Teacher salaries have risen over the last decade by 19.3 percent, but teachers' total compensation (salary and benefits) have increased even more, by 28.5 percent over the same time period, because health care and pension payments are eating up a growing share of teacher compensation....
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It's hard for nervous parents who are unable to count on public schools fully opening this fall to miss the headlines popping up all over. Here's a few recent examples. "Duluth private schools will have in-person learning"--Duluth News Tribune "Private schools prepare to reopen"--Mankato Free Press "Rochester Catholic schools to hold in-person classes"--Rochester Post Bulletin While public schools largely remain on the fence over whether to even partially reopen and the Education Minnesota teachers union fights them all the way, private schools have risen to the occasion. Parents in Duluth have known for weeks in some cases that their child's private school plans to...
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Students required to take a high school exit exam are 7 percent less likely to be arrested, according to a paper by Prof. Matthew Larsen published in Education Next. Minnesota used to require an exit exam but no longer does....
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For parents interested in alternative learning options, here are some resources to help you get started. ...
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When schools closed, the demand for online school resources increased. A new study has however found that most of the increase in demand for online learning resources occurred in areas with high income and better internet access. Areas with more rural schools and black students saw lower increases in demand for online learning resources. This points to a huge disparity in access to online learning resources which will widen student achievement gaps. ...
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The Minneapolis Board of Education voted against a resolution that called for starting the school year with distance learning, citing a "need for the governor to weigh in." Gov. Walz and the Minnesota Department of Education are expected to announce their statewide guidance for the 2020 school year tomorrow. Through its Open MN Schools campaign, the Center sent state leaders a petition signed by thousands of Minnesotans imploring them to give students the option to learn in their classrooms this fall....
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The uncertainty around what school will look like this fall has sent parents scrambling and looking to innovative alternatives to meet the needs of their students and enhance their learning opportunities—from pandemic pods to micro-schools to homeschool co-ops. If schools don't reopen or can't provide a learning environment that meets students' needs, parents should be given the opportunity to pursue a learning model that works for their student....
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Gov. Walz and the Minnesota Department of Education will announce school learning guidance for this fall on July 30. Hopefully their decision takes into account the recent surveys where students, parents and educators shared their experiences on how distance learning went. Hint: it didn't go well. ...
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Governor Walz is set to announce Minnesota's plan for the 2020-2021 school year on July 30th. A rally organized by concerned parents with support from American Experiment and Re-open Minnesota Schools will take place at 4 pm on Sunday, July 26th at the Governor's Mansion. If we are truly following the science of COVID-19, there is no good reason for our students to remain home from school. Online learning is not enough, and our students cannot afford to lose any more ground. If you agree that our schools should re-open, sign the petition, and tell Governor Walz to re-open Minnesota's schools! ...
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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Governor Tim Walz will announce their "strategy to educate students" this fall a week from today, on July 30. Visit OpenMNSchools.com and let Gov. Walz know online learning isn’t enough and our kids need to return to the classroom. ...
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