Breakthrough Twin Cities

BREAKTHROUGH TWIN CITIES SUPPORTS STUDENTS ON THEIR JOURNEY TO COLLEGE BY FOSTERING A COMMUNITY OF MUTUAL LEARNING WITH THE NEXT GENERATION OF EDUCATORS SO THEY BOTH CAN COLLABORATE, GROW, AND THRIVE.

2024-25 OUTCOMES WITH RESULTS FROM 2023-24 IN PARENTHESES: MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH - 60% WILL REPORT ENROLLMENT IN AT LEAST ONE HONORS COURSE PER TERM (61%); 90% WILL REPORT FEELING BETTER PREPARED FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR BECAUSE OF BTC (70%); 90% WILL REPORT THAT THEY HAVE STRONG, POSITIVE COLLEGE-GOING ROLE MODELS AT BTC (80%); 95% WILL REPORT FEELING LIKE THEY BELONG IN A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY AT BTC (85%). HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH - 80% WILL REPORT ENROLLMENT IN AT LEAST ONE HONORS COURSE DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR (70%); 95% WILL GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN FOUR YEARS (95%); 90% WILL BE ACCEPTED TO FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES & 5% TO TWO-YEAR COLLEGES (100% WHO APPLIED); 100% OF BTC GRADS WHO ATTEND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES WILL RECEIVE ON AVERAGE NO LESS THAN $20K IN ANNUAL COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS, WITH 75% OF THE TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE COVERED BY GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (AVERAGE SCHOLARSHIP $44,818 WITH 92% OF TUITION COVERED. COLLEGE YOUTH/BTC ALUMNI - 90% WILL REPORT IMPROVEMENT IN TEACHING SKILLS (95%); 70% WILL GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE IN FIVE YEARS OR LESS (63% CONFIRMED SO FAR). TEACHING FELLOWS - 90% WILL REPORT IMPROVEMENT IN TEACHING SKILLS (100%); 75% WILL REPORT THAT BTC REINFORCED OR INCREASED THEIR INTEREST IN TEACHING (68%); 90% WILL REPORT THAT THEY HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIGOR OF A TEACHING CAREER BECAUSE OF THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH BTC (100%); 65% WILL ENTER A CAREER IN EDUCATION AFTER GRADUATING COLLEGE (63%). OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM PROVIDES DYNAMIC ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION TOGETHER WITH SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILL BUILDING AND COMMUNITY BUILDING, ALONG WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH STEM, THE ARTS, COLLEGE AND CAREERS. STUDENTS GATHER DURING A 5 1/2 WEEK SUMMER PROGRAM AND MONTHLY SCHOOL YEAR SESSIONS. STUDENTS RECEIVE ONGOING CASE MANAGEMENT THROUGH ACADEMIC MONITORING, MENTORSHIP AND REFERRALS TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES. OUR TRADITIONAL SCHOOL YEAR SATURDAY SESSION ACTIVITIES FEATURED OUR CORE COLLEGE PREP CURRICULUM WITH INCORPORATING MORE COMMUNITY BUILDING AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS CONVERSATIONS AROUND RACE AND STRUCTURAL INEQUITIES IN EDUCATION. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO OUR HALLMARK COLLEGE PREPARATION SUPPORT, FINANCIAL LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND FUN. OUR SUMMER 2023 5 1/2 WEEK, INTENSIVE SUMMER PROGRAM RAN 6/28 - 8/5. WE HOSTED 326 STUDENTS AT CHANHASSEN HS (80) AND WASHINGTON TECH MS AND MOUNDS PARK ACADEMY (246). MONDAY - THURSDAY STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT CLASSES WITH FRIDAYS CENTERING ON COMMUNITY BUILDING AND FIELD TRIPS. FIELD TRIPS THIS SUMMER INCLUDED THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA AS PART OF OUR INTENSIVE STEM WEEK AND THE MINNESOTA STATE CAPITOL WHERE STUDENTS PRESENTED BILLS THEY WROTE IN CLASS. OUR BREAKTHROUGH LEADERS PROGRAM (BLP) IS FOR OUR RISING 9TH GRADE STUDENTS TO DEVELOP THEIR LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND GET READY FOR HIGH SCHOOL. THEY ARE INVITED TO AN EXTENDED OVERNIGHT SUMMER TRIP WHICH IS A CAPSTONE OF THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE, HOSTED DURING THE STUDENTS' THIRD SUMMER. STUDENTS ARE INTRODUCED TO NEW AND CHALLENGING SCENARIOS OUTSIDE OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND LEARN TO LEAN ON EACH OTHER FOR SUPPORT. IN JULY 2023, 53 STUDENTS EXPERIENCED A 4 DAY/3 NIGHT RETREAT TO ST JOHN'S UNIVERSITY. UPON THEIR RETURN, OUR BLPS TAKE THE LEAD IN DEVELOPING THE THEME FOR A WEEK, DETERMINING AND LEADING STUDENT ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS SUPPORTING THE TEACHING FELLOWS. OUR COLLEGE BOUND (HIGH SCHOOL) PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS NAVIGATE SCHOOL, THE RIGORS OF COLLEGE PREPARATION AND OTHER CHALLENGES AS THEY GROW AND DEVELOP. STUDENTS GATHER AT MONTHLY SCHOOL YEAR SESSIONS AND RECEIVE INDIVIDUALIZED COLLEGE COUNSELING AND MENTORSHIP. IN JULY WE ALSO HOSTED A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT FOCUSED ON PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, ACT PREPARATION, COURSE SELECTION, PREPARING FOR COLLEGE VISITS, ETC. BREAKTHROUGH TWIN CITIES' (BTC) CLASS OF 2024 ACHIEVED AN AVERAGE GPA OF 3.41. GRADUATES EARNED AN AVERAGE ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT IF $44,818 COVERING 92% OF THEIR TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE THROUGH GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS. WE HAVE SIX WALLIN EDUCATION PARTNERS SCHOLARS, THREE PAGE FOUNDATION, AND TWO DELL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS FROM THIS YEAR'S GRADUATES. OUR TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM HIRES DIVERSE AND TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE - COLLEGE STUDENTS AND MATURE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS - TO TEACH OUR MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SUMMER. FELLOWS ARE TRAINED BY THE BTC STAFF AND INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES (LICENSED MN TEACHERS) IN BTC PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES THAT MAKE LEARNING EFFECTIVE, RELEVANT AND FUN. FOR THE 2023-2024 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR BTC SERVED 560 STUDENTS (480 FROM ST PAUL, EAST METRO) IN GRADES 7-12. PROGRAMMING WAS PROVIDED AT OUR MOUNDS PARK ACADEMY (244) AND WASHINGTON TECH MIDDLE SCHOOL (236) SITES, BOTH IN ST PAUL, AND CHANHASSEN HIGH SCHOOL (80), STUDENTS RESIDE IN 76% RAMSEY, 7% WASHINGTON, 1% DAKOTA, 14% CARVER AND 2% HENNEPIN COUNTIES. BTC DRAWS STUDENTS FROM THE SURROUNDING LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES WITH A FOCUS ON REACHING CHILDREN OF COLOR. BTC STUDENTS ARE 39% ASIAN/ASIAN-AMERICAN, 27% AFRICAN/AFRICAN-AMERICAN, 25% LATINO/HISPANIC, 6% MULTI-RACIAL, 2% CAUCASIAN/WHITE AND 1% OTHER/DECLINED TO STATE. BECAUSE WE LIMIT CAPACITY, THE APPLICATION PROCESS IS COMPETITIVE, BUT TUITION IS FREE AND WE HAVE NO MINIMUM GPA THRESHOLDS. OUR STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE POTENTIAL BUT FACE MULTIPLE BARRIERS TO ENROLLING IN OR GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE: 98% IDENTIFY AS A RACE UNDERREPRESENTED IN COLLEGE, 86% ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH, 78% WILL BE FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS, 65% SPEAK A LANGUAGE AT HOME OTHER THAN ENGLISH AND 29% LIVE IN A SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLD. OUR TEACHING FELLOWS ARE DIVERSE AND TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION. IN 2023, 69% OF OUR 55 FELLOWS WERE PEOPLE OF COLOR (VS. 7.3% OF TEACHERS IN MN): 27% ASIAN/ASIAN AMERICAN, 24% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 9% LATINO/HISPANIC AND 9% MULTI-RACIAL. FELLOWS ARE COLLEGE AND RISING COLLEGE-AGED STUDENTS WITH AN AVERAGE GPA OF 3.5 OR HIGHER. TEACHING FELLOWS ARE SELECTED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE ONLINE PROCESS STREAMLINED BY THE NATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH COLLABORATIVE. WE HIRED 55 TEACHING FELLOWS (TF) IN SUMMER 2023. OF WHICH: 69% PEOPLE OF COLOR (VS. 7.3% OF TEACHERS IN MN), 91% COLLEGE-AGED, 36% MALE, 16% BTC STUDENTS AND 25% HAD AT LEAST ONE YEAR OF PREVIOUS TEACHING EXPERIENCE AT BTC.