September 1, 1998 - (For Monday M.E.) Elk River is among a handful of Minnesota school districts opening new schools this week. The outer edges of the Twin Cities metro area are booming and many communities are building or planning new schools. But few students ever experience a brand spanking new school. The average age of public schools in Minnesota is 32 years old. Most buildings, despite their age, are safe and well-maintained. But many are in rough condition. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... (Music) Sixth grade music students are already getting comforta
August 20, 1998 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on Studio 4, a charter school in St. Paul that offers use of studio time as an incentive for students to continue with school.
August 6, 1998 - Mary Thornton Phillips, Chair of the St. Paul School Board and former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer discuss the search for a school superintendent in St. Paul. Topics include timing of selection, diversity of candidates, and “best fit”. Phillips and Latimer also answer listener questions. Program begins with report from MPR’s Tim Pugmire on the St. Paul school board’s decision to not choose either of the current finalist candidates.
June 3, 1998 - Thousands of Twin Cities area residents are still waiting for the lights to come back on after last Saturday's storm. As of this afternoon, Northern States Power reports 41-thousand-200 customers without power. That's down from a total of 434-thousand Saturday night. But the utility says it could be Friday before all service is restored. Utility crews are working non-stop, but some customers are losing patience. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... (Sound of crew) On a stretch of rural road in Afton, utility workers prepare an auger to drill fresh holes in a ditch cluttered with broken tree branches. They'll erect new wooden poles and replace the power line neede
May 27, 1998 - School administrators throughout Minnesota are telling students they'll no longer tolerate threats of violence. There's been a rash of suspensions throughout the state this month of students suspected of threatening teachers or other students. School officials admit some of these these incidents might have been ignored in the past...but the recent school shootings in Oregon, Arkansas and Kentucky have hightened safety concerns in classrooms. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... The reports are disturbing. Two students at Woodbury Junior High accused of threatening to kill a teacher. Four tenth-graders in Saint Cloud suspended for allegedly making death threats. Three of the boys posted a list of the people they wanted to see killed on the Internet. Students in at least
May 14, 1998 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on the testing challenges of public schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul see more immigrants and refugees each year…with few speaking English. That makes passing exams, including the 8th grade basic skills tests in reading and math, extremely difficult. The state provides money to educate these students, but in many cases the immigration is outpacing the funding.
May 11, 1998 - The State Board of Education has given final approval to the most contentious piece of Minnesota's new high school graduation standards. "Profile of Learning" is a blueprint all students must follow to graduate from high school, beginning with the class of 2002. The new results-oriented standards mean significant changes in public schools statewide. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... State education officials have been working on the new graduation standards for years, but the past six months have been the toughest, as legislators tried to delay or scrap the changes. The Profile of Learning w
May 6, 1998 - Nationally-known testing experts are joining state education officials in defending Minnesota's 8th grade reading exam. The basic skills test came under fire last week, when the Association of Metropolitan School Districts claimed it's harder than an 8th grade reading level. Representatives of the association and state leaders squared off yesterday during a House subcommittee hearing on the test debate. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Thousands of Minnesota students have failed the 8th grade basic skills tests each of the past three years. But the scores are rising. Results from this year's tests, released last week, showed a nine percent jump in reading, while math scores improved just one-percent for a year ago
April 30, 1998 - This year's eighth graders scored better than those of years past on the Basic Skills Tests in reading and math. The tests are Minnesota's first step toward tough graduation standards. The class of 2000 must pass the tests to get a diploma. A passing grade is 75-percent or better. State officials say the scores show schools are making needed improvements but there is a lot of work yet to do. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Statewide, 68-percent of the 8th graders tested in February passed the basic skills reading test, up from 59-percent last year. In the math test, 71-percent passed, up just one percent from a year ago. Bob W
April 28, 1998 - The latest 8th grade test scores will not be released until Thursday, but school districts and state officials are already battling over what the results mean. An organization representing 24 metro-area school districts is accusing state officials of misusing and distorting the test scores to advance a political agenda. But state officials struck back today, defending their testing policies and their motives. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... This was the third year of 8th grade testing in reading and math...but the first every school in the state had to participate. Last year, about one third of all students tested failed, prompting a public outcry...a