As the need for new talent ramps up, manufacturing companies are increasingly reaching out to parents to convince their children to consider a career in manufacturing. ...
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Equipped with 100 Lego blocks and some string, foil, and paper, elementary school students in Rochester, Minnesota recently participated in a national building block competition called the “Block Kids Building Program,” sponsored by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Chapter 346 in Rochester. The program “introduces children to the construction industry in an effort to create awareness and promote careers in the industry.” Students also learn the trade industry is meant for both men and women. ...
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The University of Minnesota Duluth Office of Diversity and Inclusion makes a big deal out of Banned Books Week each fall. In fact, the office goes so far as to actually "celebrate" the occasion, an odd choice of words to highlight what they depict as an imminent threat to society. The campus hosts an open house to publicize the campaign, inviting students and the public to "stop by anytime during this free and informal event to celebrate Banned Books Week!" This event, co-sponsored by the Duluth Public Library, is in celebration of Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read....
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The National Coalition Against Censorship may be a highly politicized, New York-based, group of artistic, educational, religious and labor organizations that skews far left. But give NCAC credit for taking a bold stand in criticizing political correctness by Minnesota liberals when no one locally had the guts for the second time in less than a year. The latest case in point--Duluth Public Schools' widely reported decision to ban two classic American novels from the classroom, Huckleberry Finn and To Kill A Mockingbird. Minnesota educational institutions and free speech advocates have remained largely silent on the school district's controversial decision. But NCAC called...
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Sad news reported by the Star Tribune: "Duluth schools remove 'Huckleberry Finn' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' from curriculum." Why are Duluth's students no longer going to be assigned the two best-known anti-racism books in American history? “The feedback that we’ve received is that it makes many students feel uncomfortable,” said Michael Cary, director of curriculum and instruction for the district. Apparently it was minority students who reported being uncomfortable. The move was hailed by Stephan Witherspoon, president of the Duluth chapter of the NAACP, who said it was "long overdue." “Our kids don’t need to read the ‘N’ word in school,” Witherspoon...
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Public views on K-12 education can inform future policies and should be considered to drive lasting improvement to the country’s education system. These views were recently captured in a report titled, “2017 Schooling in America: Public Opinion on K-12 Education, Parent Experiences, School Choice, and the Role of the Federal Government.” Although most Americans’ schooling experiences are with public district schools (more than eight out of 10 students attend public district schools), only about three out of 10 parents said they would choose these schools as their first preference....
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A standing room only crowd showed up for the latest Edina School Board meeting in a show of force by parents upset over political indoctrination in their kids' classrooms first revealed last fall by American Experiment. But a technical glitch in the school district's video means those who were not there in person will never see--or at least hear--what attendees call an emotional event that captured the essence of the controversy that's attracted national attention. Nine parents and two students stood up to address the board, taking advantage of a public forum instituted following the contentious 2017 school district election. Here's what...
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Another red-hot article by Katherine Kersten on the barrage of social justice in Edina Public Schools continues to spark a national discussion. Her latest piece titled “Inside a Public School Social Justice Factory” was recently published by the Weekly Standard, as my colleague Tom Steward summarizes here. Numerous online news outlets have shared the article since its publication and it has received significant attention on Twitter, as well. Tucker Carlson—a “Higher Ed Hero” and host of Tucker Carlson Tonight—tweeted out the article and elicited over 5,000 “likes,” nearly 3,000 retweets, and more than 700 comments. What’s happening in Edina is not an...
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Katherine Kersten's expose of leftist indoctrination and bullying by Edina Public Schools first revealed in Thinking Minnesota continues to attract attention locally and nationally. The latest coverage comes in a Weekly Standard piece headlined "Inside a Public School Social Justice Factory." As a result, the school system’s obsession with “white privilege” now begins in kindergarten. At Edina’s Highlands Elementary School, for example, K-2 students participate in the Melanin Project. The children trace their hands, color them to reflect their skin tone, and place the cut-outs on a poster reading, “Stop thinking your skin color is better than anyone elses!-[sic] Everyone is...
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Enrollment at Minnesota State colleges and universities continues to fall, along with revenue from tuition, resulting in more schools than not running in the red again in the 2016-17 school year. It's the sixth consecutive year for declining overall enrollment at the 37 Minnesota State post-secondary institutions. Some of the factors at work appear to be a stronger economy with more job opportunities and changing demographics that have led to fewer college-age young people. A desire to avoid crushing debt before entering the workforce and the reality that just 22 percent of jobs in Minnesota require a four-year college degree could also...
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