The foundation supports the replication and growth of schools based on the Cristo Rey and Nativity/San Miguel models.  To learn more about these schools, please see www.nativitymiguelschools.org and www.cristoreynetwork.org.

The Cristo Rey model includes a unique work-study program through which students finance most of their education by sharing entry-level, clerical jobs at area businesses.  In addition to its financial benefits, the program introduces center city young people to a world of new opportunities and provides the local business community a means to make a tangible difference in urban neighborhoods. Cristo Rey schools have had remarkable success serving neighborhoods with high dropout rates.  Ninety five percent of the graduates of the class of 2006 from the Cristo Rey schools entered two- or four-year colleges in the fall of 2006.

The NativityMiguel middle schools serve more than 40 low income communities across the country.  Each school educates approximately 60-75 students and relies on a combination of volunteers and experienced teachers to provide intensive instruction to children who have struggled academically and socially.  Like Cristo Rey, the NativityMiguel middle schools have had extraordinary success with a population that traditionally has fallen behind and often dropped out of our educational system.  Educators at these schools are developing creative ways to teach children ages 10 to 15, the period when it is critical to reach students most at-risk of not completing school.  The NativityMiguel schools provide these children with individualized academic instruction complemented by caring relationships with adults, guidance in facing physical and psychological changes, and the security of belonging to constructive peer groups.

The foundation was endowed by Mr. B.J. Cassin and is directed by Mr. Jeff Thielman.  Click on their names to read their biographies.