not accepted by
NASA.
1.What are the traits of a person NASA accepts as an
astronaut? DEFINE SUCCESS
2.What data is available to measure these traits among the
trainees? DEFINE SUCCESS INDICATORS
3.Which of these measures are most important in determining
acceptance by NASA? RANK SUCCESS INDICATORS
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Success Defined
Astronaut in Training
Traits for Success
Success Indicators
Indicator Rank
(which meet requirements) by Importance
(1 = Highest)
Speak, Read & Write English
Aptitude for spatial orientation
Proven outstanding ability in Natural
Science, Engineering or Medicine
Manual dexterity
TOEFL Score
1
None Available
# of Published Articles
3
None Available
Excellent health
Proportionate Height & weight
Good reasoning capability
Cardiovascular, Muscular &
Vestibular Test Ratings
5
Body Mass Index
2
Aptitude Test Score
4
Good Memory & Concentration
None Available
Emotional stability
None Available
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Small Group Breakout
1. Select the either Group A (Pre K, Elementary &
Middle School) or Group B (High School & Post
Secondary)
2. Within each group name assign the following roles:
• Scribe - capture notes on the flip chart
• Spokesperson - report out the group’s results
• Timekeeper – provide time checks to make sure
each category is analyzed within the allotted time
3. Kent and Julie will facilitate the discussions
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Group A
Pre K
Children
1. What are the traits of
a pre-K child who is
well prepared for
success in elementary
school?
2. How well do the
provided indicators
capture these traits?
3. Are there additional or
better indicators that
measure these traits?
4. Rank these indicators
in terms of their
importance to the
success of children of
color.
Elementary
School Students
1. What are the traits of
an elementary school
student who is well
prepared for success in
middle school?
2. How well do the
provided indicators
capture these traits?
3. Are there additional or
better indicators that
measure these traits?
4. Rank these indicators
in terms of their
importance to the
success of students of
color.
Middle School
Students
1. What are the traits of
a middle school
student who is well
prepared for success in
high school?
2. How well do the
provided indicators
capture these traits?
3. Are there additional or
better indicators that
measure these traits?
4. Rank these indicators
in terms of their
importance to the
success of students of
color.
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Group B
High School Students
1. What are the traits of a high
school student who is well
prepared for success in post
secondary institutions?
2. How well do the provided
indicators capture these traits?
3. Are there additional or better
indicators that measure these
traits?
4. Rank these indicators in terms of
their importance to the success of
students of color.
Post Secondary Students
1. What are the traits of a post
secondary student who is
well prepared for career
success ?
2. How well do the provided
indicators capture these
traits?
3. Are there additional or better
indicators that measure
these traits?
4. Rank these indicators in
terms of their importance to
the success of students of
color.
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Small Group Report Out
For Each Category
Traits for Success
Success Indicators
(which meet requirements)
Indicator Rank
by Importance
(1 = Highest)
Trait 1
Indicator A
2
Trait 3
Indicator B
1
Trait 4
Indicator C
4
Indicator D
3
Trait 2
Trait 5
Trait 6
Trait 7
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Twin Cities Student Success Indicators
Highest Priority Across the Continuum
PRE K
ELEMENTARY
MIDDLE
HIGH
SCHOOL
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POST SECONDARY
Next Steps
Factors Impacting Student Success
What aspects of a student’s experience that, if
managed or mitigated, will significantly increase
his/her likelihood of success (as measured by the
Success Indicators)?
EVIDENCE
BASED
ACTIONABLE
FACTORS
MEASURABLE
PRIMARY
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Preparation for Meeting 2
1
.
1. Pre-read: Parsing the Achievement Gap and be
prepared to discuss the relevancy in the Twin Cities
of the 16 factors presented.
Handout available today
Available online at
http://www.collegeready.umn.edu/resources/strive.html
2. Be prepared to recommend additional factors
relevant to the Twin Cities that meet the criteria:
Evidence-based, Actionable, Measurable, Primary.
3. Send to Cheryl, Julie or Kent the information that
support your recommendations for sharing at the
next meeting.
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