Saved Schools

Saint John Paul II

Saint John Paul II, nominated by Alliance for Catholic Education, is a elementary/middle school in Minneapolis, Minnesota that describes itself as a independent (private) school serving learners from a primarily urban area.

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Location Minneapolis, Minnesota

Governance Independent (private) school

Grades Elementary, Middle, Prekindergarten

Students 228

Locale urban

Principal Tricia Menzhuber

Demographics

Percentage of students*

1%

Students with Disabilities

76%

Free/Reduced Lunch

72%

English Learners

White 13%

Hispanic/Latino 78%

Black/African American 2%

2+ Races 7%

American Indian —

Asian —

Hawaiian National —

Why Saint John Paul II was nominated

St. John Paul II (JPII) partners with the Higher-Powered Learning Program (HPLP) based at the University of Notre Dame. With this program, JPII has pursued a three-year partnership with HPLP. During this three year program, JPII formed a Blended Learning Advancement and Strategy Team (BLAST) that first learned blended learning with the HPLP team at ND. During year two of implementation, the BLAST introduced and coached their teammates in blended learning best practices. JPII is a unique school because the teachers focus on personalizing instruction for students, especially emerging bilingual students. JPII has made intentional software decisions- for students and teachers- and uses intentional pedagogy moves to support emerging bilingual students.

Student experience design

In an urban setting where many scholars of color and children in poverty are not meeting grade level standards and schools are struggling to meet learners’ needs, St. John Paul II Catholic School is successfully educating every child, regardless of academic background, through its intentional, personalized instructional approach. Our strong vision is rooted in our core belief that each unique learner at St. John Paul II has gifts to celebrate and that every child can achieve at high levels. In partnership with the University of Notre Dame, we use blended learning, which combines targeted, personalized online lessons, small-group learning, and classroom instruction to fill the gaps in each scholar’s knowledge. At the same time, our teachers employ instructional methods that help every scholar successfully work with rigorous grade-level material. This ensures that each child, at every academic level, will experience growth with the goal of reaching grade level proficiency. Our scholars take ownership of their education and collaborate with teachers to create individual learning plans that identify their goals for academic growth and incorporate parent participation. We continually measure scholar growth, which allows us to determine the specific areas in which a scholar needs more care and attention. We partner with families to prepare each scholar for high school success, with expectations that they will graduate and seek higher education. Children come to know they are beloved by God, and they are inspired to use their talents to positively transform the world.

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Adaptive Learning Software
5+ years

Community And Business Partnerships
1-2 years

Individual Learning Paths
1-2 years

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics
3-4 years

SEL Integration School-wide
3-4 years

All Practices

Student Advisories

Anti-racist Practices

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Blended Learning

Career Prep And Work-based Learning

Co-leadership

Family And Community Support Services

Culturally Responsive Practices

Disaggregated Data On Student Participation

Extended Learning Opportunities

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Interoperable Data From Multiple Technologies

Individual Learner Profiles

Mental Health Services

1:1 Mentoring

No Tracked Classes

Multiple Opportunities To Demonstrate Mastery

Peer To Peer Support

Performance Based Assessment

High Quality Instructional Materials

Restorative Practices

SEL Curriculum

Students Access Their Own Data

Student-led Goal Setting

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

key reasons for innovating

Improve academic achievement

Date Updated: April 2025

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.