MAP and its Community Partners

MAP and Its Community Partners
3/15/07 at 3:58:36 PM

— Manisha Nordine, Program Coordinator
McGuire Student Community

The majority of MAP students are entering the University through a direct pipeline with two community partners: Learning Works and Admission Possible. MAP was created with the intention of providing quality student support services to this specific incoming student population. In Spring 2006 the McGuire Planning Team conducted a focus group with Admission Possible alumni who were enrolled at the University. Some of the services offered by the MAP office were created in response to the data collected during these focus group meetings. Additionally, these students are given priority consideration for the McGuire scholarships. In the first MAP cohort, 90 out of the 134 students are Learning Works and/or Admission Possible alumni. Four of the MAP peer mentors are also Admission Possible alumni. From now on, all incoming students from these two organizations will be automatically placed in MAP. Nonetheless, many MAP students who entered CLA before 2006 are advised through all the various advising units in CLASS. The following is further information about our community partners. I provide this information with the idea that questions about Learning Works and Admission Possible can be excellent ice-breakers when interacting with your advisees. The pride that the students feel about these organizations is strong and apparent. Take the time to enjoy their experiences!

Learning Works (LWKS) is a middle school program that provides intensive and accelerated summer coursework at The Blake School and year-long academic programming to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. LWKS has recently joined the national Breakthrough Collaborative. I am sure that many of you are already familiar with LWKS as well as Breakthrough St. Paul. There are three LWKS students in the first year of MAP (2 in CLA; 1 in CDes). These students have graduated from LWKS’s first cohort. Here is the description from their website: “LearningWorks offers a tuition-free academic enrichment program to highly motivated, traditionally underserved students enrolled in Minneapolis Public Schools, preparing them to enter rigorous high school programs. High school and college students gain insight into careers in education through teaching positions in the program.” LWKS is in its ninth year. There are truly enriching opportunities for current college students. The next time you have the opportunity to attend a Learning Works or Breakthrough St. Paul Open House, I recommend you do so. It is like attending a fantastic PBS special on education! Further information can be found at www.blakeschool.org/atTheBlakeSchool/learningWorks/.

Admission Possible (AP) identifies low-income populations of high school students in order to provide them with the critical services necessary to prepare for and earn admission into college. The critical services include SAT and ACT test preparation, intensive assistance in preparing college application, help in obtaining financial aid, and guidance in transitioning to college. The work of MAP extends the intense programming of AP into the University. 87 of the MAP students are AP alumni and they are enrolled in all freshmen-admitting colleges. The current AP Alumni Coordinator is Jy Xiong (who is also a former SEAM student and CLA alum!) and she is always busy planning activities and events for AP students enrolled at the U of M. Many of the AP staff are AmeriCorps members. With a recent donation from the McGuire Family Foundation, AP has been able to expand their presence into 13 different schools. Here the description as it appears on their website: “Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization founded in September of 2000 and dedicated to helping promising, low-income students obtain admission to college. We serve nearly 1,000 students in 13 public high schools and charter schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Robbinsdale.” Ninety-five percent of AP seniors in 2005-2006 were admitted to a four-year college. For further information visit www.admissionpossible.org/ where you may find pictures of some of your talented AP advisees!

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