July 28, 2000 - State education officials say a private company's mistakes have resulted in 47-thousand inaccurate scores on the Basic Standards Test in mathematics. That means thousands of Minnesota students who were told they failed actually passed, and some seniors were wrongly denied their diplomas. The state's education commissioner says she's outraged by the foul-up but remains committed to the need for basic skills tests.
July 26, 2000 - For the past ten years, a Saint Paul social services agency has operated a preschool program for children traumatized by abuse or family instability. Agency officials say these economically deprived children are too troubled to enroll in Head Start or other programs. This early intervention effort tries to prevent later academic and social problems in school. And the demand is far greater than what the program can accomodate. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
July 19, 2000 - The Saint Paul school board has given its final approval to a tax levy question for the November ballot. School leaders are describing the excess levy, which would raise $105-million over five years, as a necessary investment for Saint Paul children. But opponents say the proposed property tax increase is ill-timed and inappropriate. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
July 14, 2000 - The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has given President Mark Yudof another raise and a longer contract. Regents have been generous in their praise of Yudof's leadership during the past three years. They've also been generous with his compensation, fearing another university might lure him away. But as Yudof's check gets bigger, other U of M employees claim they're barely making enough to get by. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
July 11, 2000 - A growing number of states are using detailed report cards to compare public schools, and a key Minnesota legislator wants to do the same. The impact of such school rankings is among the issues school policy makers are tackling this week in Minneapolis during the annual meeting of the Education Commission of the States. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
July 10, 2000 - A national school-improvement organization is praising Minnesota's efforts to help students become good citizens. The Education Commission of the States, a non-profit group that provides assistance to state education policy makers, is highlighting the so-called "service learning" movement during its national forum this week in Minneapolis. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
June 30, 2000 - Officials at Right Step Academy Charter School have announced a new learning strategy they want to begin using in classrooms this fall. The five-year-old school, with operations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, has been under fire in recent weeks for several acacdemic and operational problems. The Saint Paul school district has set a July 15th deadline for school officials to address those problems. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
June 28, 2000 - The recent failure of a Saint Paul charter school is prompting some legislators to consider changes in Minnesota's first-in the-nation charter school law. But advocates of the alternative public schools say additional regulations will do more harm than good. Members of the House K-12 Education Finance Committee held a hearing today (Wednesday) on charter school management issues. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
January 5, 2000 - Saint Paul Public School officials say recent test scores indicate their schools and students are moving in the right direction. District leaders today (Wednesday) released results from last fall's Metropolitan Achievement Tests, which show gains at nearly every grade level and in most schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Saint Paul Superintendent Pat Harvey began the school year last fall by turning up the heat on the district's failing schools. Eleven schools where test scores and graduations rates had fallen too low were placed on acacdemic probation. And her accountability measures raised classroom expectations throughout the district. Harvey says the results of last fall's round of the Metropolitan Achievement Test, seventh edition, also known as
December 14, 1999 - The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities board of trustees must soon decide the future of an aging technical college. MinnesotaSCU officials say the Anoka-Hennepin Technical College needs at least 30-million dollars in repairs, which they cannot afford to make. A plan to close the school and relocate its programs is angering students, faculty and local residents.