The 8 biggest education stories of 2015
With a contentious superintendent search in Minneapolis and an ugly school board race in St. Paul, 2015 saw a lot of waiting to see where chips would fall.
Beth Hawkins
Beth Hawkins covered education and other public-policy topics for MinnPost from its launch in 2007 to October of 2015, when she left to write for Education Post, a nonprofit based in Chicago.
How well do Minnesota’s education programs prepare students to be teachers? It’s almost impossible to tell
There are no publicly available indicators showing which schools of education train excellent teachers. Or whether those new teachers actually end up in the classroom.
Some reflections on covering education in Minnesota
As reporter Beth Hawkins gets ready to take a new job, she reflects on her time covering education in Minnesota.
Race, equity and the lessons of St. Paul’s Como Elementary
Half of the school’s students are English language learners, and almost 90 percent qualify for free meals. Yet over the last two years, test scores at Como have gone up 20 percent.
Minnesota’s new teacher equity plan: ‘It needs to be a living thing’
NCLB required states to develop plans for giving impoverished students “equitable access” to highly qualified teachers.
TPT’s ‘Black Brilliance’ follows Twin Cities students in weeks before graduation
We meet their families and the educators who have invested in them, and we hear about their plans for the future. All without stereotypes.
Education innovator Joe Nathan seeks to replace himself
After 26 years at the helm of the Center for School Change, Joe Nathan has announced that he’s ready to pass the baton.
Why some educators have serious problems with Minnesota’s school accountability system
Four years after it was launched, the MMR doesn’t accurately and fairly reflect all students’ academic growth, critics say.
Kent Pekel: Why the MMR is a misleading way to measure schools
Those of us who served on the advisory committee that led to the creation of the MMR were repeatedly told that the system would be a transitional one.
The ‘Lazy Lucy’ controversy is about more than some really terrible books
The episode represents a proxy war being waged over the strategic direction of Minneapolis Public Schools.
Macalester prof’s book incites conservatives, months before being published
The book, written by Macalester College Professor Duchess Harris for sixth- to 12th-graders, traces the roots of Black Lives Matter as far back as the 1700s.
What do Americans think of Common Core standards? It depends on how you ask.
“When you break down the components … people are in favor,” says Morgan Polikoff of USC. “It’s just when you call it Common Core people don’t like it.”
Vision quest: a simple initiative by the Phillips Institute is making a big difference for public school kids
Now in its eighth year, Phillips Eye Institute’s Early Youth Eyecare Community Initiative (EYE) screens 30,000 students annually in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools.
A forthright Michael Goar steps up to share his vision for Minneapolis Public Schools
Community Partnership Schools will have charter-like flexibility to hire the staff they want, decide (within limits) the length of the school day and year, and choose all or none of the central office’s services.
Why the upcoming St. Paul School Board election will be a referendum on Valeria Silva’s leadership
Large-scale change has caused enough discomfort that tensions within the district are at a flashpoint.
How one high-flying charter school operator is responding to some grim test scores
Long seen as a national model, Harvest Network’s schools saw math proficiency drop 20 percentage points this year, while reading scores dropped 9 percentage points.
Inside the test scores: Two stories about Lucy Laney School, both true
Why didn’t new efforts manage to move the needle farther? Doubtless some of the answers are the same for Lucy Laney as they are for other struggling schools.
Capitalize on your ability to innovate, charter network co-founder urges conferees
“Other systems are faced with difficult either/ors,” said the KIPP network’s Mike Feinberg. “When you have a longer day, some of those either/ors turn into ands.”
Beyond the headlines: NCLB reform’s lesser-known provisions
The iteration that passed the Senate includes nine amendments by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, and a key amendment by Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Brothers’ keepers: Reinventing school for young black men
Six intersecting life stories provide a window into heartbreak — and glimmers of hope.
