Education

Education coverage includes what's working, what's not working, how our kids are doing, how our college students are paying for their educations, the achievement gaps, teachers, students, parents, district schools, charter schools, private schools — and your contributions and opinions are welcome. 

Our weekly Education Newsletter highlights articles, blog posts, events, and links. For example, look for lots of links to thoughtful discussions of education issues from Beth Hawkins at MinnPost and Diane Ravitch at Education Week.

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House, Senate cut deal on higher education budget

The House and Senate have struck a deal on a budget bill that would freeze tuition for in-state undergraduates at the state’s public colleges and universities.

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Suburban Black student suspensions show little improvement in 2010-12

Student walkout, April 26, Hopkins High School (Photo by Charles Hallman)

In last week’s edition, the MSR reviewed 2009 suspension data from several suburban schools showing, as the story headline stated, that “Black suspensions [are] more than double other students’ in suburban schools.” The MSR also reviewed the 2010-11 and 2011-12 discipline data from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to determine if schools have improved since 2009.

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Prepare and Participate: Lao American Parenting to Pursue Knowledge

     Recently, a student in my program was preparing a speech, and she was moved by the words of the late El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz who said “Education is the passport to the future,

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Letting down our students, our teachers

“I am afraid nothing will change”

“Nothing’s gonna change, it isn’t ever going to be any different.”

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House and Senate begin talks on higher education spending

With a week left until the Legislature is due to adjourn, Senate and House members are starting to hammer out the differences in their funding plans for Minnesota’s public colleges and universities.

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Starting Line: Establishing a Student Religious Liberties Act

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution are collectively called The Bill of Rights. Originally drafted to lessen fears that the Constitution would open the way to tyranny by a central government, this document enshrines citizens' most important basic freedoms.

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Minneapolis school superintendent Bernadeia Johnson plans to implement autonomous zones, modeled after charters, at 20-30 percent of schools

A standing-room-only crowd listened as Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson announced her plans for changes in the district, including a new “innovative partnership zone” which would include 20-30 percent of schools. She said school teams in these zones would “exchange autonomy for accountability,” and would be governed by performance based contracts and  freed up from what she characterized as outdated rules. The announcement came at 8:00 on Monday morning (May 13) at Pohlad Hall, the meeting room on the second floor the downtown library.

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COMMUNITY VOICES | 2013 Minneapolis Urban Farmers Collaborative candidate questionnaire: Lisa Bender, Ward 10

The Minneapolis Urban Farmer's Collaborative has invited candidates for Minneapolis City Council, Parks & Recreation Board, and Mayor to complete a candidate questionnaire to determine where the candidates stand on current policy issues relevant to urban agriculture, including food production on public park lands, on-site vegetable sales for urban producers, and ownership of chickens for small-scale commercial purposes. Completed candidate questionnaires are being posted on the Minneapolis Issues Forum at www.e-democracy.org for public viewing as they become available.

Below, read the response from Lisa Bender, candidate for the Ward 10 City Council seat.

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Minneapolis Public School's summer program opens to more students

These 4th grade students are looking at the variations and adaptations in nature at Eloise Butler Garden. (From last year’s program, courtesy of MPS)

I was surprised when I received a letter encouraging my son to attend summer school. It didn't make sense to me — he made the honor roll and his test scores were good. Why would I send him to summer school?

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People with disabilities face gap in higher education employment

Sandra Buchholz has had difficulty landing a job because she’s deaf.

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