In 2006 the Foundation launched the Great Books Model Schools Project (MSP), an exciting three-year initiative that brings new Great Books 3–5 programs to 7,000 elementary students in seven schools in six states, and the District of Columbia. MSP schools represent a broad range of urban, rural, and suburban areas with diverse student populations:

• Fruitdale Elementary School, Great Bend, OR
• Gavilan Peak Elementary School, Anthem, AZ
• Rocklin Elementary School, Rocklin, CA
• Copperfield Elementary School, Austin, TX
• Cityview Elementary School, Minneapolis, MN
• North Barrington Elementary School, North Barrington, IL
• Thomson Elementary School, Washington, DC*

Great Books Brings Great Results

After using Great Books 3–5 for one year, MSP schools reported impressive gains in students' reading proficiency. In year 2, standardized test scores showed continued gains in student reading:

• 2 schools outperformed their districts at all grade levels
• 2 schools outperformed their district in third-grade
• 2 schools outperformed their district in fourth-grade, and two other schools minimized the difference with their districts in fourth-grade from the previous year
• Fifth-grade students made the largest gains in exceeding proficiency in reading with 4 of the 6 schools increasing from fourth-grade

Project schools submit three samples of student writing per year and provide standardized test scores that were analyzed by an outside evaluator.

Read a newsletter about MSP

*Thomson Elementary School joined MSP at a later date and is not represented in results collected to date.