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Travelers steps up investment in SPPS
Students work together in Highland Park Senior High School's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. The AVID program will be a key recipient of support through the partnership.
SaintPaul, Minn - The Travelers Companies, Inc. will collaborate with SaintPaul Public Schools (SPPS) to advance public education reform,officials announced this morning at Highland Park Senior High School.Through grants to SPPS and other strategic service providers for thiseffort, Travelers will support a few key initiatives that, whencombined, will represent approximately $1.4 million. Travelers willback SPPS initiatives that aggressively reduce the achievement gap andmeasurably increase academic and career success for underrepresentedstudents.
The announcement is the first of several expected inthe coming weeks from Strategic Priority Partners who were named duringSaint Paul Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen's State ofthe District address. The Travelers support will promote collegereadiness and access for underrepresented students and leadershipdevelopment for school principals.
"This partnership ushers in anew era for how our corporations and businesses work with and supportcritical initiatives in Saint Paul Public Schools," Carstarphen said."Collaborations like the partnership with Travelers will move ustoward long-term solutions."
"We believe in SuperintendentCarstarphen's improvement plan and we intend to support it with ourdollars and our large base of employee volunteers," said Andy Bessette,executive vice president and Chief Administrative Officer. "Our goal isto help build a sustainable system that will ensure a quality educationfor future generations."
A majority of the funds are expected tobe dedicated to expanding the successful Advancement Via IndividualDetermination (AVID) program, which is now incorporated into 11secondary schools. AVID gives traditionally underrepresented studentsthe skills, preparation and encouragement needed to successfullycontinue their education after high school.
The project will train approximately 750 teachers elementary teachers and 112 secondary
teachersto help expand the program over the next five years. It is expectedthat the project to expand AVID will ultimately serve a total of 5,640elementary and 800 secondary students annually.
Support fromTravelers also will fund systemic leadership development and principalleadership development efforts focused on student achievement andstrategic planning. Funding will support efforts such as principalleadership development programming based on the nationally recognizedNational Institute for School Leadership model.
The goal of theAVID expansion to elementary students is to increase studentperformance, attendance and other academic indicators while decreasinggaps in attendance rates. Travelers' direct support of SPPS and theAVID program goes to the company's goal of working to effect meaningfulchange.
"The students we're helping are our future workforce,"Bessette said. "The quality of life in our communities, and the healthof our business, depends on an educated population."
"In thechallenging financial times facing the country, state and SPPS, it iscreative and pro-active collaborations like the partnership withTravelers which will ensure that SPPS is strong and focused for yearsto come," Carstarphen said.
"This is about working together toclose achievement gaps and ensuring that our students can trulygraduate to something great," she said. "That is the epitome of sharedaccountability and bringing belief into action."
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NOTE TO EDITORS AND PRODUCERS: For more information about SPPS, please go to the District's home webpage, www.spps.org. For more information about The Travelers Companies, Inc., please go to www.travelers.com.
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