Report confirms persistent achievement gap, students unprepared for college

As educational disparities continue to plague Minnesota students across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, it’s clear the state needs to take a different approach to solving education shortcomings.

Bde Maka Ska?  Change the Name.  Rewrite History.  Redefine Politics.

Minnesota’s Left wants to replace our traditional self-understanding as the land of freedom and opportunity with a vision of America as an illegitimate nation that advanced by trampling on victim groups. This article originally appeared in the Fall 2019 issue of Thinking Minnesota, now the second largest magazine in Minnesota.   To receive a free trial issue send your name and address to info@americanexperiment.org. In George Orwell’s iconic dystopian novel, 1984, the main character, Winston Smith, works at the Ministry of Truth in Oceania, a one-Party socialist state in what was once the British Isles and the Americas. The ministry does not promote truth, but rewrites...

Walz Doubles Down on Taxpayer Subsidies for Failed Amtrak Train Lines

The Walz administration’s attempt to get Minnesota taxpayers to subsidize a proposed $550 million passenger train to Grand Casino Hinckley and Duluth-Superior came up empty with the failure to pass a bonding bill at the legislature this year. But outdated, wasteful government projects rarely fade away, they just get bigger and bolder. MnDOT now plans to double down on its $15 million request from this year in the 2020 legislative session, according to the Star Tribune. The $30 million funding request from state coffers would move Northern Lights into its final design phase, with service beginning in 2023. Rail planners...

AMERICAN EXPERIMENT BOOK SHELF

The winners of the 2019 Nobel prize in economics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2019 Nobel prize in economics to economists Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer for their research into tackling global poverty. 

Fraud and Mismanagement Should Be Red Flag for City Funding of Credit Union

The Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial board had a great opinion piece last week investigating allegations of fraud and mismanagement for a new credit union designed to promote economic opportunities for African-Americans in North Minneapolis. According to the Strib: “In one of the worst scenarios that a financial institution can face, a startup north Minneapolis credit union is embroiled in allegations of fraud and mismanagement. Two top leaders of Village Financial Cooperative were terminated in August for alleged financial misconduct. Both deny the charges and have countered with allegations that they were fired because of racial discrimination. Village Financial is an African-American-led...

Test Scores Falling? Change the Test!

The Star Tribune ponders the fact that Minnesota students’ math scores keep dropping: “As test scores drop, Minnesota educators seek a ‘new conversation’ about math.” I think “new conversation” means they want to change the subject away from falling test scores. Math scores on the biggest statewide exam have plummeted for six straight years, troubling some education officials and teachers — and prompting deep discussions about how to teach math in a more holistic way. Why, exactly, do falling scores suggest a need to teach more “holistically”? Math is an objective field. Either the student comes up with the right...

Problems with Metro Transit Electric Buses Show the Technology Isn’t Ready for Primetime

Last week the Star Tribune ran an article entitled “Metro Transit Temporarily Pulls Electric Buses from C Line Because of Problems with Chargers,” stating the eight electric buses on the newly-formed C Line would be taken out of service until defects with the charging mechanisms could be fixed. Diesel-powered buses will continue service on the line. According to the article: “The 60-foot electric buses, manufactured by New Flyer of America in St. Cloud, were supposed to charge overnight and then stop for a quick 12-minute charge at the Brooklyn Center Transit Center while in operation. But issues surfaced with the...