Minnesota Council on Foundations Blog – Philanthropy Potluck

As someone who just had yet another birthday, I can’t believe I’m writing this: I can’t wait for the next 10 years to go by. And, the faster, the better.

Why? Today, the Bush Foundation, an MCF member, and 14 higher education institutions gathered in St. Paul to announce their partnership, guaranteeing the delivery of 25,000 new, highly effective teachers by 2020. This initiative is key to the foundation’s goal over the next decade of increasing by 50 percent the number of students in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, from pre-kindergarten through college who are on track to earn a degree after high school, and of eliminating the achievement gap among diverse student groups.

Peter C. Hutchinson, Bush Foundation president, described the launching point for this initiative:

“Research has shown that while many factors play a role in educational success, effective teaching makes a bigger difference than any other in-school variable. Research also shows that when students consistently experience effective teaching, there are no achievement gaps. By forming partnerships with institutions who are willing to ensure that children across these three states will have effective teachers, we believe that over the decade we can significantly raise the achievement of every student and reduce disparities among student groups.”

The Bush Foundation and its partners define an effective teacher as one who ensures that each child learns at least a year’s worth of knowledge for every year spent in the classroom. “That seems obvious, but that’s not happening,” said Susan Heegaard, Bush Foundation vice president and educational achievement team leader, in MCF’s summer issue of Giving Forum.

Of the 72,000 teachers currently working in the three states, 40 percent will leave the profession over the next 10 years; some will retire, others will enter another profession. Who will replace them? How will they be recruited, prepared, placed and supported? What difference will they make?

To answer these questions, the 14 partnering institutions have signed on to a partnership they described today as “transformative,” “innovative,” “rare,” “courageous,” “daunting,” and “moving us from good to great.” They stressed that the type and extent of the impact that will result from this initiative can only be achieved by way of working together – not only amongst themselves but with K-12 education institutions and others as well – and becoming a voice for change.

The 14 are: Augsburg College; Bethel University; Concordia University, St. Paul; Hamline University; Minnesota State University, Mankato; University of Minnesota; Minnesota State University, Moorhead; North Dakota State University; St. Catherine University; St. Cloud State University; University of St. Thomas; University of South Dakota; Valley City State University (North Dakota); Winona State University.

In addition to sharing knowledge and dialoguing, each partner will launch a unique strategy that plays to its strengths, while challenging the status quo to ensure the teachers they prepare will be highly effective. An overview of each partner’s plan is available through the Bush Foundation’s website.

One panelist at the announcement today summarized the proposals this way: In the area of recruitment, they move from not very intentional to very intentional; in preparation, they move from theoretical to more immediately hands on, in front of a class; in the area of placement, they move from “hope for the best placement” to “placed in only the best” – in schools that are prepared and able to support these newly trained teachers; in the area of support, they move from providing little to undertaking intensive, multi-year efforts.

For its part, the Bush Foundation is committing $40 million over the next decade, its largest investment in an initiative.

The headline of the media advisory for today’s announcement mentioned the goal of transforming teacher preparation programs and proclaimed “Effectiveness of Teachers Being Guaranteed.”

In a time when the word “uncertainty” is used and used again, the word “guarantee” is truly attention-grabbing. When questioned today about the “guarantee,” a representative of one of the partners equated his institution’s involvement in this initiative to cosmetic surgery: You wouldn’t agree to the surgery unless you were almost certain that all the pieces are in place for a successful outcome.

I would add that this undertaking is also like non-elective surgery: Whatever ailments and challenges you face will not go away on their own.

Can you imagine what our communities will be like in 10 years when the goals of the Bush Foundation and these educational partners are achieved? I can hardly wait.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate