tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35892882024-09-07T16:16:53.094-05:00Minnesota education reform news by Scholar the Owl, a.k.a. Matt Abe, Plymouth, Minnesota.Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comBlogger309125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-79495376264394570292013-06-05T07:50:00.000-05:002013-06-05T07:50:23.318-05:00

By Lindsey Burke, Heritage.org Two competing forces are pushing on America’s K–12 education system today. One is an effort to infuse education choice into a long-stagnant system, empowering parents with the ability to send their child to a school that meets her unique learning needs. The other is an effort to further centralize education through Common Core national standards and tests.

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-79765144547793805482012-01-25T05:00:00.000-06:002012-01-25T08:44:52.896-06:00

The schools that innovate are going to be rewarded. You can feel like a victim in education. This is saying, "We're going to control our own destiny." —Principal Rob Metz, Saint Louis Park High School Does it take a village to raise a child? To paraphrase Bill Clinton, it depends on what your definition of "a village" is. In her book It Takes A Village, Hillary Clinton says, "Every child needs a

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-22222573867236624022012-01-14T05:00:00.000-06:002012-01-14T05:00:00.890-06:00

According to a January 12 e-mail update from the Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education (CSSE), the latest revision of Minnesota's K-12 academic standards in social studies is nearing completion: The state K-12 social studies standards are in the final phase of revision, with an estimated completion date of mid-February or sooner. The CSSE will send an e-blast as soon as the final draft

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-63959635257469551872012-01-10T22:06:00.000-06:002012-01-10T22:06:32.993-06:00

Restoring Excellence in Education, a forum that will examine reform issues in both K-12 and higher education, will be held this Saturday, January 14 at Saint Cloud State University. It will feature RiShawn Biddle, editor and publisher of the education reform website Dropout Nation; and Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Ohio University, Director of the Center for College

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-30277801563409238472011-09-16T07:00:00.000-05:002011-09-16T08:09:14.971-05:00

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. —Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement announces that, pursuant to legislation passed by Congress, educational institutions receiving

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-26795910807888969922011-03-28T05:00:00.005-05:002011-03-28T08:31:17.013-05:00

The prototypical Minnesota grassroots political action organization, EdWatch, was disbanded last year due to the departure of its founders to new positions. A "new" group, Education Liberty Watch, has taken its place. I use quotation marks around the word "new" because Education Liberty Watch is more of a child of EdWatch than a brand new administration. The group's president, Dr. Karen Effrem,

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-74648602866916950062011-02-09T20:50:00.000-06:002011-02-09T20:50:23.382-06:00

"Instead of talking about how to spend more money and finding ways to spend more money, we ought to be talking about how to focus the resources we have on something we can measure." —Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie), Star Tribune, February 5 Do you get the point that Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton really believes in early childhood education? The governor's seven-point education plan is not

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-69845308341819496352010-12-23T19:57:00.001-06:002010-12-23T20:05:34.380-06:00

EdWatch, Minnesota's best-known, powerful grassroots K-12 education advocacy organization is concluding operations at the end of this month, according to co-founder Renee Doyle, in an e-mail sent to supporters at the end of November. "We came into being in 1998 over the statewide outrage about Minnesota's radical new education system, the Profile of Learning," said Doyle in the e-mail. "Colleen

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-81106770456976894512010-12-14T19:28:00.000-06:002010-12-14T19:28:15.434-06:00

In Minnesota, as in Washington, the Senate has the duty to confirm appointments made by the executive branch. But unlike Washington, D.C., Minnesota’s confirmation process used to be about the resume and qualifications of the nominee at the beginning of their term. Used to be? Until 2004, that is, when Steve Kelly, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee used the confirmation process to

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-74731730353403887202010-10-26T20:50:00.001-05:002010-10-27T07:53:19.476-05:00

By Karen Effrem With the rise of TEA party movement and general voter anger at the overspending and the strangling control the federal government into more and more aspects of our lives, it was quite encouraging to read a lengthy analysis on EducationNews.org of where federal education policy is headed that included an interview of Congressman John Kline (R-MN2). Rep. Kline is currently

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-66678658332304419602010-10-19T20:13:00.001-05:002010-10-19T20:14:53.587-05:00

On Monday night, the candidates running to represent residents of the Wayzata Public Schools district at the state legislature met in a forum sponsored by the school district's Legislative Action Committee. The district overlaps Minnesota Senate Districts 32, 33, and 43. I attended the session for SD43, which had about two dozen in the audience. All of the endorsed legislative candidates in SD43

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comPlymouth, MN, USA44.979249549378309 -93.50120544433593844.964071049378312 -93.530387944335942 44.994428049378307 -93.472022944335933tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-9471000078253068432010-10-14T21:32:00.002-05:002010-10-15T08:45:27.763-05:00

By Karen R. Effrem, MD Director of Government Relations, EdWatch INTRODUCTION - Education is a very big issue in the state of Minnesota and across the nation this election season, as it should be for comprising 40-50% of many state budgets. Using Minnesota as an example, all three gubernatorial candidates in their budget plans, debates, and speeches are discussing the importance of “investing”

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-31387296398422247782010-05-06T07:43:00.000-05:002010-05-06T07:43:25.005-05:00

Education Minnesota teachers union president Tom Dooher is speaking out in television ads against an alternative licensure proposal for teachers now before the Minnesota Legislature. Dooher says that the proposals would "lower standards to become a teacher in Minnesota." While alternative licensure would certainly challenge the status quo, "alternative" need not mean "lower" standards. The bill,

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-36046994867698428612010-04-21T12:38:00.000-05:002010-04-21T12:38:51.946-05:00

I started this blog in 2003 when I was appointed to Governor Tim Pawlenty's Academic Standards Committee, under the leadership of then-Education commissioner Cheri Pierson-Yecke. That newly-appointed Commissioner Yecke restored her department's name to Education from the "Department of Children, Families, and Learning," and replaced the fuzzy, process-oriented Profile of Learning with the more

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-13126878427694408172010-04-14T07:22:00.000-05:002010-04-14T07:22:00.377-05:00

In case my last post left you with the impression that this blogger and conservatives in general are swooning over the Obama education initiative Race To The Top because it throws us a few reform bones, our friend Dr. Karen Effrem, M.D. of EdAction and EdWatch reminds us that the thing about federal education funding is that ultimately, who pays the piper calls the tune. As Effrem explains, Race

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-13748872617812997262010-04-07T12:25:00.002-05:002010-04-07T12:25:22.007-05:00

On Tuesday, Governor Tim Pawlenty simultaneously stood up for meaningful education reforms and tried to position the state to win second-round federal Race to the Top education reform dollars. "The only question in this room is going to be 'Do you want to get dragged there, or do you want to lead to that point?'" said Pawlenty. "I suggest we lead because this is going to happen. It will happen

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-43615355096497124972009-10-15T12:18:00.010-05:002009-10-15T12:18:00.231-05:00

In stark contrast to National Education Association (NEA) affiliate Education Minnesota's touchy-feely, warm-fuzzy, "it's for the children" public persona, the NEA's retiring general counsel made it perfectly clear in July that the NEA is a powerful union first, last, and always. Neal McClusky of the Cato Institute provides this transcript of Bob Chanin's "salty valedictory" (McClusky's words; I

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-36709960062107515332009-09-08T11:27:00.013-05:002009-09-08T11:57:10.959-05:00

"I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn." —President Barack Obama, address to schoolchildren, September 8, 2009President Obama's speech today and the revised Department of Education "engagement resources" do not change the federal government's ever-increasing control of education, to the detriment of local control by the

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-40867848683561632722009-09-03T11:42:00.016-05:002009-09-03T12:38:07.801-05:00

The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next generation.—Abraham Lincoln (attributed)Diffusion of authority among tens of thousands of school districts is a safeguard against centralized control and abuse of the educational system that must be maintained. —Dwight D. Eisenhower, New York Herald Tribune, February 9, 1955President

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-48761535254857289522009-08-11T12:13:00.024-05:002009-08-13T08:57:26.096-05:00

Now that the Minnesota Department of Education has released the 2009 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments II results, I pored over the high school data to compare the test results among west metro school districts. I added per-pupil spending and enrollment data from School Data Direct to see if I could find any relationships among test data, spending, and district size (the latter two are the most

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-75234462943150933512009-06-05T11:58:00.023-05:002009-06-05T12:42:19.147-05:00

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." —Rahm Emmanuel, Obama White House Chief of StaffIn his July unalottment, Tim Pawlenty has an opportunity to put a nice bow on the signature education reforms of his two terms as Minnesota's governor. Although Pawlenty has been reluctant to cut education

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-35892972513559236922009-05-01T11:55:00.004-05:002009-05-01T12:12:57.270-05:00

In an e-mail to constitutents, Rep. Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth) alerts us to a few troubling provisions in the House Omnibus K-12 Education Finance bill (HF2):Cuts education funding $1.9 million (14 percent) when shifts and one-time federal aid are excluded. According to Anderson, all revenue sources considered, this bill is $185 million less than the Governor's plan. So far, so good!Enacts a

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-74293156701660445632009-04-23T07:47:00.003-05:002009-04-23T07:49:09.986-05:00

Pardon our mess while SCHOLAR'S NOTEBOOK is under construction. All of our content should be available throughout our redesign. Thanks for your interest in SCHOLAR'S NOTEBOOK, integrated math, education reform, and school choice!

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-62033912902179493972009-03-12T08:07:00.018-05:002009-03-12T08:51:17.114-05:00

Over Republican minority objections, the Minnesota Senate Education Subcommittee on Charter Schools yesterday perverted Governor Pawlenty's charter school bill (S.F. 867) with several amendments that would strangle Minnesota's successful charter school movement. The bill passed out of the subcommittee and will be heard by the full Senate Education Committee.One of the bill's co-sponsors,

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589288.post-11923524061446452832009-02-24T11:54:00.001-06:002009-02-24T12:00:11.907-06:00

When I heard this year that the Wayzata School District had recently adopted the textbook, Vocabulary from Classical Roots by Norma Fifer and Nancy Flowers (Educators Publishing Service, Cambridge and Toronto), I was pleased.I am a technical writer by profession, I love language, and insist that my own children learn to communicate effectively in writing and speech. So the study of Greek and

Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543824463606235106noreply@blogger.com