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Minnesota Schools Awarded Funding to Implement Evidence-Based BARR System

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BARR Center (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) announced today that 18 additional Minnesota schools have been selected to implement its evidenced-based system. The 2023 Minnesota legislature approved $5 million for the expansion of the BARR system which focuses on improving school culture and student outcomes. The BARR system is used in 40 schools in Minnesota and over 300 schools in the nation.

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Funded through Minnesota’s 2023 K12 Education Finance bill (HF 2497) and working with the Minnesota Department of Education in the selection process, the following schools were awarded three-years of funding to roll out BARR’s system:

 

I am so grateful to the Minnesota legislature for allocating this funding.

Elementary Schools: Brookview Elementary School, Stillwater School District; Ellen Hopkins Elementary School, Moorhead School District; North Metro Flex Academy Charter School, North St. Paul; Northport Elementary School, Robbinsdale School District; Roosevelt Elementary School, Detroit Lakes School District; Southview Elementary School, Marshall School District; Wilshire Park Elementary School, St. Anthony New Brighton School District.

Middle Schools: Detroit Lakes Middle School, Detroit Lakes School District; Marshall Middle School, Marshall School District; North Junior High School, St. Cloud School District; Oak-Land Middle School, Stillwater School District; South Junior High School, St. Cloud School District.

High Schools: Apple Valley High School, Rosemount– Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools; Crookston High School, Crookston School District; Eden Prairie High School, Eden Prairie School District; Jordan High School, Jordan School District; Mankato East High School, Mankato School District; Two Rivers High School, ISD 197 West St. Paul and Mendota Heights.

Highly competitive, more than 50 schools applied. Schools selected are geographically distributed and priority consideration was given to schools with a concentration of black, indigenous, and students of color, and those experiencing poverty.

Educator training is underway as schools begin implementing the BARR system during the 2023-24 school year. These schools will form a statewide network and also join the national network of BARR schools.

BARR’s mission is to create equitable schools where every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status, has access to high-quality education where adults know them, recognize their strengths, and help them succeed,” explains Angela Jerabek, founder and executive director of the BARR Center. “I am so grateful to the Minnesota legislature for allocating this funding so more educators and students can experience the BARR system, a true evidence-based school success system. I am very excited to have additional schools entering BARR’s system.”

Now more than ever, in this challenging, post-pandemic period, educators need support addressing school climate and student mental health issues. Using existing resources, the BARR system focuses on building meaningful relationships – capitalizing on the strengths of every student – and leveraging student data to truly transform a school’s culture. In every school implemented it has proven to be a successful way to meet the social and emotional needs of all students while simultaneously increasing student achievement and teacher satisfaction and effectiveness.

The BARR system stands alone as the most consistently proven school improvement model in the country. Through rigorous studies conducted by the American Institute for Research (AIR), the BARR system has demonstrated statistically significant results in 20 areas, including increasing math and English achievement scores, improving student credit attainment, reducing course failure, closing the achievement gap, and reducing chronic absenteeism all while improving the school environment for both students and staff.

About BARR Center
BARR Center (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) delivers the expertise and resources required for a school to implement the BARR system, an evidence-backed system designed to nurture a collaborative and strengths-based culture of support and success for every student through intentionally deepening relationships and improving the use of data. For more information, visit, https://barrcenter.org/.

The contents of this press release do not necessarily represent the policy of the federal Department of Education or the state Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the federal or state government.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minnesota-schools-awarded-funding-to-implement-evidence-based-barr-system-301955641.html

SOURCE BARR Center

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CGTN AMERICA & CCTV UN: Peng Liyuan chats over tea, visits exhibition with wife of Egyptian president

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Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, chatted over tea and visited a small handicrafts exhibition with Entissar El-Sisi, wife of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — (This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.)

Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, chatted over tea and visited a small handicrafts exhibition with Entissar El-Sisi, wife of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on Wednesday.

Peng had a cordial exchange with Entissar on China-Egypt friendship and people-to-people exchanges.

Egypt has a long history and a profound cultural heritage, Peng said, noting that the exquisite exhibits fully showcased the wisdom and unique aesthetic sensibilities of the Egyptian people.

China and Egypt share many cultural similarities, Peng said, expressing hope that artists from the two countries would strengthen exchanges and cooperation to allow traditional crafts to continue to shine with renewed vitality through inheritance and mutual learning.

Click here for more about Peng Liyuan chats over tea, visits exhibition with wife of Egyptian president

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-02/Peng-chats-over-tea-visits-exhibition-with-wife-of-Egyptian-president-1Q7eqvF7hsY/p.html

Media Contact

Yao, CGTN America, 1 2023931850, distribution@cgtnamerica.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/cgtn-america–cctv-un-peng-liyuan-chats-over-tea-visits-exhibition-with-wife-of-egyptian-president-302869419.html

SOURCE CGTN America

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Mid Island Y JCC Announces Historic Naming Gift from Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation; Agency to Become Manes JCC

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PLAINVIEW, N.Y., Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mid Island Y JCC, Long Island’s leading Jewish community center announced last night that it received a transformative naming gift from longtime member Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation. In recognition of the gift, the agency will officially be renamed Manes JCC.

The announcement was made Wednesday evening during a community-wide celebration at the agency’s Plainview location, drawing members, neighbors, and supporters from across Long Island. The event featured remarks from Mid Island Y JCC CEO Rick Lewis, board leadership, and Dr. Manes, along with the unveiling of the agency’s new name.

“Philanthropy is not an add-on to what we do at Mid Island Y JCC; it is the reason our programs, spaces, and services exist today,” said Rick Lewis, CEO of the agency soon to be known as Manes JCC. “We have grown and flourished for 70 years because people who believe in this community have chosen to invest in it. This gift from Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation is the newest, and one of the most significant chapters in that story.”

Dr. Manes is an orthopedic surgeon, attorney, author, and philanthropist. A longtime member of Mid Island Y JCC, his relationship with the agency began in an exercise class and deepened over time. He previously supported the naming of the agency’s Arts and Culture Center, and that growing commitment has now culminated in this landmark gift from Dr. Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation, which he oversees with his children.

“This organization has given so much to this community for so long, and I have felt that impact firsthand,” said Dr. Manes. “The Manes Peace Prize Foundation and I are proud to be part of the next chapter of this agency, and we hope this gift will help it do even more for the people for our community and those who need it most.”

The gift will fund a combination of immediate capital improvements and longer-term investments in the agency’s facilities and programs. Three projects are already underway: resealing and restriping the parking lot ahead of members’ return in September, installing a new floor in the group fitness studio, and replacing fitness center equipment that has been in place since the facility’s 2012 renovation.

“These three projects are just the beginning,” said Vicki Diamond, President of the Manes JCC Board of Directors. “In the coming weeks and months, our board and leadership will determine how the remainder of this extraordinary gift will be put to work, and we cannot wait to share those plans with our community as they take shape.”

Agency leaders regard the gift as transformative while recognizing the ongoing generosity that has always sustained the organization.

“We are beyond grateful to Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation,” Diamond added. “This gift is not a finish line. It is fuel for a community that has always shown up for itself and one that we are counting on to continue showing up.”

The name change represents an investment in the organization’s future, not a change to its mission. Manes JCC will continue to operate as a Jewish Community Center serving individuals and families of every age, background, and faith. Its programs and services span early childhood education and daycare, camp, school-age enrichment, fitness and aquatics, adult and senior services, memory care, special needs programming, and community-wide events.

About Manes JCC

Formerly known as Mid Island Y JCC, Manes JCC is a nonprofit Jewish Community Center whose programs, services, partnerships, and community impact reach individuals and families throughout Long Island. For 70 years, the agency has provided programs and services spanning early childhood education, camp, school-age enrichment, fitness and aquatics, adult and senior services, memory care, special needs programming, and community-wide events. Manes JCC welcomes members and neighbors of all ages, backgrounds, and faiths.

For more information, visit miyjcc.org.

Wendy Klonsky wklonsky@miyjcc.org or (516) 822-3535, x338

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mid-island-y-jcc-announces-historic-naming-gift-from-dr-harvey-manes-and-the-manes-peace-prize-foundation-agency-to-become-manes-jcc-302869436.html

SOURCE Mid Island Y JCC

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New asset management platform to help communities build smarter receives federal investment

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PrairiesCan supports Regina company advancing AI-enabled asset management technology

REGINA, SK, Sept. 3, 2026 /CNW/ — At each defining moment in its history, Saskatchewan has responded by building. In the province’s early decades, communities built the roads, schools, hospitals and communications networks needed to connect people across vast distances and lay the foundations of a growing province.

As Saskatchewan entered the post-war era, it built again. Highways expanded, rural communities gained access to electricity and telephone service, and new industries took root in energy, mining and manufacturing.

Today, Saskatchewan and Canada face another defining economic moment. As we respond to new and unjustified U.S. tariffs, governments across the country are focused on what they can control: building strength at home. That means building the homes, infrastructure and major projects Canada needs, while supporting Canadian companies developing technologies that help communities build smarter, plan better and make more informed investments.

Today, the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), announced $980,000 in repayable funding for Asset Strategy Inc., operating as ASI Engineering, to further develop its proprietary asset management platform, ASI Software.

Municipalities and other organizations rely on roads, buildings, water systems and other public assets to deliver services, attract investment, and support long-term economic growth, particularly as communities work to strengthen resilience and position themselves for future opportunities. Maintaining clear, up-to-date information about these assets is essential for planning maintenance, anticipating future needs and ensuring limited resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact.

ASI Software will bring this information together through a cloud-based registry and client dashboard. The platform will provide visual summaries of asset conditions, track budgets over time and identify projected funding gaps and infrastructure deficits. AI-enabled reporting tools will support continuous monitoring and help organizations make better-informed decisions about what to maintain, upgrade, or build next.

By supporting Saskatchewan technology that helps communities plan and build with greater confidence, the Government of Canada is helping ASI Engineering bring its platform to market, pursue new opportunities at home and abroad, and contribute to stronger, more resilient communities.

Quotes

“At defining moments in its history, Saskatchewan has responded by building. Today, as Canada navigates a changing global economy, we are building strength at home by supporting Canadian businesses developing the technologies we need to build smarter. ASI Engineering’s new platform will help communities make more informed investments, strengthen their infrastructure and get better value from the assets people rely on every day.”
–The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)

“When we support Saskatchewan businesses like ASI Engineering, we’re investing in world-class innovation developed right here at home. This nearly $1 million in federal support from PrairiesCan will help the company bring new technology to market so that they give clients better information to manage their infrastructure, control costs, and plan for the future.”
–The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development

“This support will help speed up ASI Software’s development, bring it to market sooner, and help organizations better manage assets, reduce risk, prioritize investments, and create a positive impact on society faster.”
–Darren Wiebe, Founder & CEO, ASI Engineering

Quick facts

ASI Engineering expects to expand their market reach to the United States and Europe within the next two years.Support for ASI Engineering is provided under the Business Scale-up and Productivity Program (BSP), which offers interest-free, repayable funding for high-growth businesses that are seeking to improve productivity, scale-up, and commercialize technology.ASI Engineering plans to add climate adaptation and risk-modelling tools to help organizations prepare for wildfires, flooding and other infrastructure threats.Future updates to ASI Software will integrate AI, 3D building management and digital twins (live virtual models of physical objects, systems or processes) to strengthen condition assessments, identify risks and support better infrastructure decisions.

Associated links

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) in the Prairie provincesAsset Strategy Inc. (ASI Engineering)

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Toll-free number: 1-888-338-9378
TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388

SOURCE Prairies Economic Development Canada

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