Education program moves to Mac from the U of M
By: Maya Pisel, Associate News Editor
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: News
The Center for School change, a program that received $2 million to work with low-income students in Twin Cities public charter schools, relocated from the University of Minnesota to Macalester in January.
The $2 million grant from the Cargill Foundation is the first CSC funding to be overseen by Macalester. During the last 20 years, the CSC raised $25 million dollars through the University of Minnesota, including a $14 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and Department of Education.
CSC Director Joe Nathan said funding was a key trigger of the CSC's relocation because "the University [of Minnesota] … was asking for a steadily increasing percentage of the money to administer grants." When they looked for a new host, Nathan said the CSC "felt that Macalester was a better environment in which we could operate more smoothly."
According to their website, the CSC's mission is to increase student achievement, raise high school graduation rates and improve student attitudes towards learning. To achieve these goals, it works at school, community and policy levels, Nathan said.
At the school level, Nathan said the CSC has helped to create "small learning communities" within several St Paul schools. It has also collaborated with communities to both establish charter schools and improve existing schools.
The CSC has worked with a wide range of public schools and school districts, not just with St. Paul charters. The CSC worked with Cincinnati public schools over a five-year period, helping to increase the district's graduation rates by 30 percent and eliminate the disparity between white and African American students' graduation rates, Nathan said.
Sheena Thao, the Outreach Specialist, said the CSC is currently working to get more Minnesota students of color to join dual enrollment programs. Thao works with high school students, community organizations, families and schools to help explain programs like Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Post-Secondary Enrollment Options to students.
The $2 million grant from the Cargill Foundation is the first CSC funding to be overseen by Macalester. During the last 20 years, the CSC raised $25 million dollars through the University of Minnesota, including a $14 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and Department of Education.
CSC Director Joe Nathan said funding was a key trigger of the CSC's relocation because "the University [of Minnesota] … was asking for a steadily increasing percentage of the money to administer grants." When they looked for a new host, Nathan said the CSC "felt that Macalester was a better environment in which we could operate more smoothly."
According to their website, the CSC's mission is to increase student achievement, raise high school graduation rates and improve student attitudes towards learning. To achieve these goals, it works at school, community and policy levels, Nathan said.
At the school level, Nathan said the CSC has helped to create "small learning communities" within several St Paul schools. It has also collaborated with communities to both establish charter schools and improve existing schools.
The CSC has worked with a wide range of public schools and school districts, not just with St. Paul charters. The CSC worked with Cincinnati public schools over a five-year period, helping to increase the district's graduation rates by 30 percent and eliminate the disparity between white and African American students' graduation rates, Nathan said.
Sheena Thao, the Outreach Specialist, said the CSC is currently working to get more Minnesota students of color to join dual enrollment programs. Thao works with high school students, community organizations, families and schools to help explain programs like Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Post-Secondary Enrollment Options to students.
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