Carlos Guillermo Aragon-Baez is our Minnesota Man of the Day. He has been charged in federal court with one count of illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien. Aragon, aged…
For many families, K-12 open enrollment policies allow students to attend public schools outside of the districts or zones in which they reside, offering more flexibility, opportunity, and choice in…
Nostalgia colors many of our memories of our childhood years, yet many of us will readily admit to feeling confused, frustrated, and disempowered during these critical times. The experience is…
One argument against education choice programs is that expanding parental freedom to access alternative learning environments doesn’t mean much in areas with limited options. But a recent study of universal…
Since President Trump began his second term back in January, the state’s Attorney General seems obsessed with stopping his agenda, and little else. Since the start of Trump’s new term…
The Trump administration’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Dept. of Education and eliminate its cabinet-level bureaucracy has stirred up headlines that such a move would strand K-12 students without…
As states across the country expand educational freedom through policies such as Education Savings Account (ESA) legislation, some in the homeschool community have raised concerns and are actively opposing ESA…
During President Trump’s joint address to Congress, he promised “historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the U.S.A.” Prioritizing domestic critical minerals exploration and development…
On Wednesday, electric vehicle maker Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it plans to “wind down operations.” The company is also seeking approval to hold an auction…
A new peer-reviewed study finds significant overlap between vulnerable species and solar energy potential in the Southwest. The paper may be read in full here. The Southwest, including large swaths…
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) examined Minnesota’s permitting woes in a new study, “Feeling Minnesota: A cautionary tale for permitting reformers.” While the federal permitting process is a severe obstacle…
Happy Thanksgiving! Given that my work focuses on education, I thought it fitting to share a bit about my schooling background, which was filled with many educators who taught me…
Spending on E-12 public education is Minnesota’s biggest general fund expenditure. For the 2024-2025 biennium, E-12 education makes up nearly 35 percent of all general fund dollars and is expected…
Open enrollment policies allow students to access public schools outside of their resident public schools, which can be a great help for families whose assigned neighborhood public schools aren’t the…
In August, the state of Utah filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court challenging federal control over more than a third of the land within its borders. The lawsuit…
Last week I wrote about new Census Bureau data which show that Minnesota lost 8,700 residents net in 2023. To put that in context, as Figure 1 shows, Minnesota’s net…
In June last year, I wrote that data show that families with children are fleeing the Twin Cities. Sadly, that is not all. Writing for the Institute for Family Studies,…
These two factors, among others, should push Minnesota legislators to enact occupational licensing reform in the next legislative session: (1) the fact that Minnesota has consistently ranked among least free…