MPS "Graduation Coaches" in Minneapolis high schools will switch to Big Big Brothers Big Sisters

The MPS "graduation coaches" program has connected business volunteers and others with 1,500 Minneapolis high school students who will now be mentored through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

April 12, 2019 at 10:51PM

AchieveMpls, the nonprofit-support partner of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), is moving its "Graduation Coaches" mentoring program to Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities in July.

Launched in 2012 by AchieveMpls under the leadership, Graduation Coaches was created to provide an additional layer of school-based mentoring for Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) high school students. Since then, hundreds of volunteer coaches from business and elsewhere have worked with 1,500-plus students on academics, soft skills and plans for postsecondary education.

"We are very proud of Graduation Coaches and the life-changing impact it has had on hundreds of students," said CEO Danielle Grant of AchieveMpls. "We believe transitioning this program into the expert care of BBBS will better allow it to grow, become more innovative and serve more students into the future. We are tremendously thankful to the hundreds of volunteer Graduation Coaches who have supported our students."

CEO Michael Goar is a former MPS teacher and administrator and a graduation coach. BBBS provides mentoring relationships and related programs for thousands of Minnesota youth with a focus on productive futures.

"The program will help more Twin Cities youth discover their career and college potential through the power of mentoring, skill building and planning," Goar said.

about the writer

about the writer

Neal St. Anthony

Columnist, reporter

Neal St. Anthony has been a Star Tribune business columnist/reporter since 1984. 

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