How COVID-19 has interrupted — and modified — teacher licensure in Minnesota
State lawmakers passed a six-month extension for all teacher licenses that were set to expire after June 30.
State lawmakers passed a six-month extension for all teacher licenses that were set to expire after June 30.
As board members listened to more than 100 supporters and opponents in a virtual meeting, critics held a drive-by protest outside district headquarters. In the end, the vote to approve was 6-3.
The shift to distance learning has prompted districts to invest in technology, prepare and deliver meals to students and incur other COVID-related expenses even as fee-based programs have been canceled.
Assessments related to bilingual and multilingual seals that cannot be proctored at home are now allowed to take place on school grounds. So can certain hands-on course completion requirements.
Many have settled into a new school-at-home routine. Others are questioning whether this new format is sustainable, or even effective. And many are still stuck in limbo — waiting on devices and reliable internet connections.
“We want to make sure to do something special for our graduates,” said Superintendent James Guetter of Red Lake County Central and Red Lake Falls Schools.
State education officials are still asking districts to track student attendance. But they’ve granted districts more flexibility in how they do so.
For now, the board is slated to continue its discussion of the final proposal at its next virtual board meeting, on April 28, with a possible vote to follow on May 12. That timeline could change.
This is uncharted territory for all involved, and students still have lots of questions — and mixed feelings — about how this will all work out in the weeks ahead.
Admissions officials at Minnesota’s colleges and universities are hoping that all the ways that they’ve adapted in the wake of the pandemic will offer prospective students reassurance — and keep schools’ enrollments on track.
The remote school day has thrust parents into new roles as ad hoc education assistants and challenged teachers to make their lessons available to all students despite technology barriers, language barriers and more.
From adding Wi-Fi hotspots to offering grab-and-go flash drives, rural districts are creating ways to help students get schoolwork done remotely.
Districts responded quickly to the governor’s directive to pull together on-site child care for emergency workers, in an effort to help stem a ripple effect that school closures could have on the state’s ability to respond to COVID-19.
Distance learning is defined by the state Department of Education as each student receiving a daily interaction with their licensed teachers and receiving appropriate, equitable educational materials.
The closure is meant to give districts time to figure out what instruction will look like for the rest of the school year.
St. Paul educators say the need for increased student supports — for English language learners, for special education students, for those in need of mental health services — has reached a critical point.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of parents in 2015 and is currently in mediation.
Staff from the Office of the Legislative Auditor reported to members of the state House Education Finance committee on Wednesday.
To build career skills, faculty teach fermentation at a brewery, hospitality at a ski resort.
The mix of co-signers on Rep. Rena Moran’s bill indicates that this issue has the potential to transcend party politics.