Rewarding and Inspiring Great Teaching
President Obama recently named 108 mathematics and science teachers as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Congratulations to Minnesota awardees, Peter Bohacek, physics teacher at Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights, and Leif Carlson, mathematics teacher at Jefferson Community School in Minneapolis.
Read White House press release.
 Early Learning Scholarships Update
Commissioner Cassellius recently announced that the Early Learning Scholarship Program funding for 2015-16 is now available statewide. Up to $7,500 per scholarship will be awarded. The scholarships offer qualifying Minnesota families with children between ages three and five access to high-quality early childhood programs. Priority for scholarships will be given based on family income, geographic location, and whether a child’s family is on a waiting list for a publicly funded program providing early education or child care services.
Visit the Early Learning Scholarship Program web page for more information.
Three Ways the Feds Hope to Boost Participation in Summer Meal Programs
Nearly 22 million children eat free and reduced-price meals during the school year. Many of those children rely on school breakfasts, lunches, and even dinners to address a lack of adequate nutrition at home.
- Making it Easier to Find Meal Sites -- Online Summer Meals Site Finder launched.
- Partnering with Post Offices -- 3,600 post offices will provide summer meals information hin high-need rural and tribal counties.
- More Volunteers -- AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates program will support nearly 60 associates to help.
Read full story and learn more in Education Week.
Minnesota is America’s Top State for Business 2015
The quality of education in Minnesota helped seal the deal when CNBC crowned our state “America’s Top State for Business 2015.” As reported in a recent post by the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Minnesota finished second in the education category, one of 10 broad measures the business news channel examined in determining the best state for business. Read DEED's June 29 blog.
Minnesota Had TWO State Capitol Buildings: BEFORE the Stately Cass Gilbert-designed Building We Know Today
It may be hard for most Minnesotans to imagine state lawmakers working anywhere other than the current Capitol building, an architectural darling that’s been around for more than a century. However, read on for a story of fire, intrigue and politics that would eventually lead to the grandiose statehouse Minnesotans enjoy today. Read full story in MinnPost.
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Minnesota Legislature's Testing Cuts Came After Too Little Discussion
Lawmakers cut the state Department of Education’s testing budget from $42 million to $22 million and reduced the total number of hours students can spend on standardized tests. Read Star Tribune Editorial Opinion.
Plenty of State Talk, Some Action on Early Education
If all the legislative proposals to expand early-childhood-care and early-education programs in the states this winter and spring had passed, the nation would be entering a new era of near-universal, subsidized preschool for young children. Read full Education Week story.
Senate, House Make Another Run at Updating No Child Left Behind
It's something most Democrats and Republicans in Congress can agree on — an update to the Bush-era No Child Left Behind education law is much needed and long overdue. Read full Associated Press story.
Funding Cuts Force Swift End to Mandatory ACT Testing
Schools will still be required to offer the test to juniors and seniors who want to take it, but districts will have to apply to the state for reimbursement of the testing costs. Read more in Star Tribune and Duluth News Tribune.
Bloomington Elementary Schools Honored for PBIS
Indian Mounds and Washburn elementary schools were recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education as two of 36 “Sustaining Exemplar Schools” across the state that have successfully integrated Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports. Read full Bloomington Sun Current article.
Minnesota Gets More Preschool Funding, but for Fewer Kids, Some Predict
Minnesota's widely debated preschool scholarship program may reach fewer children next year despite millions in new spending. Read more at Pioneer Press.
Summer Meals Program is Personal for Superintendent
He often went to school hungry growing up. That experience is what makes Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) Superintendent Stephen West so passionate about the new summer meals program in his school district. "It’s really personal for me because I’ve been there with an empty belly," West says. “As a kid from the inner city, my mom did everything she could for us, but she had a fixed income and we struggled.” Read full BloggED post.
Back-to-School Leadership Conference
Registration is open for The 2015 Superintendents’ Conference on Tuesday, August 4, and Wednesday, August 5, at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park. Keynote speaker is Alan Blankstein and every participant will receive a copy of his book, Excellence through Equity. Hosted by The Minnesota Department of Education in partnership with the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA). Registration and more information can be found on the MASA website.
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