A friend of mine sent me a YouTube video of U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) berating Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. He fairly characterized it as “full frontal Madame Mao.” It…
Minnesota educators looking for a non-partisan, non-union option to provide them with liability insurance, job protection coverage, and professional development have excellent options to choose from. The Association of American…
The University of Minnesota has proposed a $1,000 per semester surcharge for new undergraduate students in the College of Science and Engineering, supposedly to enable the high-demand school to expand. The…
In the same week that President George H. W. Bush is being rightfully revered for his modesty, it’s in questionable taste for me to start any blog by saying, “I…
Editor: The following essay by American Experiment Founder and Senior Fellow Mitch Pearlstein, “Poverty, Culture & Marriage,” was released as part of “The Tenth Annual Celebration of John Brandl and…
Minnesota’s new teacher licensure reforms bring effective improvements to a previously badly broken and complex licensing system. Finally, after a seven-year effort, the state’s teacher licensing system has been overhauled…
Minnesota teachers pay dues to two national unions, the NEA and AFT, as well as the state union, Education Minnesota. In fact, the bulk of teachers’ dues goes to national…
With charter school enrollment on the rise, the hunt for building facilities to accommodate student body growth is a challenge. But charters’ facility problems are not due to a lack…
The Star Tribune ran a story on Tuesday about how the University of Minnesota is (rightly) defending itself against a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by nine Gopher football players…
Guest column from attorney Peter A. Swanson: On Monday, the Hennepin County Bar Association is sponsoring a Continuing Legal Education seminar called "Attorneys of Color PLUS: Maneuvering Barriers to the Successful Practice…
Education Minnesota—the state’s teachers’ union—has not been shy about its efforts to bolster the Democratic Party. Through campaign spending and organizational muscle, the union has “dedicated” itself to “help get…
The Star Tribune’s Erin Golden, who covers the education and teachers’ union beat, wrote an article about how the union is aggressively asking teachers to vote and encourage their students…
Rebekah Hagstrom responds to violence in our schools.
Unions try—and fail—to disrupt an event.
How teachers can get a refund for their PAC ‘contributions.’
Each year Education Minnesota charges members $25.00 for its political action committee or “PAC.” PAC money is spent on political parties (OK mostly one party), candidates and other political funds.…
Race-based quotas for discipline led to violent chaos in St. Paul schools, so Minnesota's Department of Human Rights decided to double down on program statewide.
Perhaps the richest irony of Harvard’s admissions policies disfavoring Asians is that they result in preferential admissions for white applicants. This wasn’t the original intent of affirmative action partisans. Harvard…
An activist court ruling. Metrowide racial balancing of schools. An end to local control. Sum total? This Sunday Cover Op-ed appeared in the Star Tribune on October 7, 2018. On…
Eight schools in Minnesota and eight schools in Wisconsin were recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for overall academic excellence. Six of the eight schools awarded in Wisconsin were…
Students at Big Lake Schools were introduced to apprenticeships and other career-focused opportunities through the high school’s annual Youth Apprenticeship Career Fair on September 20. Twenty-nine local businesses, companies and…
Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers’ union, used two pages of its every-other-month magazine, Minnesota Educator, to list out the political candidates it has endorsed for the upcoming November elections. Ninety-nine percent…
One of my most frustrating regrets has to do with a conversation a few years ago with a high-ranking and quite sensible academic administrator. The topic was how a number…
Denise Specht, President of Education Minnesota makes over $206,000 a year. Specht's gross salary increased $5,794 in 2016. Almost 70 executives and other staff at Education Minnesota make over $100,000…