A BluePrint for Success: Case Studies of Successful - Educational ...

A Blueprint for Success
BSP was included in a Macalester grant proposal to the National Science Foundation, which
was funded and will provide for the salaries of Macalester students who teach as aspiring
teachers during the middle school summer program.
Evidence of Success
BSP contracted an external evaluator, Wilder Research, to evaluate the program in 2011. Some of
the data about honors courses and grades comes from that third-party report. BSP places a considerable
emphasis on honors courses because of the connection to future college success. The majority of
BSP students (94 percent of all BSP students and 100 percent of BSP high school students) are enrolling
and succeeding in honors courses, with BSP 7th graders passing an average of almost two
honors courses annually, 8th graders passing an average of just over two honors classes a school year,
and active BSP 9th graders passing an average of about two and a third honors courses a year. Seventy-two
percent of BSP 7th and 8th graders averaged a grade of “B-” or higher, while only about half
of 9th graders achieved this program threshold. Wilder Research found that BSP students tend to
earn more credits in honors classes than their peers in a matched-comparison study. Additionally,
BSP students tended to have slightly higher grade-point averages than the matched-comparison students
(3.27 vs. 2.98, or B+ vs. B).
To date, all BSP students who remain with the program graduate from high school in four years and,
of the first cohort to reach college, all were accepted and enrolled in college immediately after their
senior year of high school. In fact, all of the first cohort were accepted to four-year universities. The
average yearly scholarship for these students was over $26k and four students received full scholarships
to go to Stanford, Carleton, St. Thomas, and St. Catherine’s.
Sustainability
BSP relies on a diverse revenue stream that draws about a quarter each from the government, individuals,
corporations, and foundations. A goal is to reduce reliance on government funding by increasing
individual giving. To facilitate fundraising, the Board of Directors monitors the program
goals each year, as well as monthly updates on progress and an annual report. Efforts are currently
focused on a strategic plan.
The funding base of BSP has grown substantially during our first six years. When BSP began, the
program had three major foundations supporting the program and a handful of very committed individual
donors. Now, the program receives funding from over 200 individual donors, 18 foundations
support the program, and three government sources provide financial support. BSP has a sixmonth
cash reserve. Additionally, Breakthrough Saint Paul has a mix of large and small individual
donors. They have over 200 individual donors and are actively engaged in increasing the size of the
donor pool, as well as the size of gifts from each donor, which should buffer the organization to
some extent from the economic uncertainty. Finally, the number of BSP partners has grown substantially
over the five-year history from 2 to 7 and will continue to grow. When the program began, all
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