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

SOS: Save Our Black Children, End Educational Trauma

Content Warning: This piece briefly but overtly deals with self-harm, including suicidal thoughts. “This is how I’m going to do […]

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Other Posts

Adrienne Vitt

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

Krista Kaput

Stakeholders Raise Concerns Over Proposed Teacher Prep Rules

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Josh Crosson

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

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Guest Post
Mylazia and Kovonna McPipe

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

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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
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

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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.

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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

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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

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Brandie Burris-Gallagher

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

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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?

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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

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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