Breakthrough Twin Cities

Breakthrough Twin Cities (BTC) supports students on their journey to college by fostering a community of mutual learning with the next generation of educators so they both can collaborate, grow, and thrive.

Breakthrough Twin Cities envisions a future where all students have the resources to reach their full potential, where every classroom is led by an engaging teacher, and where society as a whole realizes the ultimate social and economic benefits of fully investing in its youth.

Breakthrough Twin Cities (BTC) is a six-year academic enrichment and college preparatory program for students in grades 7-12, the only program of its kind in the Twin Cities area. We help highly motivated students from low-income families conceive of, create, and sustain a path to college. 

The majority of our students:

• qualify for free or reduced lunch (86%)
• identify with a racial or ethnic group that is underrepresented in US colleges (98%)
• speak a language other than English in their home (65%)
• are the first in their family to graduate college (78%)
• live in a single-parent household (29%)

Students enter BTC at the end of their 6th-grade year and remain with the program through high school and college enrollment. Throughout this six-year partnership, Breakthrough provides an out-of-school-time core curriculum, career exploration, and intensive college counseling, as well as a host of additional enrichment opportunities. 

To support these students on their path to college, BTC recruits Teaching Fellows – diverse, enthusiastic undergraduate college students and select high school seniors who are interested in a career in education. Teaching Fellows benefit from our unique teacher-training model, receiving over 300 hours of instructional training, coaching, and direct teaching time. They gain the skills and confidence to become effective educators in diverse classrooms.

In the summer of 2023, we had 55 Teaching Fellows. Of which:
-69% people of color (vs. 7.3% teachers of color in MN) 
-36% of our Teaching Fellows were male (vs. 23% of male teachers nationally (2020–21))
-16% were previously Breakthrough students
-25% of Teaching Fellows had at least one year of previous teaching experience at BTC

As a result of our fellowship, 98% of those Teaching Fellows report growth as a teacher.

The Breakthrough model works, and our students consistently beat the odds. 
Of the BTC Class of 2024:

• The average student 91% of costs covered by Scholarships and Grants 
  
• 100% of those who applied were accepted to post-secondary institutions, compared to 69% of statewide Minnesota graduates.
• The average ANNUAL college scholarship for the Class of 2024 was $44,818!

During 2023 - 2024, we created a community where 560 students felt supported, seen, and valued. We are now making an even bigger impact serving 657 students! 

You are a big part of making this possible. We need your support to continue growing and expanding our programs to those who need it.