Now is the time: Ciresi Walburn Foundation invests big in improving literacy, building on recent grants
Major support for Northfield Public Schools part of the Foundation’s 2023 Annual Grants; 19 nonprofit organizations and 5 schools also receive grants.
The Ciresi Walburn Foundation approved $1,520,000 as part of the Foundation’s 2023 Annual Grant Cycle. Adding to grants that the Foundation made outside of its annual cycle brings its total for the year to $2.16 million. Since its inception 25 years ago, the Foundation has now made grants in excess of $35 million.
“We have seen evidence of major academic gains and more students reading on grade level, and now is the time to build on those gains by investing in programs that adhere to the science of reading and deliver research-backed literacy instruction to all Minnesota children.”
“Over the past few years, investments by the Ciresi Walburn Foundation and other philanthropic organizations, advocacy at the local and state level, and changes implemented in hundreds of schools and thousands of classrooms have led to better literacy instruction for Minnesota students,” said Mike Ciresi, chair of the Foundation's Board of Directors. “We have seen evidence of major academic gains and more students reading on grade level,” Ciresi continued, “and now is the time to build on those gains by investing in programs that adhere to the science of reading and deliver research-backed literacy instruction to all Minnesota children.”
In addition to the Foundation’s multi-year partnership with Robbinsdale Public Schools and ServeMN (Minnesota Reading Corps), a grant this year to Northfield Public Schools (ISD 659) will contribute to growing momentum around changes to policy and practice related to literacy instruction.
The Foundation committed $100,000 to Northfield Public Schools for the district’s partnership with TNTP* to support the district as it works to enhance and extend staff knowledge and competencies related to Tier 1 classroom instruction.
“We’ve seen a massive shift in the mindset of our elementary teachers.”
“State and federal funding often emphasizes supplemental services—such as interventions and special education—to support students who have fallen behind,” said Hope Langston, Director of Instructional Services for Northfield Public Schools. “But we believe that model is not sustainable or best for students,” Langston continued, “and outcomes will not change until the core instructional system is stronger in serving all students and all teachers.”
In other words, administrators at Northfield recognized that while providing struggling readers with additional support is critical, solving Minnesota’s ongoing literacy crisis (nearly half of all Minnesota students are reading below grade level) requires changes to how all students are taught. “Focusing on Tier 1 literacy instruction,” said Langston, “is how you make a big difference for all kids.”
Northfield educators have already been working for several years on improving reading outcomes for their increasingly-diverse student body. (24% of Northfield’s students identify as Indigenous or students of color, 31% qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch based on family income, and 5% of students are English Learners). “We’re proud of the work we’ve done to support teachers so their instruction is grounded in evidence-based practices,” said Langston.
Matt Hillmann, Northfield’s Superintendent, concurred. “We’ve seen a massive shift in the mindset of our elementary teachers,” Hillmann said, and many are embracing new learning on how to teach reading so that all kids can succeed. More than 60 teachers across the district have gone through the rigorous LETRS training and the results have been positive: last year Northfield saw a 10% increase in 3rd-grade MCA reading scores and a big jump among low-income students, too. The district, however, is not satisfied. “Our literacy scores outpace the state,” Hillmann said, “but there is a level of excellence we have yet to achieve.”
The Ciresi Walburn Foundation and district administrators hope that the new partnership with TNTP will help them get there. The Foundation’s $100,000 grant will enable the district to implement a program that will include the following components:
Comprehensive staff professional development sessions focused on strengthening Tier 1 instruction in order to develop a shared vision for what rigorous, meaningful, and grade-appropriate instructional materials should look like.
Evaluation of student access to grade-level assignments, strong instruction, high quality curriculum, and high expectations in every core classroom.
On-site monitoring days that focus on classroom observations and review of classroom instructional materials review to assess how implementation is working and to guide professional development and strategic advising.
“As students learn how to read, we know this will build their self-esteem and we anticipate a correlated decrease in behavioral challenges and referrals for academic intervention.”
The ultimate goal, of course, is to improve student achievement for every Northfield student. But Langston knows that if the partnership succeeds, there will be other benefits, too. “We believe we will see teachers who are more knowledgeable about their daily instruction,” she said, “and as students learn how to read, we know this will build their self-esteem and we anticipate a correlated decrease in behavioral challenges and referrals for academic intervention.”
The district appears to have all the pieces in place for success: leadership with a clear vision and a strategic plan, school administrators who are committed to instructional leadership, collaboration and coordination as well as teachers who believe that meaningful change will produce measurable positive results. What’s more, the Foundation believes that over time this investment will reach students in other districts, too. As scores continue to improve in Northfield, the district will undoubtedly receive calls from peer districts interested in replicating their success. As part of the grant agreement with the Foundation, Northfield has committed to sharing what it has learned with other districts and the Minnesota Department of Education so even more Minnesota students can reap the rewards of this renewed focus on Tier 1 instruction.
*TNTP (formerly known as The New Teacher Project) is a national organization with a mission of ensuring that poor and minority students get equal access to effective educators.
Full list of 2023 Ciresi Walburn Foundation Annual Grant Cycle grant recipients:
Nonprofit Organizations
Breakthrough Twin Cities - $40,000
Children’s Theatre Company - $50,000
Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota (DDMN) - $40,000
Dunwoody College of Technology - $30,000
EdAllies - $100,000
Great MN Schools (GMS) - $50,000
Groves Learning Organization - $35,000
Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Minneapolis (JFCS) - $50,000
Little Free Library - $20,000
Minnesota Parent Union - $80,000
Montessori Center of Minnesota (MCM) - $40,000
Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) - $75,000
Reach Out and Read Minnesota - $20,000
Reading Partners Twin Cities - $50,000
Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood - $50,000
Summit Academy OIC - $100,000
The Sanneh Foundation - $40,000
Think Small - $50,000
Way to Grow - $125,000
Schools
Ascension Catholic Academy - $75,000
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School (CRJHS) - $75,000
Global Academy - $75,000
Harvest Best Academy - $75,000
Northfield Public Schools (ISD 659) - $100,000
Prodeo Academy - $75,000