Project Success-Students Undertaking Creative Control

“Line 11a explanation - the 990 is signed and reviewed by the executive director and approved in their monthly meeting”

“The conflict of interest policy is reviewed annually and any conflicts are brought to the appropriate personnel or board member's attention”

“As a part of a comprehensive performance management program, project success has implemented a formal compensation review process for key employees including the executive director. The process is managed by the chair of the board and the chair of the governance committee with assistance of a third-party hr consultant: 1. Comparable salary from similarily situated organizations for functionally like roles is obtained and relied upon to determine an appropriate range of pay. 2. The compensation recommendation is reviewed and approved by the full board of directors and appropriately documented in the minutes including: a. The decision and the date it was approved b. The members of the board who were present for the debate and the votes cast by those who voted on it c. The comparability data obtained and relied upon (and documentation about why and deviation from the data's ranges were approved), and d. Documentation the approval occured without the participation of any board members who had a conflict of interest”

“The conflict of interest policy is reviewed annually and any conflicts are brought to the appropriate personnel or board member's attention”

“Project success believes the key to success exists within each student if empowered to unlock it. Minnesota faces very real inequities between students' access to developmental experiences and relationships that prepare them for future success. Since 1994, project success has helped 100,000 students dream big and dig deep into discovering their potential through a proven model of experiential learning. Beginning in 6th grade and continuing through 12th grade, our caring professional staff support and engage students inside and outside their classrooms with the following program components: "curriculum - clear developmental objectives for students are built into each experience "arts - theater is powerful way to inspire self-expression, connection, and discussion "expeditions - local to global expeditions inspire growth, discovery, and open doors to possibility "certificates - students develop skills, knowledge, and career options in key subjects together, these components - delivered within project success' proven methodology - inspire thousands of students each year to dream big, ignite possibilities and grow into inspired individuals ready for success. Through project success, young people develop critical social and emotional skills, gain experiences that broaden their view of the possibilities, and graduate with actionable plans for their futures. Our vision is that every child entering middle school will graduate high school with a plan for their future and have the skills and resilience that will take them through the rest of their lives. During the 2018-19 school year, we delivered programming to more than 14,000 students in 19 minneapolis public middle and high schools. For more than 25 years, project success has been working with thousands of students to help them dream, create plans for their futures, and strengthen their social and emotional skills - all of which are critical to success in school, work and life. Our innovative and inclusive long-term model is proven to help students know themselves better (integrated identity), develop a stronger commitment to learning (school connectedness), internalize social skills and their application in multiple contexts (competency) and develops the ability to make choices about and take an active role in their own life paths (agency). Our professional, caring staff provides time and space for facilitated discussion and exploration to help students discover who they are and what they want out of life so they can build the connection between academic persistence now and success in meeting their goals in the future. Project success programming positively impacts academic engagement and achievement and readiness for college and career through our work in three areas: "social and emotional skill development: through adult support and our curriculum built and delivered for each project success activity, young people build self-awareness and regulation, knowledge and skills, positive mindsets and core values that are critical to their academic success and career readiness. "school connectedness: students are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and succeed academically when they feel connected to school and the academic work they are expected to do. By dreaming and setting goals for the future, they can connect what they are doing in school with their own goals and dreams. "access to developmental experiences: children learn better when they have a rich variety of opportunities through which to learn. When denied access to those opportunities, they fall behind, and we get the devastating achievement gaps. But when the experiential doors to access open - e.g. Through arts, culture, travel, outdoors, wellness - they thrive, and the achievement gaps close. Over 25 years, project success has developed strong and enduring partnerships with students, families, schools, districts, theaters, funders, and the community, founded on high integrity, strong programming, and a proven curri”

“Certificates- the project success institute: in 2016, the project success board approved a strategic plan to significantly expand the depth and reach of programming, including the launching a transformational new programming asset: the project success institute. The institute was built on the reality that for today's students to stay in school and prepare for post-secondary success, they need significantly more support and resources-especially low-income students and students of color which make up 65% of the minneapolis public schools student population. Students need to explore career opportunities, to develop hard competencies and soft skills, visit colleges and workplaces first-hand to for research and selection, and integrate all these elements into a practical plan as they make post-secondary plans. But the reality is that students are facing fewer career-planning opportunities due to declining funding and access to guidance counselors - in fact, minnesota's student-to-counselor ration ranks 48th in the nation. In september 2018 - after a year of pilot testing - project success launched new programs at the project success institute, offering minneapolis high school students workshops and 10-week courses to earn certificates in the arts, financial literacy, wellness, and computer coding. They complete the program with a broader sense of the occupations and lifestyles available to them, and skills needed to succeed in post-secondary education and the workplace. Several aspects of the institute distinguish it from other programs. First, programming happens during the evening and weekends when school-based college and career centers are closed. Second, because project success is so strongly embedded in the schools, we are aware of needs and possibilities that can have an immediate impact. And third, while other programs are available in our community, students have shared that barriers to access the programs - including time, transportation, cost and relevancy - have made it more challenging for them to participate. Because of our long-term, trusting relationship with students and their families all 19 of our partner schools, our proven methodology in experience learning, and our expertise in providing programs at a large scale successfully addressing both access and equity, our students are more likely to participate. They have told us as much. One year after the launch of the institute, demand for and awareness of our programs continues to grow. To date, more than 75 students have earned certificates and more than 90 students have logged 2,100 hours in institute workshops and courses.”

“Curriculum: project success' goals for students are informed by the social and emotional learning framework designed by the collaborative for academic, social and emotional learning (casel), with clear objectives built into our curriculum. Our curriculum is incorporated into all project success activities and facilitated by professional and diverse staff who stay with students as they move through grades, developing supportive relationships along the way. Each project success experience incorporates project success curriculum objectives, maximizing students' experiences by building skills needed for a successful transition to adulthood and the motivation to increase academic engagement in order to achieve future goals. The foundation of our curricular model is our in-class goal-setting workshop. Through workshops, project success serves the entire student body in every partner school, rather than a small slice of the population. Professional project success "facilitators" lead monthly goal-setting workshops in every english/language arts classroom for each student (there are no selection criteria) using curriculum to motivate and empower students to know more about themselves, each other, and their values; identify support; make conscious decisions; reflect on their experiences in relationship to their futures; overcome obstacles; set and achieve goals; create a plan for their futures; and successfully transition to high school, college, career and life. We are the only program that comes to every english classroom, every month for each student, including basic english, special education, english language learners (ell), advanced placement, emotionally and behaviorally disabled, deaf/hard of hearing and all other groupings of students. Throughout all grades, our classroom workshops are regularly adapted to meet the unique needs of the classroom, a group of students, and individual learning styles, and are continuously evaluated for quality and effectiveness. During the 2018-19 school year, project success enabled 14,000 middle and high school students to attend 4,176 monthly goal-setting workshops led by our 12 professional facilitators in 190 classrooms in 19 minneapolis public schools. Independent evaluations by the university of minnesota center for applied research and educational improvement (carei) report that: "91% of middle school students in project success indicated the program "helped me think about my future and 88% said the program "helped me to set goals." "90% of high school students said project success "helped me create a plan for after graduation." "when asked who "assisted you in future planning," 89% of high school students rated project success ahead of friends, counselors and teachers and second only to parents or guardians. "88% teachers report that project success helps students to be more self-aware of their strengths, work better with peers, be more motivated to succeed in school, and set goals for the future. "90% of alumni report that project success helped them to be better problem solvers, more motivated to succeed in school, be more self-directed, evaluate progress toward goals, and create a plan for after graduation. Early commitments to the dreams to futures campaign have allowed project success to expand from serving 11,500 students in 12 partner schools in 2015 to 14,000+ each month, with plans to expand programming over the next two years serving nearly 18,000 minneapolis students (every 6th-12th grade mps student) by 2021 for system-wide impact.”

“Arts - professional theater experiences for students and families: before each school year begins, project success staff works with our theater and school partner staff to identify theatrical productions that address issues relevant to the program's participants. Project success staff then reads the suggested scripts to determine the appropriateness of the themes and language for the different grade levels of our students, constructing theater "seasons." our 40+ generous theater partners donate the tickets, and project success sends invitations to students' households, takes reservations, greets students and their families at the theater and provides free transportation and child-care, if needed, through a dedicated volunteer driver and child-care worker force. Project success also works with theater and school partners to coordinate class and school field trips to see theater during the school day. Project success' classroom workshop themes are tied into the plays to which the students are invited. These discussions and events enable project success staff to continue to adjust the theater experiences and classroom workshops to the needs and interests of the participants, and allow english/language arts teachers to capitalize on engaging experiences that help students connect with their academic work. Through project success, students and their families - many of whom would not otherwise have the means to experience the twin cities' vibrant arts community - attend diverse theater performances together, enriching their shared family and school community experiences and increasing opportunities for bonding interactions, which can lead to more positive family and school relationships and greater home/peer support for youth - shown to have a positive impact on student achievement. During the 2018-19 school year, project success provided the opportunity for 6,200 unique students and family members to attend more than 80 evening and weekend performances with complimentary play tickets donated by 40 professional twin cities area theaters, and brought more than 3,105 unique students (some of whom participated in more than one field trip) on 14 different daytime field trips to area theater performances. Finally, early commitments to the dreams to futures campaign have allowed us to expand our arts program to innovative partnerships for wider impact, including our celebrated 2018 partnership with broadway's "hamilton and the hamilton education program for 5,000 area teenagers. School musicals: middle school is a critical time for students to build their confidence and belief in their ability to succeed, and bolster their sense of belonging. Schools are experiencing dwindling resources allocated for providing quality arts programming for students, which has shown to improve student confidence and achievement. Project success offers students opportunities to participate in an annual hands-on artistic enrichment experience, most often a theatrical performance, which helps students build the perseverance, confidence and skills needed to put on a high-quality production, experience success, and develop peer and community support. Project success coordinates the entire production. Students work in front of and behind the scenes, interacting directly with professional artists and quality equipment. They rehearse every day after school for eight weeks, culminating in school and public performances for hundreds of audience members. Project success staff incorporate our curriculum goals into each rehearsal to help students understand the relevance of the activities to their daily lives. The schools enthusiastically provide the space for rehearsal and performance, and project success covers all other expenses associated with the production. Putting on a very professional and successful theater performance contributes to young people's skills and self-esteem, and gives them opportunities for real-world application of skills learned in the classroom”

“Expeditions - college and career tours: using our proven curriculum, we design our college tours to empower students think critically about their post-secondary options, open new doors for their future, and create actionable plans to achieve their dreams. Our college and career tours ignite new career possibilities for students as they explore their future options and connect with real life professionals to deepen their understanding of the various career fields. Ps organizes and hosts state and national college tours to an average of 25-30 colleges/university campuses annually. We offer in-state tours at no charge and scholarships are offered to students who do not have the means to pay for the cost of out-of-state tours. During the 2018-19 school year 660 students participated in 37 different campuses in minnesota, wisconsin, and illinois. Early commitments to the dreams to futures campaign have funded national tours to boston and washington d.c., which included tours of harvard university and howard university - a historically black college and university (hbcu) for 90 english learner and african american students, respectively. Additionally, early commitments to the dreams to futures campaign have funded more than 100 students participating in eight new project success college and career tours, visiting both colleges and a variety of work places to explore careers in healthcare, coding, cosmetology, art, wellness, culinary arts and food justice. This new programming connects our certificates program (see line 4d) and our college tours to deepen the impact of our diverse programs for students. Virtual tools and online resources are valuable, but nothing can replace the immersive campus visit experience. Our curriculum includes an intentional look at not just the college institutions, but also allow time and space for students to think critically about what the surrounding neighborhood offers its community - to see beyond the academics. Additionally, doing so with hands-on, behind the scenes tours of professional work places allows students to imagine themselves in that space. Analysis of project success participation data by the minneapolis public schools department of research, evaluation and assessment shows that: "67% of all students who attend project success college tours are more likely to graduate on time than students who do not participate. "high school students who participate in at least one project success college tour show an increase of 2% in graduation rates across all populations. "african-american and latino students who participate in a college tour show a 5% average increase in grade point average (gpa), or 21% after 4 years, greater than those that did not participate. Expeditions - outdoor and wilderness adventures: in the summer, project success keeps inspiring students by offering a very special annual canoe trip to the boundary waters canoe area wilderness (bwca) in northern minnesota. Since 1999, project success has taken middle school students on this summer canoe adventure for seven full days. During the week, campers learn to work together to paddle and portage canoes, set up and break down camp, cook their own food, clean up without making an impact on the natural environment, and spend every evening reflecting as a group on the activities of the day and the plan for the next day. This activity takes everything we teach during our in-class project success workshops and helps students apply that knowledge in a real-world experience. They develop positive behaviors and skills, such as goal-setting, leadership, teamwork, and communication skills building grit, confidence and respect for the awesome beauty of the wilderness and a simple way of life. In june 2019, project success brought 150 students from 11 schools on one of three week-long adventures in the boundary waters canoe area wilderness. During the 2018-19 school year, project success continued to expand its outdoor and stem experiential le”