AspireNORTH — a new program of Minnesota North College’s five campuses — shows the exciting changes possible when key institutions intentionally set their sights on coordinated regional impact. Shifting to build systems that work for students – not the other way around – sets our local colleges on a path to offer learning that fits …
Classes at many college campuses, including our area’s Minnesota North schools, are getting started. The cost of college makes headlines a lot these days – as it should. Students have shouldered an incredible amount of debt in recent years as they pursued their dreams of school after high school, and Minnesota students and families have …
By Linda Gibeau
More than 60 years ago, Charles Blandin gave two students – both women – scholarships to continue their education. A self-taught man, he knew education was one key to these students’ strong futures. We are honored to stand again this year with 344 Itasca students, each dedicated to their educational dream – at community, technical …
Deer River Implements Full Service Community Schools Model to Improve Student Outcomes Up to two-thirds of a student’s ability to succeed in school is determined by what happens out of school. A child who is hungry or cold, in pain due to untreated medical needs, or exposed to traumatic stresses can have trouble with memory, …
It’s January. Many folks start each new year focused on improvements they want to make. Itasca area youth programs are doing the same. Today, 30 staff from nearly a dozen organizations that provide after-school activities and programs are reviewing data about the quality of their programming, and charting a course for change. The programs are …
As new populations move into rural communities across Minnesota, local leaders are met with new opportunities, challenges, and, above all, hope for stronger communities. To share these stories, Blandin Foundation awarded a grant to MinnPost, along with many other funders, to extend their New American coverage outside of the metro area. Here’s a bit about …
Last year, Stanford economist Raj Chetty and other researchers found that “children growing up in poor families in three out of four rural counties have higher incomes than the national average at age 26 simply as a result of spending time in these communities.” Star Tribune’s Adam Belz wrote a three-part series on the research …
The achievement of Itasca-area young people was a great passion of our founder, Charles K. Blandin. That passion is still alive and burning bright today. This year, we will stand with 365 students who have made a courageous commitment to achieve their educational dream — whether it be at a community, technical or tribal college, …
In 1956, Charles Blandin gave two students scholarships to continue their education. Since then, the $23 million in scholarships the Foundation has awarded to more than 15,000 Itasca area students exemplifies his enduring commitment to expanding educational opportunities for local residents. Sixty one years after those first awards, Blandin Foundation staff and board members are …
A childcare crisis is rearing up in most rural Minnesota communities, but in Hill City, town of 608, residents are doubling down on a tested early education program. Early Start partners with parents, the local school, and the community to provide quality, intense, early childhood programming that strengthens whole families and ensures that all children …