Achievement Plus was the result of a daring partnership among the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Saint Paul Public Schools, the State of Minnesota, Ramsey County and the City of St. Paul. We made a pact in 1997 that together we would work to get excellent academic outcomes for all of the children in our community, especially focused on those children, poor and minority, who are currently experiencing the poorest academic outcomes in our urban public education systems. 

We created a model of comprehensive school reform that would develop, test and disseminate more powerful instructional programs, effective student and family supports services that address barriers to learning, extended learning strategies and increased accountability for academic outcomes throughout our respective systems.

Here is what we know so far:

1. Perhaps nothing has been more fundamental to our success than setting explicit and high academic standards and providing rigorous instruction. 
2. Providing teachers with the support and training to teach effectively to these high standards is essential to spreading and institutionalizing a more powerful instructional program practice. Much progress has been made in this arena at the elementary level, now its time to move these powerful instructional strategies to middle to high schools.
3. Evidenced based practices that targeted and effectively mitigate barriers to learning for children and families are available. It pays to intervene early. These prevention and early intervention models can and should be expanded.
4. Extended learning opportunities must be targeted to the specific gaps in the children’s knowledge and be tightly aligned with the school curriculum in order to show any effect on student achievement.
5. In low income neighborhoods, outstanding schools are a source of inspiration and support for families. They are often the single sustainable community asset that can help lift families out of poverty.
6. Frequent assessment and close examination of test scores is an essential part of a data driven system of accountability and action.
7. Partners, public & private, with important and complimentary competencies can and will realign significant amounts of their work and their resources to help children succeed in school.
8. Leadership in many of these public systems, especially school districts, is very transient and short term. The private sector partners can provide a strong source of stable leadership to reform initiatives that must span many years and even decades.

Wilder Staff leading School Success work and involved in Achievement Plus

• Tom Kingston, President
• Claudia Dengler, Vice President of Programs
• Dan Mueller, Research Director on School Issues
• Mary Heiserman, Ph.D., Division Director for Mental Health & Education and Wilder’s Business Planning Leader for School Success