Mike Newman is vice president of the Travelers Foundation. He has been with the company since 1997. Prior to that, Mike worked in the nonprofit and government sectors. He has served on the boards of the Minnesota College Access Network, the Page Education Foundation, the Minnesota Association of Volunteer Directors, Dakota Woodlands, Minneapolis Red Cross, and Minnesota Children's Trust Fund, among others.

Travelers Foundation is focusing its efforts on improving education outcomes in Saint Paul. Compass talked with Mike Newman about this strategy. See what he has to say about the decision, what programs Travelers is supporting and why, and what ultimate outcomes he hopes will result. He also talks about Challenging Expectations, a tpt documentary on education barriers that Travelers sponsored.

Why has education become your top issue?

Simply put, the quality of life in our communities and the health of our businesses depends on an educated population. Like many cities, St. Paul currently has an underperforming school system and an achievement gap for underrepresented students. Only half of high school students meet college readiness benchmarks in reading, math, and science, and fewer than 40 percent of students of color are leaving high school with a diploma. The best predictor of economic growth is an educated workforce, and these underserved students are our future workforce. Travelers believes a quality education can break down barriers and provide limitless opportunity; but unfortunately many students in St. Paul are not getting the quality education they deserve, and we need, for the future.

Talk about specific efforts you are focusing attention on.

Travelers is focused on providing funding to education initiatives that are working aggressively to reduce the achievement gap while at the same time increasing academic and career achievement for underrepresented students attending St. Paul Public Schools. Specifically, we are:

  • Supporting the aggressive reform agenda of the St. Paul Public School System, with both our dollars and our base of volunteers.
  • Investing in programs that target increased academic achievement in the middle and high school students to ensure they are ready for higher education, such as Admission Possible and the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) tutoring program.
  • Providing opportunities through Travelers EDGE: Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment, an innovative program that helps students to transition from high school to college, and on to careers. Travelers EDGE provides the financial support and professional development opportunities necessary to position students for success.
  • Initiating leadership development programs for school principals that will increase the leadership skills of current and aspiring principals, teach best practices, and provide access to our employee expertise as related to management and business skills.

What are your ultimate goals? What is your timeframe?

We want to close the achievement gap and increase opportunities for underrepresented students so that they can attain academic and career success. We specifically are looking to make an impact in areas of middle school and high school academic achievement, college readiness and access, and college graduation rates. Ultimately, our goal is to build a pipeline of talented, diverse candidates for potential employment with our company, and, as a a larger population of young people becomes educated, engaged, contributing members, strengthen our community. As for timeframe, we would like to see this done tomorrow, but we understand the many challenges surrounding this issue make an intensive, long-term commitment necessary.

What data are you using to inform decisions?

Measurement of educational outcomes is a complex process. We look at MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) scores and other test scores. Graduation rates and matriculation to college are important measures as well. We are also vitally concerned with how many St. Paul Public Schools students, particularly students of color and low-income students, enter and complete college. Compass is especially helpful in fostering a true understanding of student success beyond high school and entry into the workforce.

Tell us a bit about the tpt video, Challenging Expectations. Is it getting people involved?

Travelers provided funding for Challenging Expectations because we feel it provides a compelling portrayal of the barriers to higher education that many underrepresented students face. We commend Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) for partnering with community stakeholders and for making the film available to a wide audience. We have also shared it with our foundation colleagues. As a funder, we have received lots of positive feedback from people concerned with the issue the documentary raises, and it has definitely ratcheted up the discussion.

Our hope is that Challenging Expectations will galvanize our community to work together to break down these barriers for our students. Wouldn't it be fabulous to gather again in five years and reflect on the significant progress made because of our collective efforts to resolve them? That would be another Minnesota Miracle.

Opinions in the For Discussion columns are the authors' alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Minnesota Compass. Compass welcomes a range of views about issues pertaining to quality of life in Minnesota.