Joe Nathan's blog

BEST Academy will be honored May 10 as one of most effective schools in US with African American young men

 BEST Academy “ has an impressive record of educating Black boys at the highest levels of achievement, outperforming all other schools in Minneapolis and across the state…BEST academy is a bea

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More than 50 Minnesota Ed leaders suggest top legislative priorities in education

What are the top recommendations to Minnesota legislators from superintendents, charter public school directors, union and other leaders?  Fifty-one of 54 leaders responded when I contacted th

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Penny, Pete, Paul and the power of public education

In some ways, Penny, Pete and Paul were very different. Penny was a blonde, blue-eyed teenager who grew up on a farm in East Central Minnesota, with 10 younger brothers and sisters.

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Karin Winegar pens two great books for kids about people and animals

Let’s start today with Tina the tiny horse.  Well, perhaps not tiny.  But small, and injured when kicked by another horse shortly after being born

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27 Minnesota education leaders suggest priorities for President Obama and Congress

What should the top educational priority be for Congress and the Obama Administration? 

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Helping youngsters think about this year's elections

How can we help young people think thoughtfully about this year’s vigorous, sometimes bitter election campaigns?

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Major differences between Obama and Romney in education

There could be major differences for students and schools, depending on who is elected President.  That became clear after reviewing websites of Govern

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Minnesota district & charters wisely retaining & revising recess, not eliminating it

Remember recess?  Was it a relief?  Are your memories mostly about fun and games?  Or was it sometimes traumatic, with kids picking on you or others?    Turns out that

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Will Minnesota move forwards or backwards with vote on Voter ID?

Having marched for civil rights in the 1960s, and having taught government, politics and American history since 1971, I hope we see Minnesota’s better side this fall when we decide about whether to

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10th graders can take free college career tech class, info from MCTC and Anoka Tech

If they register by August 1, Minnesota’s 10th graders can take a free career technical class on a college campus. This is a historic expansion of Minnesota’s Post Secondary Enrollment Options law, first adopted in 1985.  And high school students helped produce You Tube Videos in English, Spanish, Arabic Hmong and Somali providing information about Post Secondary Options.

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