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Minnesota: U Connect

Brief Site Description: 
U Connect is a collaborative project involving partners from Minnesota, Tennessee, and Kentucky to address how families can be the most impactful on children's academic achievement. Research shows that children that come from backgrounds that include lower socioeconomic status, underperforming schools, and unsafe neighborhoods are more at-risk for not maximizing their educational achievement. This program seeks to support families and increase young people's educational accomplishments through a three-part plan: (1) small group mentoring using evidence-based practices to mitigate early warning signs of academic disengagement; (2) an afterschool program that allows for culturally sensitive programming related to academic needs, as well as issues such as technology and nutrition, which have been shown to effect a children's ability to succeed in school; (3) parental programming that assists in addressing parents concerns about working with school districts and how to create home environments that best prepare children for academic success.
SCP Project Director: 
Lynne Borden, Jodi Dworkin
SCP Evaluator: 
William Woodrum (Independent consultant)
SCP Technology Specialist: 
Craig Creeger
Other (1), include their role: 
Rita Fleming (Project Director in TN)
Other (2) include their role: 
Tyrone Miller (Project Director in TN)
Additional comments about the site team: 
Two major changes were made to the grant. First, They are moving their cycle one year forward to add a planning year which they did not have in their proposal. One major implication is that instead of 4 cohorts each in the program for 2 years (2014-16; 2015-17; 2016-18; 2017-19) they will have 3 cohorts (2015-17; 2016-18; 2017-19). This will be the same for their partner sites. A second major change is that due to unforseen circumstances, one site will be unable to participate and so a second site (St. Paul, MN) was added as a replacement.
CYFAR Coach: 
First name: 
Shane
Last name: 
Potter
State: 
Missouri
Community-based Program Partner(s): 
Program partners are the after school programs in which the SCP will be implemented. They are in their planning year so they will be and are in the process of identifying partners.

Source URL: https://cyfar.org/project-site/649