Drag performers will regale families with glitz, glamor, and stories about acceptance and inclusion at three Saint Paul libraries...
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Schools constantly tout high speed internet, iPads and other high tech tools and training when it comes to preparing Minnesota students to compete in a global economy. But an increasing number of rural school districts now call attention to the skills their students are already putting to use to grow Minnesota's economy in an industry increasingly reliant on high tech--agriculture. Their recognition focuses on an annual ritual dubbed "Drive Your Tractor to School Day." [caption id="attachment_10818" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pierz Healy High School[/caption] The parade of tractors plays out in districts all over the state at spring planting time. The Morrison County Record reports the...
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This year we are serving 5,500 kids in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade over nine days, and we will start to have test scores on the impact of the program on reading scores starting this fall....
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The Supreme Court has up to another month to rule on Janus v. AFSCME, a case asking the High Court to overturn a 1977 decision that forces government employees to pay agency fees to a union. The court’s upcoming ruling could significantly impact millions of public workers, including thousands of teachers in the state of Minnesota. But as of April 2018, 70 percent of Minnesota teachers had heard not much (27 percent) or nothing (43 percent) about Janus v. AFSCME, according to a national survey by Educators for Excellence (E4E). This shows how important it is to help our teachers understand...
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Where is the teachers’ union? Teachers are being assaulted. At work. Where is their union? Is it calling for tough discipline, or throwing kids out of school who hurt and maim teachers? Is it demanding that police reports are filed? ...
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The pension bill, which Gov. Mark Dayton supports, is expected to become law though some lawmakers are stunned at the growing expense. Pensions are supposed to be covered by employer and employee contributions that are then invested by the state, but Minnesota stopped paying the full cost of pensions in the early 2000s. Imagine if you did that with your mortgage and then tried to catch up to avoid foreclosure....
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[Photo Source: CCPD] The reality of violence directed against K-12 educators by students is highly concerning. For too many teachers, violence while on the job is prevalent, ranging from threats of physical violence to actual assault or physical abuse....
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It is outrageous that a governor would subject children to his political temper tantrum. Citizens must object to this injection of partisan politics in our K-12 taxpayer supported schools. Dayton can read books to children and encourage on them on their way but no governor should ever use our schools and children as partisan playthings. Shame on Gov. Mark Dayton; shame on the principal for allowing the school and children to be used. His office number is 651. 201. 3400. Call his office and tell him to knock it off. (And to sign the tax bill already.) Here is the story in...
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One reoccurring criticism of teachers’ unions is that they protect “bad” teachers—those “how are you still here?” teachers. But do teachers themselves share this same perception? According to a recent poll, they do. Teacher quality is a vital determinant of student achievement. There is a way to keep good teachers and remove inadequate ones. But the status quo needs to change first. And teachers are calling out the union for getting in the way. ...
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Students who want to avoid college debt, while developing highly prized job skills, are increasingly turning to a new sort of educational institution—one that bills itself as a “college alternative for the digital age.” In a year or less, these schools train students in in-demand skills that lead to well-paying high-tech jobs. Students generally leave the program debt-free. They pay a low tuition either using money they earn during apprenticeships or from earnings after they obtain a job....
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