The Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) has purchased a building to permanently house its programming and operations in North Minneapolis. NAZ has been renting its current facility at the corner of Penn and West Broadway for over a decade. Unfortunately, this location has been at the center of escalated community violence, punctuated by the building’s windows read more…
According to the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, in Minnesota, babies of U.S.-born Black pregnant people suffer twice the rate of low-birth weight and other adverse birth issues as their white counterparts. And in our state, Black women are 2.3 times more likely to die of pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes than their white read more…
September marks back to school; thankfully, students have returned full-time to their classrooms this year. At NAZ, we are also thinking about the academic achievement of our scholars and the toll the last two years have taken on them. The full impact of COVID-19 and distance learning on student academics is just starting to become read more…
“I’m going to do one with cherries,” declared Malayah as she explored the art table, crafting magnets from quarter-sized glass beads and decorative paper. “This one looks like my grandmother’s wallpaper,” laughed Leila as she sifted through the colorful pile. Match Night at Big Brothers Big Sisters gave Leila, an airline stewardess, and Malayah, a read more…
New multi-year grants from Blue Meridian Partners and Ballmer Group will support the organization’s programs serving Northside scholars and families. To further the organization’s work and commitment to improving academic outcomes for scholars in North Minneapolis, the Northside Achievement Zone recently secured two significant multi-year grants to sustain and grow their impact. Ballmer Group recently read more…
On Saturday, June 18, NAZ celebrated our Family Academy and high school graduates for completing their respective educational achievements. Families from Minneapolis’ North side descended on the Trailhead at Theodore Wirth Park for an afternoon of recognition, food, fun, and music. NAZ staff, Alicia Smiley, lead the decorating of the venue beautifully with a colorful read more…
*From the MinnPost article written by Dr. Amy Susman-Stillman, NAZ Vice President of Evaluation, along with intern Marissa Marsolek. Last year, when the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) summarized the literature regarding the impact of COVID-19 on students and education, we reached troubling conclusions about the state of our students’ mental health and learning, the learning read more…
Reading is an essential part of learning. Scholars should be reading all year long, not just during the school year. Without practice, scholars can lose up to two months of reading skills while school is out of session. This is known as “Summer Slide”. To prevent the “Summer Slide” with your scholars, here are some read more…
Juneteenth, aka Emancipation Day, is a paid holiday for the Northside Achievement Zone staff. This has been a celebrated holiday by African Americans for decades and our staff will be out of office. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved descendants of Africans were informed of their freedom in Galveston, Texas. That announcement marked the read more…
The Stonewall riots against police brutality in 1969 were largely led by queer people of color, namely Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The activism from members of the Black and transgender community has had a lasting impact on the gay rights movement and demonstrates that the celebration of Pride, at its core, read more…
