"To understand what’s wrong with our public education system, you have to look at what’s arguably the most powerful force in our schools: White parents."...
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Throughout the coronavirus crisis, Governor Tim Walz has claimed he is "following the science." If "science versus politics" is supposed to influence decision-making, it's time to do that with regard to reopening schools. Visit OpenMNSchools.com and let Gov. Walz know online learning isn't enough and our kids need to be in the classroom this fall. ...
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Figuring out what school learning will look like this fall has stirred up quite the debate nationwide. And all the uncertainty over schools reopening and what it would take for them to do so safely has parents looking elsewhere....
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Duluth's new superintendent of schools John Magas has hit the ground running in his first month on the job, considering it's still uncertain whether students will be physically present at the start of the new school year this fall. But if they are, Magas has made it clear that he expects school resource police officers to be on campus as well, despite a vocal campaign underway to remove police officers from Duluth schools. While having only one school board meeting under his belt thus far, Magas isn't shying away from the controversial SRO issue with the Duluth News Tribune reporting the...
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The state hasn't issued its guidance yet on public schools reopening this fall, but many private religious schools are intending to bring their students back for in-person classes....
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The debate over in-person school this fall continues on in Minnesota. Returning all students to the classroom is one of three possible scenarios being considered by the Minnesota Department of Education, Department of Health, and the Governor's office. If schools don't reopen (which, would likely cause students to fall further behind, and given our persistent education disparities, would not be good), then it's important we focus on student-centered solutions that don't force parents to continue paying for closed schools and a status quo whose ROI was questionable pre-COVID. ...
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Thomas Sowell, a renowned economist, theorist and writer, published his latest book Charter Schools and Their Enemies on June 30, his 90th birthday. The book defends charter schools against those who have worked tirelessly to dismantle the schools' success—teachers' unions, politicians, and liberal educators. ...
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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) recently conducted an informal survey asking Minnesota families about their experience with distance learning and their hopes for the upcoming school year. According to the data collected from over 130,000 respondents, 64.3% are "comfortable" sending their students to school in the fall. And of those comfortable, 94.4% would prefer to send their students back full-time. But Governor Walz has appeared to suggest schools won't fully reopen this fall....
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As we continue to wait for school reopening plans to unfold, school leaders across the country and the national teachers' union are repeating an all-to-familiar call for increased education spending, despite the billions in extra aid that has already been made available. In fact, they have even suggested they are ready to "keep schools shuttered if lawmakers don't pony up," according to Frederick Hess with the American Enterprise Institute. But many of these laments about inadequate funding were occurring even before the health care crisis hit, creating a "schools that cried wolf" narrative. ...
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of children and families today in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. The decision is a significant win for school choice and religious liberty. ...
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