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

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

Last week, Governor Walz announced how he will prioritize Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act emergency support dedicated […]

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Other Posts

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

Annie Moua

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

Brandie Burris-Gallagher

Which Students and Schools Are in the Cruz-Guzman Lawsuit?

Daniel Sellers

Hey Minnesota: Let’s Not Push Teachers of Color Out of the Classroom

teacher-diversity

Daniel Sellers

What’s Working Best to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color in MN

Josh Crosson

2019 Legislative Session: What We’re Working on for MN Kids

teacher and students.

Guest Post

Saja Osman

While Adults Talk About Teacher Diversity, Nothing is Changing for Youth of Color

Guest Post

Kay Comeaux

Closing the Education Gap by Helping Kids Love Learning

tiered-licensure

Josh Crosson

Can You Teach in MN? With Tiered Licensure, the Answer Should Now Be Clear

Guest Post

Kay Comeaux

It’s Time to Demand Change for Our Children. Here’s How.

Guest Post

Saja Osman

Why School Was the Last Place I Wanted to Be After Being Stopped by a Cop

Daniel Sellers

Shape Our Work for MN Students. Join Community Allies.

podium

Guest Post

Kay Comeaux

3 Steps for a Better Education Conversation

north-star

Andrea Roethke

How is Your School Doing? How Parents Can Use “North Star”

Guest Post

Sandhya Kumar

Student Voice: Making Good Students and Citizens Through Community Involvement

Andrea Roethke

Meet Our 2018-19 EdFellows

back-to-school

Guest Post

Veronica Rivera

The Lesson That Took Me 12 School Open Houses to Learn

Guest Post

Jessica Mendoza

Connecting Students with Community: My Story & Call to Action

cruz-guzman

Brandie Burris-Gallagher

Cruz-Guzman is Headed to Trial. Here’s What You Need to Know

school-integration

Brandie Burris-Gallagher

Centering the School Integration Conversation on What Matters Most

teacher licensure

Daniel Sellers

Final Countdown: Update on Minnesota’s Teacher Licensure Overhaul

Josh Crosson

What Education Proposals Landed on the Governor’s Cutting Room Floor (and Why)

edallies

Josh Crosson

The Education Conference Report is Out: Here’s What You Need to Know

Josh Crosson

Conference Committee is Under Way: Where do Key Education Issues Stand?

broadband-infrastructure

Guest Post

Hannah Erickson

What Broadband Infrastructure’s Got to Do with Educational Equity

Josh Crosson

What’s the Legislature up to on Education? Your Mid-Session Recap

summative-ratings

Daniel Sellers

Why We’re Standing with Parents in Calling for Summative School Ratings

Daniel Sellers

EdAllies at the Capitol: Our 2018 Priorities

college

Guest Post

Jessica Mendoza

Getting Ready for College? Here are a Few Things to Expect

school-integration

Guest Post

Ryan Williams-Virden

Is School Integration About Helping Kids of Color Learn or Propping Up Whiteness?

Howard-Fuller

Ariana Kiener

Dr. Howard Fuller Cuts Through the Noise on Parent Choice

teacher-diversity

Guest Post

Melissa Schoenberg

Why I Want Teachers of Color for Minnesota Kids & What I’m Doing About It

Guest Post

Latoya Reid

6 Tips to Help You Advocate for Your Child’s Education

Josh Crosson

Caucus to Get Education Equity in Your Party’s Platform

cruz-guzman

Brandie Burris-Gallagher

The Court’s Role in Education: Why the Cruz-Guzman Lawsuit is a Big Deal

accountability

Andrea Roethke

USDOE: MN’s ESSA Plan Needs Work on School Quality & Equity

teacher-prep

Guest Post

Ryan Williams-Virden

True Life: Teacher Prep Didn’t Prepare Me to Teach

school discipline

Josh Crosson

Urge Trump Administration to Close Discipline Disparities

bullying

Guest Post

Hannah Erickson

Bullying is Complex. How We Talk About it Needs to be, Too.

school-segregation

Brandie Burris-Gallagher

Concerns Over Charters and School Segregation are Misplaced

teacher licensure

Guest Post

Troy Haugen

An Open Letter to the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board

parent choice

Ariana Kiener

6 Reasons Why the “Parents Just Need to be More Involved” Argument Needs to Go

Guest Post

Ryan Williams-Virden

But Can They Read? Why We Should Care About Student Test Scores

Guest Post

Jessica Mendoza

Engaging Youth and Using Alternatives to End School Pushout

act

Josh Crosson

Minnesota, It’s Time to Break Up With the ACT

essa

Andrea Roethke

Minnesota’s ESSA Plan: What Changed, What Didn’t, and What Still Can

daca

Daniel Sellers

Standing with Dreamers

school choice

Guest Post

Ryan Williams-Virden

Stop Lying! Telling the Truth About School Choice

Guest Post

Matt Batesky

What’s in a Name? Five Ways to Affirm Students’ Identities

Daniel Sellers

Minnesota Students, Educators, and Advocates Reflect on Charlottesville

Andrea Roethke

Act Now: Call for Stronger Accountability and Transparency Under ESSA

mca

Daniel Sellers

Minnesota MCA Results Were Flat (Again). Where Do We Go From Here?

essa

Andrea Roethke

Your Voice Needed: ESSA Plan Open to Public Comment

Ariana Kiener

Meet the First Class of EdVoices

essa

Andrea Roethke

A Call for Transparency in MN’s ESSA Plan

Daniel Sellers

ICYMI: 6 Education Policy Changes to Watch

teacher prep

Guest Post

Troy Haugen

Progress (Finally) for Teacher Prep in Minnesota