Prepare Educators to Dismantle Disparities
The newly imagined »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ of Education will exemplify St. Thomas’ deep commitment to reaching and serving underrepresented young people who deserve access to an equitable education. It will be a hub where teachers are prepared to be a force for justice in our »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ and will help eliminate the extreme opportunity gaps in our Minnesota K-12 education system.
Our founder, Archbishop John Ireland, opened St. Thomas to educate underserved immigrants and eliminate barriers to their success. One hundred thirty-five years later, by building and operating a proposed lab school, the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ of Education will model ways of dismantling disparities and ensuring that all children receive a high-quality education.
Related Themes
| 2025 Strategic Plan | Build Belonging and Promote Equity | Lean In to Our Catholic Mission |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare Educators to Dismantle Disparities | Priority | Priority |
See how the Themes and Priorities of the 2025 Strategic Plan interweave.
Measuring Progress
Success Metrics
- Annually, recruit and enroll a school administrative licensure cohort to increase the number of school leaders and directors who graduate with a St. Thomas degree.
- Increase the percentage of teacher candidates of color who complete the licensure programs and receive a Tier 3 (permanent) license from 76 percent to 85 percent.
- Increase K-12 partnerships to include all of the public school districts in the 7 county Metro Area. (We currently have 36 district partnerships out of 42 metro area districts and 5 intermediate and cooperative districts.)
- By 2025, establish a K-5 lab school that models inclusive education.
- Achieve five-year fundraising goal of $12.5 million.
Progress Update, February 2022
The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:
Maxfield Elementary »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ serves as the center of our strategic initiative to prepare educators to dismantle disparities. Our robust Maxfield 2030 strategic plan offers a bold commitment to moving the needle on K-12 student achievement and preparing educators and leaders to be forces for justice and change. We are prepared to actualize movement toward our core goals by crafting a program of work, including research, that will guide the coming five years and beyond. The focus of our work at Maxfield Elementary »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ will be threefold: (1) Improve learning outcomes, including academic outcomes, for students of color, students living in poverty, and/or students with special needs; (2) Enhance teacher preparation, pedagogical content knowledge, and self-efficacy to improve performance, satisfaction, and retention; and (3) Develop and improve frameworks for understanding school performance.
In conjunction with our collaborative learning school, teacher residency programs in the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ of Education are leading the way in preparing educators to dismantle disparities. Current partnerships with St. Paul Public »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵs, Minneapolis Public »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵs, and a charter school consortium have been fortunate to leverage the strong district-university relationships built through the award-winning and innovative St. Paul Urban Teacher Residency (SUTR) program. Since 2016 SUTR has recruited and prepared over 350 students in 18 cohorts by removing barriers, preparing, and retaining teachers, a large percentage of which (65%) are teachers of color. In St. Paul, 81% of SUTR graduates are still teaching in-district, compared to the district average of 62% retention, and 91% of all graduates are still teaching in the state.
Key Leaders
- Amy Smith, Interim Dean of the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ of Education
Success Metrics
Success Metrics
- Annually, recruit and enroll a school administrative licensure cohort to increase the number of school leaders and directors who graduate with a St. Thomas degree.
- Increase the percentage of teacher candidates of color who complete the licensure programs and receive a Tier 3 (permanent) license from 76 percent to 85 percent.
- Increase K-12 partnerships to include all of the public school districts in the 7 county Metro Area. (We currently have 36 district partnerships out of 42 metro area districts and 5 intermediate and cooperative districts.)
- By 2025, establish a K-5 lab school that models inclusive education.
- Achieve five-year fundraising goal of $12.5 million.
Progress Update
Progress Update, February 2022
The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:
Maxfield Elementary »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ serves as the center of our strategic initiative to prepare educators to dismantle disparities. Our robust Maxfield 2030 strategic plan offers a bold commitment to moving the needle on K-12 student achievement and preparing educators and leaders to be forces for justice and change. We are prepared to actualize movement toward our core goals by crafting a program of work, including research, that will guide the coming five years and beyond. The focus of our work at Maxfield Elementary »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ will be threefold: (1) Improve learning outcomes, including academic outcomes, for students of color, students living in poverty, and/or students with special needs; (2) Enhance teacher preparation, pedagogical content knowledge, and self-efficacy to improve performance, satisfaction, and retention; and (3) Develop and improve frameworks for understanding school performance.
In conjunction with our collaborative learning school, teacher residency programs in the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ of Education are leading the way in preparing educators to dismantle disparities. Current partnerships with St. Paul Public »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵs, Minneapolis Public »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵs, and a charter school consortium have been fortunate to leverage the strong district-university relationships built through the award-winning and innovative St. Paul Urban Teacher Residency (SUTR) program. Since 2016 SUTR has recruited and prepared over 350 students in 18 cohorts by removing barriers, preparing, and retaining teachers, a large percentage of which (65%) are teachers of color. In St. Paul, 81% of SUTR graduates are still teaching in-district, compared to the district average of 62% retention, and 91% of all graduates are still teaching in the state.
Key Leaders
Key Leaders
- Amy Smith, Interim Dean of the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ of Education