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Reimagine
Education

Empowering change in schools
teacher sitting with book in front of students

This collaborative initiative transforms research into collective action to make our schools better for each and every child.

Impact

We have been asking students, parents, community members, school leaders, and researchers what is working—and what isn’t working—in our schools. This collective input has led to a roadmap to help transform our K-12 education system to benefit all students.

Learning Collectives

This initiative represents a shift in our education strategy that focuses on bringing together students, parents, administrators, teachers, and school board members to develop a common agenda for disrupting inequities in school systems. Learning collectives are central to our new approach to education.

Research

We retained a team of University of Minnesota researchers led by Dr. Michael Rodriguez to outline the research basis for a proposed set of strategies that emerged from our community and superintendents in 2017. When COVID-19 forced schools to move to virtual platforms, we again retained the U of M team to develop a second report on how distance learning impacts education equity.

Grantmaking

Education is a key area where we make strategic investments to dismantle the barriers that hold inequities in place. Reimagine, and its robust input process, have impacted this work and influence our education grantmaking.

Co-Investment

While the primary funding strategy of Reimagine is to reallocate existing public education funds, the work has attracted funding from the Greater Twin Cities United Way and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation for our larger community convening. We anticipate additional philanthropic partners as the work evolves.

Partnership

Along with using learning collectives to build deep cross-sector relationships around this body of work, the Minneapolis Foundation’s staff is also actively encouraging local school districts to leverage key learnings from the 2019 Reimagine report to help implement equity-focused plans to improve student achievement and support young people’s wellbeing and social emotional development.

Advocacy

Our staff has presented Reimagine findings to education and civic leaders. A recent school board conference included discussions about how school administrators and school boards can work together to incorporate elements of Reimagine into their equity plans and efforts to close the state’s persistent achievement and opportunity gaps.

The Latest

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$1.5 MILLION IN REIMAGINE EDUCATION GRANTS AWARDED

The Minneapolis Foundation announced more than $1.5 million in Reimagine Education grants to 30 schools, school districts, and organizations advancing equity and uplifting youth voices in Minnesota’s K-12 education system.

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Reimagine Education with Minnesota’s Principals

Teaming up with University of Minnesota researchers, we launched a groundbreaking survey of school principals statewide.

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A Rare Opportunity to Invest in Schools

All signs point to major – even possibly record – investments in education in Minnesota this year as legislators discuss the budget surplus.

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Visit The Learning Hub

Watch all of our Reimagine Education content on our YouTube channel.