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St. Paul Public Schools Foundation Supports Innovation

Open School One of Seven Centers for Tutoring Partnership

The St. Paul Public Schools Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization, formed in 1995, whose mission is “to rally investments of time and resources to support academic success in the St. Paul Public Schools.” As an independent resource for the schools, the Foundation is a champion for public education, a facilitator of creative partnerships, a funder of innovative projects and a source of celebration of students’, teachers’, schools’ and the school district’s achievements.

Tutoring Partnership for Academic Excellence

The Foundation is now coordinating a partnership between the school district and community organizations to increase the number and quality of volunteer tutors and tutoring programs that support students. Open School is one center of activity for the program, and Morris Goodwin III is Tutoring Coordinator there. His job is to plan, design, develop and operate a tutoring program based on consultations with teachers, students and administrators, to create a program that tutors can enter “seamlessly” and begin their work at once to help students become proficient in reading and math.

Morris has a fascinating background. He studied psychology at St. Thomas, then went on to do an MFA in Ecological Architecture at Vesper College, a small graduate school of fine arts and architecture in Minneapolis. When it came to looking for work, the tutoring program and Vista national Service attracted him, as he was greatly influenced by St. Thomas’s service learning component — an approach that calls on the student to develop an ethical perspective and give back to the community.

When he arrived at Open School August 10, Morris says that he felt very much welcomed and supported. Teachers expressed a great need for tutors and willingness to work with them in the classroom to get the best results.

In addition to the Open School connection, partnerships in the wider community are a central part of the program. Morris has connected already with businesses and agencies that may be able to provide volunteers. One hospital is lending five staff people, who will each be working with the same student, thus offering him daily support. Parents can also be involved and are encouraged to spend some time in the classroom. Each school involved in the Tutoring Partnership has a goal of recruiting 100 volunteer tutors by the end of the school year. The program continues over the next three-years.

Each tutor receives orientation to the school and training in the literacy and math focus of the program. They consult with the teacher each day, so that they are aware of the lesson plan and how they can best facilitate student learning. They may work with one student or a small group of two or three. Their work with students occurs right in the classroom and their guidance and confidence-building for the students are invaluable.

In order to build the Open School tutoring group, Morris emphasizes that there is great flexibility for the volunteer in terms of scheduling. He is working with colleges, businesses and local community organizations to build interest and generate volunteers. Those interested can reach him at 651-293-8670 or morris.goodwin@spps.org.