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. 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. Minnesota faces very real inequities between students' access to developmental experiences and relationships that prepare them for future success. Since 1994, project success (ps) has helped more than 100,000 students dream big and dig deep into discovering their potential through a model of experience learning that is unique nationally in methodology, scale and access and proven to help students build the skills and relationships needed to increase academic engagement and prepare for success in life, college and career. Methodology: over the course of 7 years - from 6th through 12th grade - we engage students and their families in- and outside of class with: 1) a curriculum designed for whole-child development; 2) developmental experiences through the arts, expeditions and certificates; and 3) mentorship with caring, professional, culturally competent, diverse educators called "facilitators". The relationships we build with students and families - sometimes for seven or more years - allows us to reach students that may otherwise fall through the 'cracks,' especially during times of uncertainty. Scale: ps has developed strong school partnerships that allow us to work with each student at 26 minneapolis public schools (mps), totaling nearly 16,000 students. Ps is the only mps community partner given time on a regular monthly basis to conduct programming (our goal-setting workshops) with each student in every english, special education (sped), and english learner (el) classroom. In fact, we are the only organization that works with nearly an entire district's middle and high school student population. Access: while other programs are available, barriers to access them -time, transportation, childcare, meals, language, cost, selection criteria, cultural and religious practices, and cognitive, behavioral and physical differences - have made it more challenging for students and families to participate. We specialize in addressing and eliminating barriers and providing a welcoming, inclusive environment so students are more likely to show up, and we reach students other programs may not. Our participants have told us so. Project success programming positively impacts academic engagement and achievement and readiness for life, college and career through our work in three areas: *social and emotional skill development: ps students build an integrated identity with self-awareness and regulation, knowledge and skills, positive mindsets and core values that are critical to their academic success and life 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. Ps students connect what they are doing in school with their own goals and dreams, therefore developing a stronger commitment to learning. *developmental experience learning opportunities: students learn better and more when they have a rich variety of opportunities through which to grow and develop skills, knowledge, and a sense of purpose. Ps students develop greater competency and the ability to make choices about and take an active role in their own life paths. 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 a”

“Certificates- 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, life 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 and independent learning opportunities due to declining funding and access to guidance counselors and courses like financial literacy - 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 outside of school time 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, 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. During the 2021-22 school year, the institute was physically open for in-person learning. More than 160 unique students developed skills, knowledge, and career- and life-readiness through earning certificates in coding, cooking, financial literacy and bike tech. Total student participation was 250, which means about 100 students participated in more than one trimester and/or class. Average attendance rate was 90% per 2-hr weekly class. Students from every mps high school participated. Objectives included helping students gain technical, workforce readiness and social and emotional skills as well as awareness of the career path options after high school.”

“Curriculum: project success' goals for students are informed by social and emotional learning and 21st century skills frameworks, and include clear objectives built into our curriculum. Our curriculum is incorporated into all project success activities, maximizing students' experiences by building skills needed for a successful transition to adulthood, developing plans for their futures, and the motivation to achieve their goals, which leads to an increase in academic engagement. Our curriculum objectives are cumulative, building on each year with students over seven years. Our goals are 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. Our curriculum is built and delivered with culturally responsive teaching strategies and facilitated by professional and diverse staff called "facilitators," who stay with students as they move through grades, developing supportive relationships along the way. 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. Facilitators lead monthly goal-setting workshops in every english/language arts, special education (sped) and english learner (el) classroom for each student (there are no selection criteria). They provide 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. Each ps facilitator spends 2 hours a month training in culturally responsive teaching (crt), ensuring that we acknowledge and value the cultural backgrounds, identities, and ancestral knowledge that each student and their family brings to our community. Through ps, student voice and power are elevated, and crt strategies are proven to teachers, improving classroom climate. Students deepen their relationships and feel seen, valued and heard. Through the trust we build with students, we hear from them every day about their needs, goals and dreams. We are the only program that comes to every english, sped and el classroom, every month for each student. Throughout all grades, our classroom workshops are regularly adapted to meet the unique needs of the classroom, a group of students, and individual and cultural learning styles, and are continuously evaluated for quality and effectiveness. During the 2021-22 school year, the covid-19 pandemic continued to affect how our teachers and project success could deliver curriculum, and a teacher union strike left students out of classrooms for three weeks. Ps delivered monthly workshops to students in mps in-person and virtual classrooms - more than 1,000 workshops during the school year. Teachers shared that ps workshops classrooms were a boost in student engagement and allowed teachers to see students in news ways.”

“Arts - professional theater experiences for students and families: the national endowment for the arts reports that arts engagement and education result in fueling young people's imaginations, critical learning and life skills, higher gpa, graduation rates and test scores, more civic engagement, and more. Unfortunately, access to arts experiences for low-income students has declined by about 20% over the past decade, meaning those most likely to benefit are less likely to have access. Project success thoughtfully selects productions with our 50+ theater partners, matching show content to the curriculum in our workshops. We emphasize the cultural relevance of the production to ensure that students see themselves reflected on stage. Ps program staff coordinate production selection, obtaining tickets at no cost through theater partners, sending invitations to each student (offered in 4 languages), providing online guides, taking reservations, contacting families in their own languages, offering transportation and child-care and more. All students ps serves and their families are invited to attend at least 80 professional arts experiences throughout the year. Our theater experiences and theater field trips (during the school day) are managed by our program manager for theater experiences, who manages each professional theater partner relationship, coordinates offerings with partner teachers, and works with a team to facilitate the student/family experience. The team includes program coordinators, and a theater curriculum associate who researches each production, builds curriculum and online guides, and works with workshop and other program staff to invite and prepare students for each experience. 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 our teacher partners 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 2021-22 school year, project success provided the opportunity for more than 6,100 unique students and family members to attend live performances through ps handpicked theater opportunities throughout the year. More than 3,000 students participated in field trips to professional theater performances during the school day. 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 school musical, which helps students build the perseverance, confidence and skills that are 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”

“Expeditions - college and career tours: using our proven curriculum, we design our college tours to empower students think critically about their post-secondary education 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 various career fields and the education and training needed to pursue them. Ps organizes and hosts state and national tours to an average of 25-30 colleges campuses annually, including a wide diversity of colleges (4 year, 2 year, hbcu, tribal, trade- specific), our curriculum includes an intentional look at not just the post-secondary education institution, but also allow time and space for students to think critically about what the surrounding neighborhood offers its community - to see beyond the academics. 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. Our global experience tours to boston and washington d.c. Include tours of boston university, harvard and howard university - a historically black college and university (hbcu) for 90 english learner and 60 african american students, respectively. Project success college and career tours visited both colleges and a variety of workplaces to explore careers in healthcare, entrepreneurship, cosmetology, performing arts and culinary arts. Hands-on, behind-the-scenes tours of professional workplaces allows students to imagine themselves in that space. This programming connects our certificates program (see line 4d) and our college tours to deepen the impact of our diverse programs for students. During the 2021-22 school year, more than 300 students participated in ps in-person college and career tours to a variety of campuses. In addition to the in-person tours, ps provided a pre-recorded admissions and workplace chats library on our website, available at any time as well as our college conversations podcast, which includes more than 32 interviews with mps students and alumni, and experts on college-related topics designed to inform students' decision-making process. 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: each school year, project success offers outdoor and stem experience learning opportunities aimed to introduce our students to the nature in their own "backyards", build supportive peer and adult relationships and sense of belonging, and see themselves in stem-related career fields. For example, river and outdoor adventure field trip days are designed to help sixth grade students transition successfully into middle school. Family outdoor adventure days are designed to inspire students and their families to get to know the vast urban park system in the twin cities and learn more ways to interact with nature. Finally, science fusion in partnership with the science museum of minnesota invites students and their families to learn more about the diverse people working in the sciences. Each 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 th”