Great MN Schools

06/17/2026

Congratulations to Sondra Samuels -- one of TIME's inaugural Visionaries! Her dedication to educational equity and the families of North Minneapolis is making a real difference! 🎉

We're proud to share that Northside Achievement Zone President & CEO Sondra Samuels has been named one of TIME's inaugural Visionaries.

Selected as one of 14 honorees nationwide, Sondra joins a remarkable group of leaders recognized for driving bold, systemic change to help children reach their full potential. According to TIME, the inaugural list highlights individuals working across education, mental health, economic opportunity, housing, and other critical areas to ensure young people have the support and resources they need to thrive.

For more than 15 years, Sondra has championed a vision rooted in the strengths, aspirations, and potential of North Minneapolis families. Under her leadership, NAZ has grown into a collaborative of more than 40 partner organizations and schools working together to support children and families from cradle to career.

In its profile, highlighted NAZ's innovative Wealth Builds Minneapolis initiative, which helps families build assets and opportunity through financial education and college savings accounts, as well as the organization's long-term commitment to improving outcomes for North Minneapolis children.

While this recognition bears Sondra's name, it reflects the visionary and collective efforts of countless scholars, families, staff, partners, and community members who have worked together to build a brighter future for North Minneapolis.

As Sondra shared with TIME, "It's about hope. We're here to power purpose and potential on the Northside."

Congratulations, Sondra. We are grateful for your leadership and proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.

See more here: https://time.com/collection/visionaries/2026/sondra-samuels/

06/03/2026

The halls of Partnership Academy were a little louder than usual yesterday -- in the best way!

As the school year comes to a close, alumni graduating from high school and college returned to walk the halls while younger students and teachers lined up to cheer them on! Then they sat down with 8th graders to answer questions and share advice. It was an inspiring day of alumni feeling celebrated and current students seeing what's possible.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We can't wait to see what is ahead!

05/22/2026

This week, our CEO Jennifer Stern joined former Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson on MPR News's Minnesota Now to talk about what the new Education Scorecard data really means and what it will take to change outcomes for Minneapolis kids.

Listen Here --

New scorecards are out for school districts across the country. Known as the Education Scorecard, the results in Minneapolis Public Schools show large achievement gaps across race and class.

05/15/2026

Huge congratulations to our CEO Jennifer Stern, named a 2026 Women in Business honoree by the Minneapolis-St Paul Business Journal!

Every day, Jen shows up fighting for kids in Minneapolis to have access to great schools. That work isn't always easy, but she does it with passion, purpose, and a whole lot of heart.

Congratulations, Jen. We are so grateful to have you leading the way. https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/c/2026-women-in-business-honoree-profiles/44277/women-in-business-jen-stern.html

05/12/2026

Schools have done extraordinary things in response to ICE enforcement. That resilience is worth honoring.

But they shouldn't have had to.

Our CEO, Jennifer Stern and Kids First Chicago Founder & CEO Daniel Anello, two education leaders in two of the hardest-hit cities, have come together in The 74 with a unified message: schools must be protected as sensitive locations, free from immigration enforcement.

We're asking Congress to restore that protection and make it enforceable.

Stern and Anello: Congress should use budget negotiations to ensure that ICE stays out of schools so that students can keep attending regularly.

05/06/2026

Families said it best! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to the incredible teachers at Prodeo Academy, across all our partners schools, and to all teachers who help make schools truly great!

04/23/2026

Great MN Schools was proud to help host this year's event alongside Decoding Dyslexia MN. We believe strong literacy outcomes are foundational to everything we do and days like this remind us just how much power there is in showing up together.

03/24/2026

We are excited to introduce you to our next round of Promising Practice award winners whose instruction demonstrates measurable impact, innovative approaches, and practices worthy of replication across our network!

Rogelia Urrutia at Risen Christ Catholic School used data-driven tools to build fact fluency so students could focus on real problem-solving. Bente Bruihler at Risen Christ Catholic School made fluency practice joyful, prioritizing understanding over speed through games, visuals, and partner work. And Lela Shriver at Global Academy pulled small groups daily, meeting students exactly where they were -- watching them go from barely starting problems to leading peer discussions.

Congratulations to these three educators who prove that the right intervention, done with care, changes everything.

03/20/2026

🎤 Calling All Student Voices!

MN Literacy Day at the Capitol is coming up, and we’re looking for passionate student speakers who want to share their story, inspire others, and help advocate for strong literacy support across Minnesota.

If you know a student who would love to speak, we’d be thrilled to hear from you!
📩 Contact [email protected] for more details.

Let’s lift up student voices and make this year’s event unforgettable. 🌟📚

03/17/2026

Every child deserves to learn to read, and you can help make that happen. Join families, students, educators, and advocates at the Minnesota State Capitol to stand up for strong implementation of the READ Act.

This is your chance to see democracy in action, make your voice heard, and show lawmakers that literacy is a priority for Minnesota kids.

No advocacy experience needed!

📚 Save the Date for MN Literacy Day at the Capitol!

We’re gathering once again to celebrate literacy, raise our voices, and advocate for the strong reading instruction all Minnesota students deserve. Join families, educators, and community partners for the 11th Annual MN Literacy Day at the Capitol!

🗓 Tuesday, April 21
⏰ 10:00 AM
📍 MN State Capitol Rotunda

Hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MN and Great MN Schools

Come be part of a powerful morning of connection, storytelling, and collective action. Your presence matters — together, we can keep pushing for meaningful change in literacy for all kids.