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Lynnell Mickelsen

Minneaoplis, MN
Commenter for
5 years 27 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/21/13 at 09:36 pm in response to More funding, all-day K: 'This is very definitely the education session'

This is such an improvement over the last ten years! Nice job!

Posted on 05/03/13 at 03:58 pm in response to Gun-control advocates push Thissen for vote on 'doomed' background-check bill

Hear. Hear.

Posted on 05/02/13 at 10:04 am in response to Education Minnesota's election: A change of style, not policy

have proven effective.

In Minneapolis, according to a study by The New Teacher Project (a study that both the union and the district cooperated with) only one percent of tenured teachers are flagged for teaching performance issues. Out of this one percent, only .38 resign, retire or are dismissed. The rest go back into the classroom. So under the union’s much-toted Peer Assessment Review program, 99.6 percent of our tenured teachers are effective. This is not credible for any...

Posted on 04/30/13 at 10:07 pm in response to The importance of Keith Ellison, a patriotic American who's also a Muslim

And I can attest that what Joan Walsh wrote, "he’s such a smart, tough but reasonable and charming progressive leader" is the truth. Keith is great. He is an African-American Muslim man who represents my values---and I'm a white Christian woman. Core human values transcend gender, religion and skin color.

Posted on 04/26/13 at 11:22 am in response to Film Fest documentary 'Off Label' had local inspiration

I thought Sheila Reagan's covering of the removal of the Green Central principal was really good----and I can only imagine how hard it was to report that piece. Good work, Sheila!

Posted on 04/24/13 at 03:03 pm in response to Speaker Steve Perry provokes heated exchange on education reform

A few points of clarification:

1) I thought a few of Steve Perry's comments were out-of-line, particularly the comment comparing the union to cockroaches. That was awful and ugly andI hated it. But his main point--- that we know how to create better schools for our kids; we're just not willing to do it because we continue to put the needs of adults over the needs of students---is right on.

2) We've got a huge percentage of good-to-great teachers in Minneapolis. We also have...

Posted on 04/24/13 at 09:56 pm in response to Speaker Steve Perry provokes heated exchange on education reform

Hi Tony Dodge:

Thanks for your comments above

Put Kids First is a small group of volunteers---and part of a growing and broader education reform movement in the Twin Cities, For all the talk about "corporate reformers," most of the people I run into our local education reform circles are young progressive Democrats who either were or are teachers and who are committed to making our public schools strong and vibrant places.

RE: "Being absolutely sure PKFM is right" Heck...

Posted on 04/24/13 at 10:05 pm in response to Speaker Steve Perry provokes heated exchange on education reform

"Assigning homeless, highly mobile students almost exclusively to schools already full of at risk students is, in effect, throwing them all under the bus."

I totally agree, Daniel. This is bad policy and needs to change.

Posted on 04/25/13 at 10:36 am in response to Speaker Steve Perry provokes heated exchange on education reform

The research doesn't say teachers are the biggest factor in a student's academic success----we know income and the level of parental education is a big factor too. The research show that teachers are the biggest IN-SCHOOL factor for student's academic success.

I don't know any one---including Michelle Rhee--who think bad teachers are "the only problem."

Progressive reformers like myself aren't trying to bust the union--we simply want the union to adapt to the needs of the 21st...

Posted on 04/25/13 at 10:40 am in response to Speaker Steve Perry provokes heated exchange on education reform

.....but still love the speech. I didn't like the "roaches" line, but you bet, I thought Perry rocked the house. He WAS blunt, direct and hilarious. He rocked the house.

It's not a contradiction, Rob. You keep setting up either/or choices. But we can also choose both/and.