Learning report stirs hard feelings between Cassellius, legislators
A report by the Minnesota Legislative Auditor that points to flaws in the state’s K-12 online education program is likely to land on the 2012 legislative agenda.
View ArticleSchools flail as state seeks alternative to NCLB
All three elementary schools in the Moorhead Area Public Schools system are failing. That’s the diagnosis from state records released last week by the Department of Education in compliance with the...
View ArticleLIFO repeal appears headed for veto
A year after Republican legislators joined forces with DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to enact changes to state education policy, the GOP’s 2012 K-12 agenda is foundering.
View ArticleFormer Rep. Alice Johnson to run for state Senate
Johnson will challenge first-term GOP Sen. Pam Wolf, who in 2010 won in the current Senate District 51 with more than 52 percent of the vote.
View ArticleBeyond the budget 2013
The path through any budget session leads to a negotiating table at which the governor and legislative leaders work out the most politically palatable taxing and spending deal they can muster. But the...
View ArticleWhat to watch for in Minnesota’s coming legislative session
Here’s a guide to key policy matters that are likely to be addressed and heavily lobbied in the 2013 legislative session.
View ArticleProperty taxes: Direction unknown
One day this week, East Grand Forks Mayor Lynn Strauss picked up his copy of the Grand Forks Herald to find divergent stories on the paper’s front page. On one side, the Minnesota Legislature was...
View ArticleThe fine print: Minnesota budget bills contain little-noted provisions
Traveling in the House and Senate budget bills are dozens of little-discussed provisions that could become sticking points in final negotiations.
View ArticleHouse passes K-12 funding bill
The bill will increase the basic funding formula to schools by $234 million, or 3 percent, which Marquart said would break down to more than $300 in new spending per student.
View ArticleMcHenry, Korte promoted at MN Education Department
Kevin McHenry has been tapped as a new assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Education. McHenry takes over for Rose Chu, who left the agency to take a job at Metropolitan State University.
View ArticleCassellius, Specht dispute importance of MCA scores
"Knowledgeable parents understand that the most important lessons our educators teach won’t show up on an MCA score," Specht said.
View ArticleLooming teacher evals send districts scrambling
Welcomed by some as a long overdue step toward accountability, teacher assessments have also led to troubling headlines in recent months. It was the threat of teacher evaluations that led to a messy...
View ArticleDayton: New test scores show progress in closing Minnesota’s achievement gap
New 2013 test results from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), also known as the "Nation’s Report Card," showed that Minnesota fourth graders had the highest math scores in the nation...
View ArticleEducation commissioner has big dreams for MN
Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius says she feels a “personal responsibility for making my world a better place.”
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