November 2025 Research Rundown
By Madie Spartz
For November’s Research Rundown—our curated list of recent, relevant research we think is worth adding to the education equity conversation—we highlight articles on:
- Minnesota’s Student Attendance Pilot Program
- Factors squeezing K-12 budgets and how we can respond
- Financial aid in Minnesota and neighboring states
Minnesota Student Attendance Pilot School District’s Strategies & Goals
Report to the Minnesota Legislature, July 2025
This report, compiled by the twelve pilot school districts participating in the Student Attendance Pilot Program, shares the progress, challenges, and findings from a group of districts charged with understanding barriers and opportunities around absenteeism, approximately halfway through the program established by the legislature in 2024. Each district reported their own findings, including detailed attendance data and notable stories from staff and students impacted by the attendance strategies implemented under this program.
While each district has its own unique challenges and effective strategies, the report does identify commonalities across the 12 districts. For example, all districts agree that more state-level guidance is needed for correctly reporting and analyzing absences, and while most participating schools have attendance teams dedicated to improving attendance, staff shortages can limit their effectiveness. Conversely, the districts agreed that some of the most effective strategies thus far have been personalized family outreach for at-risk students, in-school mentoring to improve student belonging, and transportation assistance.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
The outcomes of this pilot program are critical for understanding the scope of the chronic absenteeism problem in Minnesota, as well as identifying effective solutions that could be scaled to a statewide level. While the legislature did take some tangible steps towards addressing chronic absenteeism in the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, including the creation of and investment in this pilot program, the work is still in its infancy– much more comprehensive statewide policy and investment is needed to get more Minnesota students regularly attending school.
The findings in this report also underscore the critical importance of better attendance data reporting at the state level. Through real-time, grade level-specific data, pilot districts could identify where targeted interventions were most needed. At the state level, however, attendance data is still reported on an 18-month lag, and it is not broken down by grade level or severity of absenteeism. Without this critical information, policymakers can’t identify or respond effectively to the reasons Minnesota kids are missing school.
Under Pressure: The Factors Squeezing K-12 Budgets- and How State Advocates Can Respond
Bellwether, November 2025
This brief provides an overview of the many factors that are putting pressure on state education budgets, including federal retrenchment, reduced enrollment, statewide budget deficits, and stagnant academic performance requiring long-term investment. While these converging issues are a real cause for alarm, there are steps policymakers can take to soften the impact, including protecting K-12 funding from overall budget shortfalls and modernizing funding streams to make them more efficient, effective, and equitable.
The report also includes an interactive tool that rates each state on its risk level on a variety of factors. They rate Minnesota “low risk” on federal revenue, enrollment, and general fund revenue. Per-pupil revenue and the rainy day fund earned a “medium risk” rating, and their analysis put state tax collections in the “high risk” category. However, some Minnesota-specific factors are not included in their analysis– more on that below.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
Although this report rates Minnesota as fairly well-positioned in the national school funding landscape, there are serious budget pressures not reflected in this report. Minnesota is facing a budget deficit, and as one of the largest expenditures in the state budget, education funding is at risk. For example, last session, legislators indicated that $250 million needs to be cut from special education in the next biennium and handed that task to a Blue Ribbon Commission. Furthermore, although Minnesota relies on federal funding far less than other states (roughly 10% of our education budget comes from federal sources), we are still facing budget deficits in the billions of dollars as a result of changes to Medicaid and SNAP programs in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” These cuts will impact schools both directly and indirectly, and lawmakers need to respond proactively; without a targeted policy response addressing the impacts of Medicaid and SNAP cuts, the consequences could be dire, ranging from reduced school funding for low-income students to fewer kids receiving health care or nutritious meals at school.
An Overview of State Financial Aid in Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota
EdTrust, October 2025
This report analyzes the college-going conditions and statewide policies that promote college attendance in three Midwestern states, including Minnesota. The authors also examine how these states allocate resources and non-financial aid strategies for promoting college access and success, including FAFSA completion policies, direct admissions programs, and college advising. This regional comparison allows families and policymakers to understand how Minnesota performs compared to neighboring states, as well as look to other states on areas of improvement.
According to the authors’ analysis, Minnesota fares fairly well on many of these metrics, but there are areas where we fall short. For example, the authors urge states to include students who are currently or formerly incarcerated in their financial aid programs, which Minnesota’s North Star Promise program does not, nor do flagship programs in the other two states. They also encourage states not to punish students who already have debt, but all three states in the report exclude students in default from eligibility for their financial aid programs.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
In Minnesota, the cost burden of attending college is high for all families, but especially so for families of color. For example, while the average Minnesota family would need to spend over a quarter of their income on public, four-year college attendance, for Black families in Minnesota that number jumps to 57%. To combat this and other inequities baked into higher education access, Minnesota offers free in-state tuition for families earning less than $80,000 a year via the North Star Promise program, as well as access to state aid for undocumented students, and a Direct Admissions that ensures students know proactively that they are “college material.” However, we still have a long way to go in ensuring equitable outcomes for all students. The persistence of college access and completion gaps necessitates consistent evaluation of our statewide programs and a willingness to innovate or change current policies if they are not moving the needle for Minnesota students.