The West Metro Education Program (WMEP) is a voluntary consortium of 11 urban and suburban school districts in the Minneapolis metropolitan area that was formed in 1989 to cooperatively address integration issues in the west metro area. WMEP's mission is to promote student success and community acceptance of differences by providing opportunities for students, families and staff from diverse backgrounds to learn from and with each other. We invite you to learn more about this exciting program by going to http://www.wmep.k12.mn.us/

Teaching and learning in the Lasallian tradition is at the center of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Saint Mary's emphasizes values as the touchstone of learning, integrity of the individual, and accessible higher education for dedicated students.  Its Winona campus is a four-year, co-educational, residential, Catholic liberal arts institution administered by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Saint Mary's goal is to be recognized as one of the nation's top teaching and learning institutions. Graduate and professional programs are offered in Winona, the Twin Cities, sites throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information about St. Mary’s and its programs, go to http://www.smumn.edu/

Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit organization, is a trusted source for research, professional development, and evaluation services. We partner with teachers, administrators, and policymakers to transform student learning. Founded in 1984 as the regional educational laboratory for the Midwest region, Learning Point Associates also has offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C. To see more about its programs, go to www.learningpt.org

For more than 30 years, Hamline’s Graduate School of Education has inspired, challenged and transformed educators to improve learning for all children.  More than 10,000 students have grown professionally through Hamline’s quality educational coursework taught in a community of adult learners who value intellectual challenge and scholarship in an environment of mutual respect.  Visit our website for a complete listing of degree, licensure, and continuing education programs. http://www.hamline.edu/

The mission of CPS is to provide a program of research-based content relevant to the professional development and life-long learning needs of professionals in the field of education and human services, thereby linking the research, teaching and outreach missions of CEHD.  Professional studies programs at CEHD are offered on and off campus to practicing educators and related human service professionals locally and worldwide. Format options include coursework, institutes, workshops, topical series, forums, and seminars throughout the calendar year. For more information, go to http://www.education.umn.edu/CPS

The mission of the Programs for Educational Opportunity (P.E.O.) is to help public school districts ensure that all students have an opportunity to succeed in school whatever their race, gender, or national origin. We have provided equity-related assistance to K-12 education since 1970 in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. Our programs include technical assistance in educational equity and dissemination of school improvement programs designed to help all students succeed. To learn more about P.E.O., go to http://www.umich.edu/~eqtynet/

The Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, Inc. (MMEP) is a membership organization committed to increasing the academic success of and access for students of color in Minnesota schools, colleges and universities.  Our work is made possible through the time, ideas, and financial support of our members, partners and private funders. We believe in working collaboratively, multi-culturally, to tap the talents, skills, ideas and passions across diverse communities striving for educational equity. We provide collaborative leadership on critical issues associated with the success of students of color.  To learn more about MMEP, go http://www.mmep.net/

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), a Denver, Colorado-based, nonprofit education research and development organization, operates the North Central Comprehensive Center (NCCC) in partnership through a subcontract with Learning Point Associates in Naperville, Illinois. NCCC is a U.S. Department of Education-funded program that provides research-based services to state education agencies in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota to implement No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The NCCC is an outreach arm for the US Department of Education. We are "brokers" of services but will not do any new development work.  Our role is help build capacity at the State level, but not the school or district level. For much more information on McREL and its mission, go to http://www.mcrel.org/nccc

The African American Academy for Accelerated Learning (AAAL) is an educational service organization that acts as a convener for community discussion and provides enrichment resources to educators, children, parents, and who are all interested in advancing opportunities for African-American children. We want to enact change in the way African-American children are educated. Not only to close the gap in academic achievement, but also to create cultural enrichment education that fosters the positive personal growth of our children. Our ultimate purpose is to achieve an increase in the number of African American students who reflect pride in their cultural roots by reaching a higher level of academic achievement. We seek changes that create a more collaborative, multi-pronged approach to educational change, involving educators, students, and parents. And most importantly, we seek to expose educators to cultural competent strategies that affirm African American children. AAAL’s web site is http://www.aaalmn.org/