Blog : 'Issues' Category

Archive for the ‘Issues’ Category

How Will New Legislation on Dangerous Holds in Schools Impact Students & Families?

The debate around prone restraint and school resource officers (SROs) has dominated education conversations at the Capitol this year. A […]

Community Action Team: Eliminating Barriers for Prospective Teachers of Color

While nearly 35% of students in Minnesota identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color, the teacher workforce across the […]

A Big Session Lies Ahead for Kids. What Are We Working On This Year?

With a new year comes a new session of the Minnesota Legislature! While things are just kicking off this week, […]

Why Do Prospective Teachers of Color Walk Away? Join the Community Action Team

While nearly 35% of students in Minnesota identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color, the teacher workforce across the […]

A Wrap on the 2022 Session: Nothing Happened in the Room Where it Happens

If a legislative body of 201 members, hundreds of staffers, and countless advocates spends four months drafting and debating legislation […]

Experiencing MN’s Patterns of Exclusion in Advanced Coursework

In this day and age, we’re constantly told how much closer we are to equality than our predecessors, that the […]

Fighting for Our Kids: Special Education Services Need an Overhaul. But Will MN Invest?

The number of students with neurodevelopmental disabilities, like Autism, ADHD, and speech and language disorders, has increased since Minnesota’s education […]

In the Homestretch of Session, What’s Up for Debate in Education? Kids Deserve a Deal

It’s the seventh-inning stretch at the Minnesota Legislature. And with a little over a month to go until the constitutionally-required […]

The Time to Prioritize Literacy is Now

Sometimes I think of literacy among Minnesota students as a stopped-up pipe. Water is making its way but it isn’t […]

Attention Minnesota Teachers: New Literacy Training is Here

During the 2021 legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers dedicated $3 million to provide educators with rigorous training in the science of […]

A Back-to-School Q&A: What MN Students Are Saying

After more than a year of restrictions and online schooling, most students are back in school buildings across the state. […]

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

The Minnesota legislature officially adjourned Monday afternoon, but with a lot of work unfinished. Once again, legislators will have to […]

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

In mid-March, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), which includes $170 billion in […]

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

This month, the Education Policy Committee released their omnibus bill—the single bill that packages all the K-12 policies the House […]

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

There are a lot of factors that go into whether students succeed in school. For me, the passionate teachers who […]

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

If you had told me a decade ago that I would be working this hard to make teacher licensure in […]

Teachers Push Back on Licensure Changes

Minnesota students should never miss out on a great teacher because of arbitrary licensure barriers. Despite signs that tiered licensure […]

Governor Proposes Many Steps Forward, but a Few Back

During the legislative session, the Governor has two main tools to advance his policy priorities: a proposed budget outlining spending […]

What’s in the Governor’s Education Budget?

Late January, Governor Walz released a budget proposal with 428-pages on education. Many of the priorities tie back to his […]

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

Growing up as a Mexican-American in Minnesota, my experience in the public school system was, at a minimum, alienating and, […]

First House Education Hearings Include Proposals on COVID-19 Recovery

This week, the legislative session started kicking into gear with hearings on two bills that will invest in COVID-19 recovery […]

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

In late December, the federal government passed a $900 billion federal stimulus bill, which will provide vital support for education […]

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

This legislative session, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Minnesota students, who have faced unprecedented disruption in their education. The […]

Celebrating Our Best Teachers by Keeping them in the Classroom

In early August, Qorsho Hassan was named Minnesota’s 2020 Teacher of Year—the first Somali American to be recognized for the […]

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

Last week, Governor Walz announced a framework for back-to-school that will lead to a mix of delivery models across the […]

Special Session Round-Two Ends with Nothing Accomplished for Students

Minnesota’s second special session adjourned Tuesday, with legislators coming to an agreement on a highly debated police accountability bill. But […]

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

This post is the fifth in our Education at a Distance series, centering the voices of students, parents, and educators […]

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

This article was updated July 20 to reflect the introduction of HF96. For the second time this summer Governor Walz […]

Community Sounds Off at the Capitol on Distance Learning Barriers

In June, Minnesota’s House Education Policy and Finance committees came together for a series of informational hearings to better understand […]

What Espinoza Case Means for Private Schools in MN

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case followed closely by many in the education world: Espinoza […]

Big Policies Pass in Special Session, But Much Work Remains

Last week, legislators came back for a one-week special session with a renewed call to address racial equity. Leaders brought […]

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

In 2017, Minnesota changed state laws to allow alternative teacher preparation programs to operate outside of higher education. We’ve been […]

Flurry of Activity on Education During Special Session

Legislators came into special session last Friday with numerous priorities, hopes to advance several education policies that didn’t pass in […]

A Call to Action on Racial Justice for Minnesota Students

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, conversations on racial justice have moved front and center. Given Minnesota’s startling opportunity […]

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 […]

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

The 2020 legislative session was not what anyone expected. COVID-19’s devastating impact on Minnesota students and their access to a […]

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

With under a week left of the regular legislative session, the Minnesota House and Senate are still working behind the […]

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

This post is the third in our Education at a Distance series, centering the voices of students, parents, and educators […]

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

This post is the second in our Education at a Distance series, centering the voices of students, parents, and educators […]

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

Minnesota students have been distance learning for about a month and are set to continue through at least the remainder […]

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

Since Governor Walz closed schools in mid-March, students, families, and educators have worked to prepare and implement distance learning. And […]

Learning from National Innovators: Educating Students Under COVID-19

Like all of you, our team at EdAllies is working to adjust to the new realities we face. There are […]

What’s in the Governor’s Education Bill?

This week, legislators held a hearing on the Governor’s education policy bill (HF3186). The bill contains several policies that will […]

EdAllies’ 2020 Priorities at the Capitol

The 2020 legislative session starts today, and policymakers have already identified their top priorities for the year. At EdAllies, we’re […]

Minnesota Leads the Charge in Counting All Kids

To help ensure all students get what they need to succeed, we need to measure how they are doing and […]

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

This week, the United States Commission Civil Rights published a new report which confirms what we have known anecdotally for […]

The 2019 Education Bill: What Made the Cut?

After going into overtime, the Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its work for the year proving, once again, that the only […]