Blog

Families, educators, and students themselves need a voice in conversations about education practices and policymaking. Through the EdAllies blog, we elevate diverse perspectives to foster a candid dialogue about what students need and how schools can support them. We also regularly report back on our policy work, keeping our partners in-the-know on key issues.

On The Blog

As a First-Gen College Student, High-Level High School Courses Made the Difference in my Success

Going into my junior year of college, I’ve realized something crucial to my success—particularly as a first-generation student: The courses […]

Read More

Other Posts

Matt Shaver

Next Up: Special Session! What We’re Watching on Education

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

6 Responses for People in Your Life Who Want to Ban Critical Race Theory

Matt Shaver

Proposed Changes to MN Special Education Law Erode Protections for Students

Citlaly Escobar

No More Excuses, Minnesota: Pass Ethnic Studies Now

Myisha Holley

Don’t Forget About Us: Students are Still Missing Essential Resources for Learning

Krista Kaput

The Omnibus Bills Are Out: Where Do the Senate and House Agree (Or Disagree)?

Jennifer Bertram

If Schools Refuse to Support Children Who Need Special Education Services, Where Should Parents Turn?

Krista Kaput

What Does the American Rescue Plan Mean for Education in Minnesota?

Krista Kaput

House Education Omnibus Bill: Some Good Policies with a Swing and a Miss on Teacher Licensure

Josh Crosson

Searching for Strength Following Atlanta Shootings

Guest Post
Shai Hayo

Are Current Licensure Proposals Really for the Benefit of Our Children?

Kara Cisco

5 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare to Address the Chauvin Trial in Your Classroom

Guest Post
Jose Perez

Proposed Bill Would Hurt Struggling Students (Like I Was) the Most

Josh Crosson

Let’s Break it Down: Five Reasons Why We’re Saying “NO” to This Year’s Licensure Bill

Matt Shaver

Teachers Push Back on Licensure Changes

Guest Post
Beatrice Handlin

Free College in High School? I’m Doing It, but Too Few Students in MN Know They Can Too

Brian Mumford

Can “School Choice” Please be About Students Again?

Krista Kaput

Governor Proposes Many Steps Forward, but a Few Back

Krista Kaput

What’s in the Governor’s Education Budget?

Guest Post
Suleiman Adan

It’s a Pandemic, Don’t Leave Students Out of the Mental Health Conversation

Citlaly Escobar

Will the MN House Act on Racial Justice? Why I Shared My Story

Krista Kaput

Make Rigorous Education the Default through Automatic Enrollment

Matt Shaver

First House Education Hearings Include Proposals on COVID-19 Recovery

Krista Kaput

Quick Facts on the New Federal Stimulus: What to Expect in K-12 Education

Guest Post
Brian Mumford

Letting Go of the Status Quo to Put Students at the Center

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Criticality, Neutrality, and the State of Civics in America

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Family Engagement Will Never Be the Same—and It Shouldn’t Be

Adrienne Vitt

Meet EdAllies’ 2021-22 EdVoices Cohort

Minnesota Capitol

Josh Crosson

2021 Legislative Session: Seven Issues We’re Working on for MN Kids

Krista Kaput

Learning from National Innovators Part 4: Measuring and Addressing Learning Loss

Krista Kaput

New MN Teacher Preparation Regulations Are Almost Done

Krista Kaput

Minnesota Fall Learning Plans By the Numbers

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

5 Lessons for Civics Teachers Navigating an Election Year

Guest Post
Triasia Givens

SOS: Save Our Black Children, End Educational Trauma

Adrienne Vitt

What Students Are Saying About Going Back to (Virtual) School

Krista Kaput

Stakeholders Raise Concerns Over Proposed Teacher Prep Rules

Blog Intro Image

Josh Crosson

14 Key Questions for Parents to Ask to Help Navigate this School Year

Header Image

Guest Post
Mylazia and Kovonna McPipe

A Student Perspective: Bullying in the Age of COVID-19

Introductory image

Krista Kaput

Celebrating Our Best Teachers by Keeping them in the Classroom

Krista Kaput

Learning From National Innovators Part 3: Educating Students During COVID-19

Krista Kaput

10 Things All MN Schools Must Do Next School Year, No Matter Their Model

Michelle Koffa

Special Session Round-Two Ends with Nothing Accomplished for Students

Young Black student painting at a table

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Implicit Bias in Distance Learning: Students Weigh-In on Educators’ Expectations

Michelle Koffa

Public Eye is on Education. Will this Translate to Action During Special Session?

Krista Kaput

MN Parents Tell MDE That Distance Learning Didn’t Go Well

Michelle Koffa

Community Sounds Off at the Capitol on Distance Learning Barriers

cruz-guzman

Krista Kaput

What Espinoza Case Means for Private Schools in MN

Krista Kaput

As Districts Plan for Fall, Lessons Learned from Minnesota’s Distance Learning Plans

Michelle Koffa

Big Policies Pass in Special Session, But Much Work Remains

Krista Kaput

Minnesota Needs More Pathways Into the Classroom, But Concerns with PELSB Process Persist

Michelle Koffa

Flurry of Activity on Education During Special Session

Josh Crosson

A Call to Action on Racial Justice for Minnesota Students

Guest Post
Matt Shaver

Pandemic-EBT Will Put $114M in the Hands of MN Families—If We Can Get the Word Out

Josh Crosson

Reeling After the Murder of George Floyd

Krista Kaput

Ensuring Equity: Emergency Funds and Summer Learning on the Way for MN Schools

Michelle Koffa

2020 Session Wrap-Up: What Passed, What Didn’t (and What Still Has a Chance)?

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Distance Learning Pulls Back the Curtain on What Teachers Have Always Known

Michelle Koffa

Will Key COVID-19 Education Bill Pass Before Session Adjourns?

Guest Post
Arabella Velleux

Finding My Place in Project-Based Learning and Social Justice During a Pandemic

teacher teaching online

Krista Kaput

Teacher Licensure During COVID-19: Barriers to Student Teaching, Renewals, and More

Guest Post
Bellamy Heaton

More Than Just a Building: Getting By When School Supports Shift

Laptop in backpack

Michelle Koffa

Minnesota, We Have a Problem: Students Need Internet Access for Distance Learning

Krista Kaput

Minnesota Distance Learning Plans by the Numbers

Child on tablet

Guest Post
Huab Cua

Why Distance Learning Can’t Always Come First: A Student Perspective

Krista Kaput

Learning from National Innovators Part 2: Educating Students Under COVID-19

White board in a classroom

Krista Kaput

MN Legislators Ready to Act on K-12: How House and Senate Proposals Compare

Student lays head on their homework

Krista Kaput

What Does the Federal CARES Act Mean for Education in MN?

Student in front of a laptop

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

5 Things I’ve Learned So Far in the Dash to Distance Learning

Minnesota State Capitol

Krista Kaput

MN Education During COVID-19: Legislative Action Coming

Student Working at Home

Krista Kaput

Learning from National Innovators: Educating Students Under COVID-19

Blurry School Hallway

Josh Crosson

MN Education Policy in the Time of COVID-19

Krista Kaput

10 Things All Teachers Should Learn in Teacher Prep

Krista Kaput

What’s in the Governor’s Education Bill?

Josh Crosson

EdAllies’ 2020 Priorities at the Capitol

Daniel Sellers

Our Kids Deserve More than “Just OK”

Daniel Sellers

EdAllies Names Josh Crosson Executive Director

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Can We Measure Student Engagement? Yes, and We Should!

Daniel Sellers

Talking Education Justice: A Recap of 8 Black Hands Live

Krista Kaput

New Report Undercounts Minnesota’s Teachers of Color

Guest Post
CJ Ellsworth

Why I Built My Classroom Around Personalized Learning and How You Can Too

Bookshelf

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Not Your Grandma’s Book Club: Unsettling the Status Quo in Education

Guest Post
Reggie Evans

As a New Father, Minnesota’s Failure to Support and Educate Black Children is Front and Center

Josh Crosson

Minnesota Leads the Charge in Counting All Kids

Guest Post
Myisha Holley

My Daughter’s Disability Was Not Her Destiny—and the Right School Made all the Difference

Michelle Koffa

2019 Charter Legislative Update

Krista Kaput

Excluded and Exaggerated Data Hides the Real State of Our Students

students sit quietly in a classroom

Guest Post
Omid Ferdowsi

The Quiet Kids Still Need You

Kara Cisco

Why We Must Decolonize Civics

student sitting on bench

Krista Kaput

For Students of Color with Special Needs, Action on School Discipline is Urgent

Guest Post
Matt Shaver

Taking a Hard Look at Data and Making Harder Choices

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Graduation rates are up. Are our expectations?

Josh Crosson

The 2019 Education Bill: What Made the Cut?

Multicolored stack of books

Guest Post
Savior Allen-Knight

Classroom Diversity: Broadening Our Definition to Better Prepare Students

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

Instead of Locking Our Classroom Doors to Students, Let’s Give Them the Key

Student doing math

Josh Crosson

7 Education Debates to Watch as the Legislature Wraps Up

Guest Post
N'Jai-An Patters

Changes to Tiered Licensure Would Push Me Out of Public Schools

Josh Crosson

Keep Great Teachers in the Classroom. Period.

Guest Post
Kara Cisco

3 Simple Ways to Make the Most of the MCAs

Guest Post
Matt Shaver

White Educators in Minnesota: We Need to Step Up