Northside Achievement Zone

MISSION OF NORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE (NAZ) IS TO END MULTI-GENERATIONAL POVERTY IN N. MINNEAPOLIS.

NAZ WAS FOUNDED IN 2008 BY A GROUP OF NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS AND LEADERS WHO DESIRED TO WORK WITH LOCAL FAMILIES TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE STAGGERING EDUCATIONAL AND OPPORTUNITY ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS. WITH FUNDING FROM A 2011 PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT, THE ORGANIZATION GREW TO INCLUDE A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFITS, SCHOOLS, AND LEADERS. NAZ NOW SERVES AS THE HUB OF THIS GROUP, CONNECTING FAMILIES WITH RESOURCES VIA COACHING RELATIONSHIPS TO BUILD A FUTURE OF POSSIBILITY FOR ALL RESIDENTS - PARTICULARLY BLACK FAMILIES. THE ORGANIZATION SERVES AS THE "BACKBONE" OF AN ECOSYSTEM OF 30+ SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT PROVIDE A CONTINUUM OF CRADLE-TO-CAREER, WHOLE FAMILY SUPPORT TO SERVE MORE THAN 1,000 FAMILIES AND 2,000 CHILDREN ACROSS NORTH MINNEAPOLIS ANNUALLY. DEMOGRAPHICS:- 79% OF FAMILIES AND SCHOLARS ENROLLED ARE BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN- 90% ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR- 68% HAVE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES OF LESS THAN $30,000 - 19% HAVE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES BETWEEN $30,000-$49,999PROGRAMMING:IN THE COMING YEAR, NAZ WILL FOCUS ITS EFFORTS ON SUPPORTING SCHOLARS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, GIVEN THE TOLL OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE RESULTING DISTANCE LEARNING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. THE ORGANIZATION WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS IN THEIR ROLE AS THEIR CHILDREN'S FIRST AND BEST TEACHERS TO HELP THEIR SCHOLARS SUCCEED.THE LONG-TERM GOALS OF NAZ DIRECT OUR WORK:- INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CHILDREN ON THE NORTHSIDE BY DEEPENING PARENT EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT UTILIZING TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES.- DOUBLE THE NAZ SCHOLAR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT BASED ON KEY BENCHMARKS (ANNUAL MINNESOTA TESTING RESULTS).- SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND PARENT LEADERSHIP ACROSS THE NORTHSIDE AND STATE TO ERADICATE RACIAL INEQUITIES AND OPPORTUNITY GAPS.UNDER EACH OF THESE GOALS, NAZ OPERATES THROUGH A LAYERED STRATEGY APPROACH. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN US THAT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NAZ FAMILIES ARE INVOLVED IN SEVERAL OF OUR SUPPORT STRATEGIES, INCLUDING FAMILY SUPPORT, FAMILY ACHIEVEMENT COACHING, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, K-12 SCHOOLS AND ACTIVITIES, AND PARENT EMPOWERMENT AND EDUCATION VIA OUR FAMILY ACADEMY PARENTING CLASSES AND PARENTS 'N POWER PROGRAMMING.- NAZ STABILIZES SCHOLAR HOME LIFE BY COACHING PARENTS TO DEVELOP FAMILY ACHIEVEMENT PLANS AS MOTIVATION TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND WORKING WITH PARENTS TO ADDRESS HOUSING, CAREER, AND OTHER NEEDS.- NAZ WORKS COLLECTIVELY WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR GREATER IMPACT, INCLUDING PROVIDING COACHING SUPPORTS TO SCHOLARS AND STAFF AND ADDRESSING HISTORICAL AND RACIAL BIAS THROUGH A TRAUMA-INFORMED LENS.- NAZ PROVIDES THE STAFFING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PARENT GOAL ATTAINMENT, MAINTAINS A SHARED DATABASE, AND LEADS THE COLLABORATIVE'S CONTINUOUS INNOVATION PROCESS AS AN EQUAL WITH OUR PARTNERS.IMPACT:AT NAZ, WE RECOGNIZE THAT FAMILIES DO NOT COME IN PIECES. THE ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED ON THE BELIEF THAT CHANGE IS POSSIBLE WITH INVESTMENT INTO THE ESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONAL BLOCK OF THE COMMUNITY - THE FAMILY. FAMILY STABILITY RESULTS IN BETTER PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL, HEALTHY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, AND LONG-TERM LIFE SUCCESS. EACH TIME FAMILIES SET AND ACHIEVE ACADEMIC GOALS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, SUCCEED IN SCHOOL OR WORK, AND STEP INTO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FOR IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR SCHOLARS, WE KNOW THAT CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR ARE TAKING PLACE. THESE INCREMENTAL SHIFTS BRING US CLOSER TO OUR ULTIMATE GOAL OF NARROWING AND EVENTUALLY ELIMINATING THE GAPS IN EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, SAFETY, AND HOUSING, AMONG OTHERS, THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT NORTH MINNEAPOLIS FAMILIES.NAZ CAN REPORT THE FOLLOWING SERVICE NUMBERS FOR OUR MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR (JULY 2021-JUNE 2022):- 942 FAMILIES AND 1,718 SCHOLARS SERVED BY NAZ AND ITS COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS IN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS- 643 K-12 SCHOLARS WERE ENROLLED IN IN-SCHOOL, OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME, OR OTHER ACADEMIC INTERVENTIONS- 105 SCHOLARS ACCESSED PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY FUNDED EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOLARSHIPS TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENT ENROLLMENT IN HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING SETTINGS- 138 PARTICIPANTS GRADUATED FROM NAZ FAMILY ACADEMY CLASSES, INCLUDING FOUNDATIONS, COLLEGE BOUND BABIES, READY TO SUCCEED, COLLEGE BOUND SCHOLARS, AND YOUTH FOUNDATIONS- 561 FAMILIES ENGAGED IN FAMILY COACHING WITH NAZ COACHES- 192 FAMILIES HAVE ENGAGED IN HOUSING STABILITY IMPROVEMENT PLANNING, WITH 117 FAMILIES MEETING GOALS TO IMPROVE STABILITY.- 90 ADULTS WERE SUPPORTED THROUGH OUR CAREER AND FINANCE STRATEGY