October 13, 1997 - Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with Neil Witikko, Minnesota's teacher of the year. Witikko teaches English, German, and television production at Hermantown High School. Listeners call in with questions.
October 14, 1997 - Midday discusses qualifications of school board members and issues they must be prepared to address with guests Jan Rhode, director of board training and development for the Minnesota School Boards Association; and State Representative Mindy Greiling, who was a member of the Roseville School Board for many years. Listeners also call in with questions.
October 16, 1997 - Midday looks at the University of Minnesota and its future. The first part of the program features a discussion with Mark Yudof, University of Minnesota president, on the eve of his installation as the University of Minnesota's 14th president.
January 9, 1998 - As the annual flood of tax mailings enters the mailstream...state education officials are spreading the word about the state's new tax credit and deduction law. The new law allows low income families to take a dollar-for-dollar credit for educational expences incurred this year...and increases the deductions available for all families. They'll actually see the money in next year's tax refunds...but education choice advocates who helped pass the controversial law say they now want to make sure people are using it now. Businesses providing some of the services eligible for the tax breaks are also gearing up for the law's potential impact.
January 12, 1998 - The president of the state Board of Education concedes there's little hope of saving the controversial diversity rule for Minnesota schools. Board members are expected to kill the rule at a meeting today. The proposed rule aims to improve test scores of minority students in schools where they've fallen behind their white classmates. But opponents say the rule tries to do too much and would impose cumbersome mandates on schools. Governor Carlson opposes the rule, and his recent appointment of three new board members appears to ensure its death.
January 14, 1998 - State legislators are considering ways to even the spread of funding available to school districts. Officials in suburban and rural districts with low property values say they're falling further behind the property-rich districts. Some lawmakers and educators say the state's budget surplus makes this a good year to try to fix the problem.
January 16, 1998 - Half-way into the school year, teachers in almost two-thirds of Minnesota's school districts are working without a new contract. Part of the reason is the one-time removal of a state-mandated contract deadline. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports teachers are increasingly concerned about the slow pace of this years contract negotiations.
January 21, 1998 - DFL lawmakers want to give the state the power to takeover failing public schools. That provision is part of carrot and stick bill offering rewards to schools where test scores increase and penalizing schools where scores decline. Supporters of the plan says it's high time schools face consequences for poor performance. But some educators say making threats and blaming schools won't help children learn.
January 23, 1998 -
January 26, 1998 - Rochester is the famed winter home for 30-thousand Canada geese. The wild birds stay mostly in the center of the city on Silver Lake, which does not freeze because of warm water from a nearby power plant. While the healthy flock is a source of some civic pride, their by-product is the bane of locals. One Rochester man, however, has found a use for the waste. Gary Blum (like plum) turns dried goose poop mixed with glue into art. He's found a niche creating pictures of geese, loons and even people. Minnesota Public Radio's spoke with Blum about his passion for goose poop art. Rochester artist Gary Blum talking with Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes.