Public and private schools have formed an unlikely alliance to help talented students do even better. The praiseworthy project, called LearningWorks, allows selected students from Minneapolis public schools to attend a special summer session at the prestigious Blake School. Everyone involved, including students, parents and teachers, has reported positive results.
The program is surprisingly cost effective. The summer school classes cost $58,000 for 35 students and 12 teachers, or a little over $1600 per student. The cost of public school per student across the Minneapolis school district — $9,896 each year — makes LearningWorks seem streamlined and efficient. Considering the benefits of a three-to-one student-to-teacher ratio, the summer school program promises many benefits for little cost.
Hiring college and high school students to teach courses keeps costs down and, according to news reports, the students react well to the young instructors.
City schools plan to expand LearningWorks and predict few added costs. The potential benefit for talented Minneapolis students certainly outweighs the relatively small expense.