fbpx

Latest Posts

Home

Facebook

Twitter

Search
About
logo
Thinking Minnesota Archive

Education

Governance

Health Care

mobile logo
0 Comments
on January 08, 2018
Print
Sticky

Coming Soon: National School Choice Week at the MN State Capitol

Written by Catrin Wigfall
in Education

An estimated 6.7 million people will participate in celebrating effective education options for students later this month. National School Choice Week (NSCW)—an annual celebration of opportunity in education—will take place January 21-27 to “raise public awareness of the different K-12 education options available to children and families, while spotlighting the benefits of school choice.” Here in Minnesota, Opportunity for All Kids (OAK) will host its own free celebratory event called Day on the Hill at the Minnesota State Capitol, Tuesday, January 23 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m....

Continue reading
0 Comments
on January 02, 2018
Print
Sticky

Educational advance for parent choice: 529 accounts available for K-12 public, private and religious schools

Written by Kim Crockett
in Education

The new tax bill will not only encourage schools to offer the best educational opportunities, it will also bring new schools into the marketplace and strengthen the private and religious schools in Minnesota. Parents will still “pay twice” by paying taxes for the public school and tuition for the school of their choice but at least Congress, as you will read below, has expanded 529 accounts for all K-12 schools. ...

Continue reading
0 Comments
on December 29, 2017
Print
Sticky

American Experiment Scores Two of 2017’s Top Ten Op-Eds

Written by John Hinderaker
in Education, Transportation

The Star Tribune has released its list of the most-read op-eds of 2017, and the Center had two in the top ten. Katherine Kersten's blockbuster piece on political indoctrination in the Edina public schools was number two, and my column on traffic congestion in the Twin Cities was number nine. 1. “No sympathy here for that airline passenger,” by Bob Gust, a lawyer living in Bloomington. While the world rages against United Airlines, I am outraged by the selfishness of the passenger removed from a plane in the much-discussed incident — and by the lack of critical thinking among everyone else. 2. “Racial...

Continue reading
0 Comments
on December 29, 2017
Print
Sticky

A View on Higher Ed: Results show 2-year degree holders often outearn college-educated peers

Written by Katherine Kersten
in Education

This commentary originally appeared December 12, 2017 in the Duluth News Tribune. It’s common wisdom in our society that you’ve got to have a four-year college degree to get ahead. If you don’t, you’re doomed to second-best in life, the thinking goes. This stereotype is based, to a good extent, on the belief that people with a bachelor’s degree can expect to make a lot more money over a lifetime than their peers. They’re sure to have nicer homes, fancier cars, more exotic vacations, and a bigger nest egg for retirement. Right? A new study from the Twin Cities-based Center of the American...

Continue reading
0 Comments
on December 28, 2017
Print
Sticky

U of MN Refutes Memo that Calls Santa Claus & Christmas Trees “Not Appropriate”

Written by Catrin Wigfall
in Education

In the name of “diversity,” a memo distributed by a U of MN employee at a lunch meeting told attendees Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and bows and wrapped gifts were “not appropriate for gatherings and displays at this time of year.” The backlash on social media caused the U of MN to distance itself from the document and label it as an "ill-advised attempt to spark a dialogue" on religious diversity and holidays. ...

Continue reading
0 Comments
on December 20, 2017
Print
Sticky

Millennials: The School Choice Generation

Written by Catrin Wigfall
in Education

A recent GenForward survey confirms support for school choice is high among Millennials across racial and ethnic lines. The bimonthly survey of Millennials is conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago. Over 1,750 young adults between the ages 18 and 34 were asked about education in the United States and responded favorably toward voucher programs and charter schools....

Continue reading
0 Comments
on December 14, 2017
Print
Sticky

Why Would Congress Punish Colleges That Decline Federal Funds? A Hillsdale Mom Makes the Case for That ‘Hillsdale Exemption’

Written by Kim Crockett
in Education

I checked with experts on the Hill this morning: the tax bill could be amended in conference to add new provisions like the 'Hillsdale Exemption' (it's called "air dropping"). But since the Senate is using the reconciliation process to pass the bill, it could get hung up under the Bird Rule as "too prescriptive" and force another vote on the bill. That is a risk too great to take. Corrections should be made later. College-bound scholarship students are counting on Congress to take that vote. ...

Continue reading