June 13 issue of Learning Matters

Minnesota Department of Education

LEARNING MATTERS

June 13, 2016

Agency News

Minnesota's 500+ Migrant Families

Noemi Trevino, Asst. Commssioner Hue Nguyen help pack school supplies and food at the Sheridan Story warehouse


On Sunday, June 5, The Sheridan Story hosted a volunteer effort to pack food and school supplies for the migrant families who travel each season to Minnesota and provide a vital workforce. The Kids in Need Foundation and the Minnesota Department of Education were partners in the event to raise awareness of the families and our state's Migrant Education Program.

Read media advisory.

Read June 6 BloggED.


Voluntary Pre-K Opportunities

Last week, Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature allocated funding so that school districts, charter schools or a combination thereof can establish voluntary pre-kindergarten programs in their communities. It is estimated that 3,700 four-year-olds will be served in the first year. The application for districts and charters is now open and applications are due by 4 p.m. on July 1. For more information and to apply, visit the voluntary pre-K web page.


Continued Investments in Education

Two pre-K students enjoy a quiet moment


The supplemental budget bill signed by Governor Dayton invests $25 million to help 3,700 more Minnesota four-year-olds across the state gain access to high-quality preschool programs in school districts that choose to offer it. The bill also includes funding to hire more school counselors, help develop a robust and diverse teacher workforce and an increase in adult education funding.

View full news release on the Governor's website.


Help with Student Loans Available

Teachers working in designated teacher shortage areas in Minnesota may qualify for help with their student loan payments. The Minnesota Teacher Shortage Student Loan Repayment Program is intended to encourage teachers to teach in Minnesota in designated shortage areas by providing assistance with their student loan repayments. Applications are due by June 30, 2016. Visit the Office of Higher Education website for more information and to submit an application.

Education in the News

Putting Students in Charge

Perched on desks and huddled around laptops, they were planning lessons and games for Johnson's 15-minute daily advisory classes. Johnson added the advisories this year as part of an effort to shift some control at the school to students. Read more at MPRnews.


Homeless Teen Beats Odds and Graduates from High School

Diamond Syas found herself homeless and largely alone during last school year. It would have been easy to become another Minnesota dropout statistic. But she didn't quit. Read more of the MPR story.


The Evolution of the Chartered School

Twenty-five years ago this month, tucked in a voluminous education funding bill headed to the Minnesota governor’s desk... read full Education Week article.


Hidden in Plain Sight: Homeless Students in America’s Public Schools

More than 1.3 million public school students were identified as homeless in 2013-14, a number that has been rising since 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The GradNation campaign recently released a new report, authored by Civic Enterprises with Hart Research Associates, that provides insight into how educators, policymakers and community organizations can help more students cope with homelessness, graduate from high school and have a shot at adult success.

Recent BloggED posts

Limit Summer Slide to the Playground!

Summer Learning 2016 poster


When kids don't read, work on math problems, or aren't engaged in other learning experiences, their skills lapse. Summer slide is a child’s loss of academic skills during the three-month break from school. One great way kids can keep on track is by participating in a local public library’s summer reading program. In Minnesota, nearly every public library offers a summer reading program for school-aged kids. While it varies from library to library, most summer programs consist of two components: 1) a fun way to track self-guided reading (sometimes even earning incentives) and 2) tons of free, fun and educational activities.

Read June 2 guest post on MDE’s BloggED.

Instructional Resources

New Videos for Social Studies Teachers

Video content offers guidance to support the implementation of Minnesota's K-12 academic standards in social studies. An excellent resource to inform curriculum writing this summer and instruction during the 2016-17 school year, you can find The Doing Social Studies video series and  video guides on the Minnesota Department of Education website. The videos offer explanations and strategies for teaching the social studies content, concepts and skills in the standards and benchmarks. Questions? Contact Jessica Winkelaar. jessica.winkelaar@state.mn.us.