Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/education/page/18/)
A young woman from the group Students for Education Reform (SFER) just knocked on my door and asked for me by name. She was out promoting Don Samuels for Minneapolis School Board, on behalf of SFER (and the 50CAN Advocacy Fund, I might add). Continue Reading
With six “very old” chairs, the elderly woman knew she needed some repairs. Trying out her new computer skills, she put “chair repair” into Google, and saw several repair shops within easy driving distance — and a website called “how to repair chairs.” And, she proudly told her Computer Club friends, she followed the directions and fixed all the chairs herself!The Computer Club for Seniors at Episcopal Homes in St. Paul was just one of the projects that this year’s CTEP members dreamed, planned and implemented. CTEP stands for the AmeriCorps Community Technology Empowerment Program of SPNN. Continue Reading
Join your friends and neighbors at the 3rd annual park event to honor the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s free celebration will include musical entertainment, kids activities, food vendors and the unveiling of the Beloved Community Project. Years in the making, the project includes a paved walkway, granite benches and landscaping around the Freedom Form II sculpture and a plaque marking its significance in the park. The Beloved Community Project was a collaborative effort between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Legacy Council, the Kingfield Neighborhood Association and Chicago Fire Arts and partially funded by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. Continue Reading
“I think I found I am a Democrat,” said Minneapolis District 5 school board candidate Jay Larson. Democrat or not, Larson, who announced his candidacy at the beginning of the year has been battling rumors over who he is ever since.At the April 26 Minneapolis DFL City Convention, where school board candidates seek party endorsement, Larson said “things got ugly” when rumors began to spread involving his past experience as an employee of KTMS, a Christian radio station, and The Patriot, a conservative talk radio station.There was “a lot of name-calling,” Larson said, and people telling his supporters that Larson “wasn’t their guy.”“I completely respect the delegate process,” Larson said, “but I won’t participate in it again.”Larson said he felt dismayed that DFL members were quick to attack and dismiss him because of his past work record, while ignoring his more recent deeds as a parent, volunteer and community advocate with Minneapolis Public Schools.“I worked at The Patriot eight or nine years ago,” Larson said, but he left the station because their confrontational talk show format was not a “comfortable” fit for him.He said he began working there partly because of his background in radio and because of a friend who worked for the station that wanted Larson to work with him. But he is proud of the work he did in the promotions department at Christian radio station KTMS, he said, because he is “more Christian, and less conservative.”A public servant “in all aspects”Despite his background, Larson said he still believes in the separation of church and state and that his Christianity would not influence him as a school board member. And he believes his active role at downtown Minneapolis’ First Baptist has prepared him well to serve on the school board, he said.Through First Baptist, Larson said he has been the chair of many committees, and that those are elected positions that have taught him how to represent constituents properly, govern boards well and handle difficult decisions involving things like budgets.Larson said that in all aspects of his life he sees himself as a public servant. When he left The Patriot, he began a career in the funeral industry, he said, where he works today. Continue Reading
Seven candidates including one incumbent are running for two at-large seats on the Minneapolis School Board. The primary election will be Tuesday Aug. 12 and the general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 4. The top four vote getters will advance to the general election.
Some of the unused land behind TCF Bank Stadium could sprout more research buildings as the University of Minnesota continues a slow expansion beyond the eastern confines of its Minneapolis campus.
A newly unveiled 14,000-ton neutrino detector built in part by hundreds of University of Minnesota students and staff is searching a kilometers-wide beam of particles for clues about the beginning of the universe.
Minnesota has consistently ranked among the relatively low in terms of pupil-teacher ratios in recent years. However, the pattern shown on the map below reveals that even adjacent school districts can have dramatically different average student-teacher ratios. Thus, it is clear that there is no single cause for the variation in ratios across the state; race, income, and basic population density all come into play. Continue Reading
Last week, part one of this story described how Crosswinds, a special Integration District school created by the settlement of a 1990s NAACP lawsuit to end segregation in Minnesota, was nearly taken over by another school district seeking to enhance its revenue and facilities. Following a legislative stalemate in the 2013-14 session, the takeover attempt failed and the school survived to continue its mission. This week’s conclusion describes the outcome of this struggle to date.
Congressional conservatives have made it hard to get much done these past few years. This has led to a series of creative workarounds by the Obama administration, including the Race to the Top grant competition five years ago which in part took the place of passing new education legislation. I’m less than thrilled with the program which led to many states agreeing to significant policy changes but only funded a few of those efforts. Continue Reading