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July 2010 - Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning - State- and district-level policy makers need to engage more strategically in determining how states can provide support, not just pressure, for implementation of locally defined priorities for improvement within the framework of state standards and accountability policies, University of Minnesota (MPR article). 

at > Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations 

July 22, 2010

July 2010 - Organizer Roundtable: The Ecology of Organizing - If we look at the field of organizing as an interdependent web of relationships, how can we more intentionally strengthen our relationships to sustain our work?, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability.

July 2, 2010September 2009 - The Economic Impact of Immigrants in Minnesota - Larger investments in the education of the children of immigrants are sorely needed in Minnesota, Minnesota Business Immigrant Coalition.

> Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment > Educated Workforce 

May 12, 2010

March 26, 2010 — It Can Be Done: Turning Around America's Lowest Achieving Schools  - Learn about the Title I School Improvement Grant Program and how the communities of Mobile, Alabama; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Chattanooga, Tennessee were successful in implementing turnaround, restart and transformation models to revitalize and transform their lowest performing schools.

at > Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations > No Child Left Behind > NCLB in Minnesota > Failing Schools 

May 4, 2010

March 2010 - The Economic Impact of Immigrants in Minnesota 2010 - The US Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the country’s net gain from immigration is $37 billion per year... Larger investments in the education of the children of immigrants are sorely needed in Minnesota, University Of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

to > Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment > Educated Workforce 

January 2010 - 2020 Foresight: State Demographer Tom Gillaspy says Minnesota will have a major labor shortage 10 years from now. Only productivity gains will save the state's economy, Twin Cities Business January 2010.

"The greatest risk is that we forget where we came from. In the early ’50s, we were a below-average income state, a below-average education state. What we did as a state was push on education and we developed a world-class, world-renowned work force. We also created a place that people like to come to, even though it’s cold and out of the way. We were a state that worked."

to > Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment 

March 18, 2010

March 2010 - A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act - A a framework to guide our deliberations and
shared work – with parents, students, educators, business and community leaders, elected officials, and other partners – to strengthen America’s public education system, U.S. Department of Education.

Key priorities:
(1) College- and Career-Ready Students
(2) Great Teachers and Leaders in Every School
(3) Equity and Opportunity for All Students
(4) Raise the Bar and Reward Excellence
(5) Promote Innovation and Continuous Improvement

to > http://www.parentsunited.org/NCLBUpdates.html#National

March 10, 2010

March 2009 - Special Education: Modest Changes, Better Education, Major Savings - Recommends reducing special education costs by improving identification, reducing conflict between districts and parents, and lowering the costs of compliance. From a collection of budget-savings strategies shared by five Minnesota foundations: Northwest Area Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, Saint Paul Foundation, Minnesota Community Foundation and Bush Foundation, Public Strategies Group (Full Report; Executive Summary).

at >Education Issues > School Funding > Rising Costs > Special Education 

March 4, 2010

February 2010 - Primary Sources: America's Teachers on America's Schools - 40,000 of our nation's public school teachers share their thoughts on American Education, Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Full Report; Star Tribune article).

March 2, 2010

March 1, 2010 - The ACCESS System: Achieving College and Career Readiness for Every Student's Success - A proposal for a new high school assessment and accountability system for Minnesota.  Over the next decade Minnesota must find ways to dramatically improve the educational performance of its students who are on the wrong side of the achievement gaps that exist at every level of our educational system.  Under this proposal:

• Students would take a comprehensive language arts ACCESS exam in 10th grade.
• In high school algebra and biology, students would take ACCESS end-of-course exams or obtain a score that correlates with college and career readiness on an Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or ACT exam in the relevant subject.
• Schools would be provided with access to optional benchmark tests that are aligned with the ACCESS graduation exams and that could be used to measure student progress over time.

The ACCESS system also includes a number of alternative routes through which students would be able to meet graduation requirements, College and Career Ready Policy Institute Assessment Working Group.

to > Education Issues > Accountability > High Stakes Testing 

February 25, 2010

January 2010 - FY 2010-11 General Fund Budget Governor’s Unallotments and Administrative Actions - The Governor’s unallotment and deferral of K-12 education aid payments in FY 2010-11, creates an entitlement obligation to pay those aids instead in FY 2012. This entitlement liability adds $1.17 billion to the expected shortfall for FY 2012-13 while actions proposed to delay payment of tax revenue refunds from FY 2011 into FY 2012 would increase FY 2012-13 spending by $119 million and certain spending unallotments would further increases FY 2012-13 obligations $51 million, bringing the reported FY 2012-13 structural imbalance to $4.431 billion, Minnesota Office of Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis.

> News Archive > Special Features 

February 19, 2010

February 2010 - The Education Opportunity Gap – Where Do You live? - All districts should have equal access to referendum revenue. However, as the chart shows, the cost for this referendum varies significantly, Schools for Equity in Education.

> Education Issues > School Funding > Equity & Adequacy 

February 18, 2010

January 15, 2010 - Report of the Innovative School Advisory Council - Created in 2009, the Council recommends the legislature authorize a new commission to lead the work of creating a culture of innovation in learning in Minnesota, which would then form a nonprofit organization to provide leadership for developing innovation in schools and schooling and be charged with actively pursuing foundation funding, private grants, and federal grants, to finance its work, Minnesota Department of Education.

> Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations > 2020 Vision  (right sidebar because it's a "how" not a "what")

February 12, 2010

Citizens United: What Now? - On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a controversial, 5-4 opinion in Citizens United v. FEC, a case that will greatly impact nonprofit advocacy activities. While much of the focus has been about increased spending by for-profit corporations, these changes also apply to issue-based organizations that promote the social good.  More than ever, nonprofit corporations can and should actively participate in elections (Chart).

to > Take Action > Advocating > Know the Rules 

February 4, 2010

February 3, 2010 - Alternative Education Programs - Elementary and middle school students who attend “extended-time” alternative education programs (such as before- or after-school programs or summer school) showed higher-than-expected growth on two standardized assessments when compared with other students and national norms. However, the Minnesota Department of Education has limited which school districts may provide these programs. The OLA recommends that the Legislature allow all school districts to provide these alternative education programs, as well as offers several other recommendations to improve the oversight of alternative education programs, Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor (Full Report).

to > Education Issues > School Funding > Layers of Complexity > General Education > Extended Time 

February 2010 - Leadership Development for Sustainable Organizing - At the heart of organizing is developing leadership that can guide and influence a community or organization toward accomplishing its goals. Enhancing current leadership capacity and ensuring a pipeline of future leaders is crucial to ensuring long-term organizational success, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability.

to http://www.parentsunited.org/CoalitionResources.html

February 2010 - Online Learning—Minnesota’s Future? - Research shows online learning gaining momentum across country, AMSD Connections.

to > Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations > 2020 Vision > Initiatives 

January 26, 2010

January 2010 - College- and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for School Success - NCLB accountability system often labels schools as failing while ignoring actual evidence of college success. Schools labeled as failing are more likely to be subject to reforms and overhauls, even as their students go off to college and succeed. As federal lawmakers consider reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, they have the opportunity to use the dividends of that investment to solve one of the most vexing problems in K–12 policy: how to hold high schools accountable for preparing students to succeed in college and careers, Education Sector.

at > Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations > No Child Left Behind > Updates  (National)

January 2010 - The High Cost of Low Educational Performance: The Long-Run Economic Impact of Improving PISA Outcomes - A 25 point increase in PISA scores could lead to $40.6 trillion increase in United States’s GDP, OECD (Full Report).

to > Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment > National Reports 

January 23, 2010

January 2010 - Quality Counts 2010 - Minnesota earns a C (75.4); Ranked 29th in the Nation, below the national average, Education Week (Press Release; Grading Summary).

at > Education Issues > MN Rankings 

January 2010 - The Economic Benefits from Halving Minneapolis’s Dropout Rate - In the Minneapolis metropolitan area, an estimated 10,300 students dropped out from the Class of 2008 at great cost not only to themselves but also to their communities. Reducing the number of dropouts by 50 percent for this single high school class would result in tremendous economic benefits to the Minneapolis region, Alliance for Excellent Education (Press Release; America's Fifty Largest Cities).

• $86 million in increased earnings
• an additional $57 million in spending and $22 million in investing
• increased home sales of $256 million and auto sales of $6 million
• 650 new jobs and $108 million increase in gross regional product
• $14 million increase in annual state and local tax revenue
• 68 percent of new graduates likely to pursue postsecondary education

at > Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment > Graduation Rates 

December 22 2009 - What States Can Do to Improve Teacher Effectiveness - To make lasting improvements in student achievement and close gaps, states must increase the number of effective teachers and rush them to the places of greatest need — big-city and rural schools where the achievement gaps loom largest. States also must find better ways to help teachers develop the capacity to succeed with a wide range of learners. They must create fair but quick ways to shed from the workforce those teachers who can’t improve — or won’t, Education Trust.

and

November 2009 - Fighting for Quality and Equality, Too -  If state leaders invest resources and energy wisely, they don’t have to choose between excellence and equity. This paper outlines ten steps state policymakers and school district leaders can take now that hold the promise to make a difference in teacher quality and equitable access to the best teachers for low-income students and students of color, Education Trust. 

and

April 2009 - A Practical Guide to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness - An overview of various measures with notes about the research base and strengths and cautions to consider for each measure, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.

and

March 2009 - Methods of Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness - Provides a five-point definition of teacher effectiveness, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.

and

June 2008 - Approaches to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: A Research Synthesis - Literature review of teacher effectiveness measures research and practical guidance for how best to evaluate teacher effectiveness and policy implications, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.

at > Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations > No Child Left Behind > NCLB in Minnesota > Teacher Quality > Additional Resources 

November 2009 - Redefining High School as a Launch Pad - What parents and students surveyed want from high school is at odds with what we’ve been asking our high schools to do for close to 100 years. Redefining the mission of high school is an important next step for building a 21st Century workforce, Deloitte 2009 Education Survey.

• November 30, 2009 - Deloitte Education Survey Uncovers Major Disconnect About Role of High School, PRNewswire.

at > Education Issues > Accountability > Raising Expectations > 2020 Vision 

January 9, 2010

October 2009 - Achieving Graduation for All: A Governor's Guide to Dropout Prevention and Recovery - Provides several recommendations and case studies for improving graduation rates, including a recommendation to "crack the Carnegie unit" — decouple graduation requirements from "seat time," National Governors Association.

at > Education Issues > Accountability > High Stakes Testing > Graduation Requirements 

January 2007 - The Costs and Benefits of an Excellent Education for All of America’s Children - Study identifies five research-based education interventions to improve high school graduation rates yielding a net economic benefit of $127,000 per student at 2.5 times greater than the costs (ROI), Columbia University.

at > Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment > Graduation Rates 

January 7, 2009

November 2009 - Student Migration Trends: Minnesota’s Net Loss of College-Going High School Graduates - Six years of data consistently show more students leave Minnesota than come here for college, a troubling trend given the retirement of the baby boom, Minnesota Private College Research Foundation.

and

September 2009 - Educational Attainment Wage Premiums and Disparities by Race - Reports Minnesota earnings by educational attainment by race: White earnings are most often the highest through the master’s degree, but doctorate and professional degree earnings by Asians and blacks are noticeably higher than whites, Minnesota Private College Research Foundation.

and

February 2008 - Economic Diversity: Why Enrollment of Lower-Income Students Matters - By 2015 Minnesota will have an annual shortage of 12,900 college-educated workers, Minnesota Private College Research Foundation.

at > Education Issues > School Funding > Return on Investment > Educated Workforce 

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