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Brandt Williams

Report shows slow progress, challenges for north Minneapolis program

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Sondra Samuels, Northside Achievement Zone
Sondra Samuels, president and CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone.
Brandt Williams | MPR News 2015 file

A new report found that a federally-funded program targeting children and families in north Minneapolis is showing mixed results.

Children connected to the Northside Achievement Zone are making gains when it comes to kindergarten readiness and reading skills, according to data collected by Wilder Research. Those gains were most prominent among children enrolled in multiple programs offered by the Zone.

NAZ president and CEO Sondra Samuels said those students did better than kids who live in the neighborhoods covered by the Achievement Zone, but are not directly involved with the Zone.

"Across the board, kids in NAZ who are in the schools are doing better in terms of reading proficiency than students who are in the school and in the Zone, but are not a part of NAZ," said Samuels. "So, something's happening differently for these students."

That geographic zone is a 13 by 18-block area in north Minneapolis. The area contains high concentrations of poverty and people of color.

But progress has not come as quickly as Samuels and others had hoped for. After a brief improvement in the first year, standardized math test scores dipped for third through fifth graders in the program over the last three years.

Samuels said she is optimistic that despite challenges posed by generational poverty and lack of opportunity, the families enrolled in Zone programs will continue to make progress.

"We're seeing our families securing employment. It's something we're continuing to work on with our partners. More and more of our parents setting goals," Samuels said. "Because all of our parents set achievement goals."

NAZ formed in 2008 and is a collaboration of more than 40 organizations and agencies. In 2011, the program was awarded a five-year, $28 million grant from the federal government.

The total amount of the grant was later reduced to $26 million. Samuels said while that money is set to expire at the end of the year, NAZ is working on raising local and state funds to keep the effort going at the same level.