Serveminnesota

SEE SCHEDULE O.SERVEMINNESOTA IS A CATALYST FOR POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE, WORKING WITH AMERICORPS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. WE SHARE OUR PROVEN PRACTICIES NATIONALLY.

SEE SCHEDULE O.READING CORPS MINNESOTA READING CORPS IS A STATEWIDE LITERACY PROGRAM THAT IS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MINNESOTA CHILDREN WHO ARE PROFICIENT READERS BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS BENCHMARK IS CRITICAL TO LATER SUCCESS IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE: AFTER THIRD GRADE, STUDENTS APPLY THEIR READING SKILLS TO LEARN THE INCREASINGLY COMPLEX, MULTIDISCIPLINARY INFORMATION INTRODUCED IN FOURTH GRADE AND BEYOND. THOSE WHO READ PROFICIENTLY BY THIRD GRADE ARE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT.MINNESOTA READING CORPS TRAINS AND DEPLOYS AMERICORPS MEMBERS TO PROVIDE TUTORING TO STUDENTS AGE 3 TO GRADE 3 WHO NEED AN EXTRA BOOST TO CATCH UP TO GRADE LEVEL TARGETS. THE PROGRAM PARTNERS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PRESCHOOL AGENCIES TO PLACE HIGHLY TRAINED AND PROFESSIONALLY SUPPORTED AMERICORPS MEMBERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS, HEAD START CENTERS AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. READING CORPS TUTORS ARE TRAINED IN SPECIFIC EVIDENCE-BASED LITERACY INTERVENTIONS, AND ARE SUPPORTED BY BOTH SITE-BASED EDUCATIONAL STAFF AS WELL AS COACHING SPECIALISTS WHO ARE AMONG MINNESOTA'S TOP LITERACY EXPERTS. WITH ACCESS TO THE LATEST RESEARCH ON READING INTERVENTION STRATEGIES, THESE TRAINED AMERICORPS TUTORS WORK ONE-ON-ONE WITH STUDENTS, AS WELL AS IN SMALL GROUP AND LARGE GROUP SETTINGS. THEY PROVIDE TAILORED INTERVENTIONS SO THAT EACH CHILD CAN GAIN THE LITERACY SKILLS THEY NEED AT A RATE TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL READERS BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE.READING CORPS PROVIDES WHAT STRUGGLING READERS NEED INDIVIDUALIZED, DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION; WELL-TRAINED TUTORS; EXPERT COACHING; INTERVENTIONS DELIVERED WITH FIDELITY; AND THE FREQUENCY AND DURATION NECESSARY FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. THIS MODEL HAS BEEN VALIDATED AS EFFECTIVE AND REPLICABLE THROUGH FOUR RIGOROUS AND INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS BY NORC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. THESE STUDIES CONFIRMED THAT READING CORPS IS PROVEN TO WORK AND IS CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. STUDENTS OF COLOR, STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH AND ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE ACHIEVING OUTCOMES EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN THEIR PEERS. THOSE WHO STARTED FURTHER BEHIND MADE THE GREATEST GAINS. IN ADDITION, READING CORPS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES STUDENT LITERACY OUTCOMES IN ANY SETTING URBAN, SUBURBAN OR RURAL. FURTHER, RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE CENTER FOR LEARNING SOLUTIONS HAS SHOWN THAT READING CORPS PARTICIPANTS ARE THREE TIMES LESS LIKELY TO BE ASSIGNED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION THAN NON-PARTICIPANTS, CREATING A PERMANENT BENEFIT TO CHILDREN AND A SIGNIFICANT ONGOING SAVINGS TO SCHOOLS THAT CAN BE REDIRECTED TO THE CLASSROOM FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL CHILDREN. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, SERVEMINNESOTA DEMONSTRATES THE CAPACITY TO SUCCESSFULLY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT LARGE-SCALE INITIATIVES. SINCE 2003, MINNESOTA READING CORPS HAS HELPED MORE THAN 300,000 STRUGGLING STUDENTS PROGRESS TOWARD READING PROFICIENCY BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE. LAST YEAR, 89% OF PRESCHOOL READING CORPS PARTICIPANTS SHOWED GROWTH ON AT LEAST 3 OF 5 KEY EARLY LITERACY SKILLS, INDICATING THEIR READINESS FOR KINDERGARTEN. MORE THAN 75% OF K-3 STUDENTS EXCEEDED THEIR GROWTH GOALS, NARROWING OR CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN THEIR INITIAL SKILL LEVEL AND THEIR GRADE LEVEL TARGET. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND STAFF APPRECIATE THE ADDED SUPPORT FOR THEIR STUDENTS. A YEAR END SURVEY SHOWS 98% OF ADMINISTRATORS BELIEVE THE PROGRAM HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR SITE AND STUDENTS. TEACHERS AGREE THAT THE PROGRAM HELPS REACH MORE STUDENTS AND 93% BELIEVE READING CORPS HELPED INCREASE THEIR STUDENTS' CONFIDENCE IN READING.

SEE SCHEDULE O.AMERICORPS AMERICORPS, ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE DOMESTIC PEACE CORPS, PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIZENS TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRY EACH YEAR. PEOPLE WHO JOIN AMERICORPS COMMIT TO A THREE TO 12 MONTH TERM OF SERVICE IN EXCHANGE FOR A MODEST LIVING ALLOWANCE AND AN EDUCATION AWARD THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO PAST OR FUTURE SCHOOLING. AMERICORPS IS REAL-LIFE EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE WRAPPED INTO ONE. THE AMERICORPS MOTTO IS "GET THINGS DONE AND MEMBERS ACCOMPLISH THIS THROUGH A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES. AMERICORPS MEMBERS TUTOR AND MENTOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH, BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TEACH COMPUTER SKILLS, CLEAN PARKS AND STREAMS, PROVIDE SUPPORT TO AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS, HELP COMMUNITIES RESPOND TO DISASTERS, AND BUILD THE CAPACITY OF NONPROFIT GROUPS TO BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING. THEY ALSO RECRUIT, TRAIN AND SUPERVISE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS TO EXTEND AND COMPLEMENT THEIR COMMUNITY EFFORTS. SINCE ITS CREATION IN 1994, SERVEMINNESOTA HAS MOBILIZED 25,000 AMERICORPS MEMBERS WHO HAVE TRAINED AND SUPPORTED MORE THAN 491,000 VOLUNTEERS.

SEE SCHEDULE O.MATH CORPS - MINNESOTA MATH CORPS, AN AMERICORPS PROGRAM MODELED AFTER MINNESOTA READING CORPS, IS DESIGNED TO HELP 4TH-8TH GRADERS ACHIEVE PROFICIENCY IN MATH, A CRITICAL GATEWAY SKILL FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, COLLEGE ADMISSION AND COLLEGE COMPLETION. GAPS IN MATH KNOWLEDGE BEGIN AS EARLY AS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND INCREASE OVER TIME. MATH CORPS HELPS FILL THOSE GAPS AND PREPARES STUDENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA, A PREREQUISITE FOR COLLEGE AND A FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT IN THE GROWING STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH) JOB SECTOR. MATH CORPS PROVIDES SCHOOLS WITH A TOOL TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN CURRENT MATH RESEARCH AND THE CAPACITY TO APPLY THAT RESEARCH WITHIN THEIR CLASSROOMS. RIGOROUSLY TRAINED TUTORS SUPPORTED BY MATH EXPERTS NOT ONLY ACHIEVE RESULTS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, BUT ALSO SERVE AS A START-UP TEAM FOR SCHOOL SITES THAT WANT AND NEED SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENT A DATA-BASED PROBLEM SOLVING MODEL OF MATH INSTRUCTION. MATH CORPS IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE TO STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO ATTENDANCE. STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE FREE MATH CORPS TUTORING IMPROVE THEIR MATH SKILLS AT NEARLY TWICE THE RATE OF COMPARABLE STUDENTS. PLUS, MATH CORPS STUDENTS BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE, WHICH DIRECTLY TRANSLATES INTO GREATER INTEREST IN MORE COMPLEX COURSEWORK. IN TURN, THIS HELPS STUDENTS WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM EDUCATION, INCLUDING LOW-INCOME STUDENTS, GIRLS AND STUDENTS OF COLOR, TO ACCESS THIS GROWING AND IMPORTANT FIELD. IN 2019-2020, MATH CORPS TUTORS SERVED 3,145 STUDENTS WHO NEEDED HELP REACHING ALGEBRA-READINESS BY 8TH GRADE. MATH CORPS UTILIZES NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED INSTRUCTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCE (IES) FOR STUDENTS IN NEED OF MODERATE TO STRONG SUPPORT. STUDENTS RECEIVE EXPLICIT TARGETED INSTRUCTION, IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK, AND VISUAL SUPPORTS THROUGHOUT EACH LESSON TO BUILD THE STRONG FOUNDATION NEEDED FOR SOLVING PROGRESSIVELY MORE CHALLENGING LESSONS.MATH CORPS UNDERGOES A ROBUST STATEWIDE PROGRAM EVALUATION ANNUALLY TO UNDERSTAND PROGRAM IMPACT AND DRIVE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MODEL. AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION FUNDED BY THE LAURA AND JOHN ARNOLD FOUNDATION (NOW ARNOLD VENTURES) FOUND THAT MATH CORPS STUDENTS MADE SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER GAINS IN MATH SKILLS THAN STUDENTS WHO DID NOT RECEIVE MATH CORPS TUTORING. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY, MATH CORPS STUDENTS WERE A SEMESTER AHEAD OF THEIR EXPECTED TRAJECTORY AND GETTING ON TRACK FOR THE ACADEMIC AND CAREER SUCCESS ASSOCIATED WITH MATH PROFICIENCY. STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE MATH CORPS TUTORING ARE CATCHING UP TO THEIR PEERS IN THE CLASSROOM: 53% OF STUDENTS SERVED EXCEEDED THEIR GRADE-LEVEL GROWTH EXPECTATIONS, ENCOURAGING RESULTS GIVEN THAT 100% OF MATH CORPS STUDENTS WERE AT RISK FOR NOT ACHIEVING PROFICIENCY PRIOR TO TUTORING. MATH CORPS ALSO OFFERS A YEAR-END SURVEY TO INTERNAL COACHES AND BUILDING ADMINISTRATORS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM ON SYSTEMS CHANGE, DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING, AND OVERALL SATISFACTION. THROUGH THAT SURVEY, 80% OF ADMINISTRATORS AGREED THAT PARTICIPATION IN MATH CORPS TUTORS PROVIDED MATH INTERVENTIONS TO STUDENTS WHO WOULD NOT HAVE RECEIVED THAT SUPPORT WITHOUT MATH CORPS. SINCE LAUNCHING IN 2008 IN ONE MINNESOTA SCHOOL DISTRICT, MATH CORPS HAS GROWN TO SERVE SCHOOLS STATEWIDE AND IS NATIONALLY REPLICATED. MATH CORPS HAS HELPED MORE THAN31,000 MINNESOTA STUDENTS GET ON TRACK FOR ACADEMIC AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS.

RECOVERY CORPS MINNESOTA RECOVERY CORPS LAUNCHED IN 2017 TO ADDRESS THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC. THE MISUSE OF AND ADDICTION TO OPIOIDS IS A NATIONAL HEALTH CRISIS AND ONE THAT IS OF GREAT CONCERN IN MINNESOTA. BEYOND THE PERSONAL TRAGEDIES OF LOSS, HOWEVER, THE OPIOID CRISIS IS INFLICTING DEVASTATING HARM ON THE NATIONAL ECONOMY. THE CRISIS HAS LEFT THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS WRESTLING WITH AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE THAT INCLUDES MEDICATION, AN ADDICTION TREATMENT SYSTEM TIED TO EVIDENCED-BASED BEST PRACTICES, AND RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES.MINNESOTA RECOVERY CORPS USES THE POWER OF AMERICORPS TO HELP ADDRESS THIS ALARMING AND PERVASIVE ISSUE. MORE THAN 20 MILLION PEOPLE ARE IN RECOVERY NATIONWIDE, AND SUSTAINED RECOVERY REQUIRES BUILDING A LIFE FILLED WITH PURPOSE, COMMUNITY AND SERVICE. AMERICORPS CAN PROVIDE THOSE KEY TENETS. MINNESOTA RECOVERY CORPS IS DEDICATED TO HELPING INDIVIDUALS STAY IN RECOVERY. RECOVERY CORPS MEMBERS SUPPORTED MORE THAN 700 PEOPLE LAST YEAR BY PROVIDING ONE-TO-ONE PEER SUPPORT AND HELPING PARTICIPANTS ACCESS A SPECTRUM OF RESOURCES RANGING FROM FAMILY SUPPORT TO HOUSING AND JOB ASSISTANCE. RECOVERY CORPS MEMBERS ARE NOT SPONSORS OR COUNSELORS, BUT PEER MENTORS WHO UNDERSTAND THE JOURNEY OF RECOVERY AND FOCUS ON BUILDING AND SUSTAINING THE GREAT EXPERIENCES THAT A LIFE IN RECOVERY CAN BRING. THROUGH SERVICE IN AMERICORPS, MEMBERS CAN SUPPORT THEIR OWN RECOVERY AND MAINTAIN SOBRIETY. RECOVERY CORPS MEMBERS RECEIVE TRAINING AND TEST PREPARATION TOWARD CERTIFICATION AS A PEER RECOVERY SPECIALIST. THEY COMPLETE SERVICE WITH A YEAR OF HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CERTIFICATE, BOOSTING THEIR CHANCES OF FINDING A JOB IN THIS GROWING FIELD. IN THE SPRING OF 2020, SERVEMINNESOTA LAUNCHED AN AMERICORPS EMERGENCY RESPONSE INITIATIVE TO HELP MINNESOTANS AFFECTED BY COVID-19. THE PROGRAM RENEWED IN SUMMER 2021 WITH TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE ABOUT 600 - STEPPING UP TO DELIVER CRITICALLY NEEDED SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. AMERICORPS MEMBERS SERVED IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE, TACKLING FOOD INSECURITY, HOMELESSNESS, DISTANCE LEARNING, AND MORE. FROM PACKING AND DISTRIBUTING FOOD FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MEALS TO TUTORING STUDENTS AFTER A YEAR OF DISTANCE LEARNING, TO HELPING PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ACCESS COMMUNITY RESOURCES, AMERICORPS MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON THOSE WHO LIVES WERE COMPLETELY UPENDED BY COVID-19. COMMUNITY FORESTRY CORPS IS AN AMERICORPS PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN 2020 TO HELP MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE. THE CORE GOAL FOR THIS PROGRAM IS TO BUILD ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCY BY INCREASING COMMUNITY TREE CANOPY THROUGH PLANTING, INVENTORYING, AND MANAGING TREE RESOURCES. THE PROGRAM ALSO STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BY ENCOURAGING CONSERVATION AMONG LOCAL HOMEOWNERS AND RENTERS THROUGH ROBUST ENGAGEMENT AND VOLUNTEERISM. IN THE FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION, COMMUNITY FORESTRY CORPS MEMBERS PLANTED MORE THAN 3,500 TREES ON PUBLIC LANDS IN 17 MINNESOTA COMMUNITIES. MORE THAN 600 VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATED IN PLANTING, INVENTORYING, OR EDUCATIONAL EVENTS. NATIONAL REPLICATION SERVEMINNESOTA PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TRAINING AND EVALUATION TO OTHER STATES THAT ARE EITHER IN A PLANNING OR IMPLEMENTATION PHASE OF REPLICATING THE PROVEN AND EFFECTIVE MINNESOTA READING CORPS, MINNESOTA MATH CORPS, OR MINNESOTA RECOVERY CORPS MODEL. SERVEMINNESOTA PROVIDES OVERSIGHT AND CONSULTATION TO ENSURE THE MODEL IS DELIVERED WITH FIDELITY IN REPLICATION STATES, AND PROVIDES DATA MANAGEMENT AND EVALUATION SERVICES. PROGRAM SUPPORT SERVEMINNESOTA PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TRAINING, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, MONITORING, AND GENERAL PROGRAM COMPLIANCE SUPPORT TO MINNESOTA AMERICORPS PROGRAMS.TRAINING SERVEMINNESOTA PROVIDES LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE EFFECTIVENESS OF AMERICORPS PROGRAMS, RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAM EVALUATION.