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February 2, 2024
Updates in this email:
Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group has been meeting regularly since October 2023, and has made important progress toward developing a state strategic plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education across all public K-12 and charter schools in Minnesota.
The CS Working Group has identified key priority areas and generated recommendations for the state’s next steps for CS education. The plan is now available for public review and comment, starting on February 1, 2024, and closing on February 16, 2024. The finalized plan will be presented to the Minnesota legislature by March 22, 2024.
How to Provide Comments on the Plan
Your input is needed - here’s how to provide feedback:
- Review the CS State Plan Draft
- Share Your Thoughts: We encourage you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and concerns through the online comment form.
- Attend Virtual Feedback Sessions: Join our virtual feedback sessions where you can engage directly with members of the CS Working Group and share your insights. Sessions will be held via Zoom for one hour each. Register for one of the sessions using the following links:
- Help us Spread the Word: Help us reach more stakeholders by sharing this information with your colleagues, friends and community members. The more variety of voices we hear, the stronger and more inclusive our strategic plan will be.
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is compiling information to support the Personal Finance Workgroup in the development of statewide guidance for personal finance courses. MDE invites educators who are currently or have previously taught personal finance content to complete the Pre-Working Group Personal Finance Teachers Education Survey. Administrators who are supervising the delivery of personal finance are encouraged to complete the Pre-Working Group Personal Finance Administrators Education Survey The Personal Finance surveys will close on February 26, 2024. See additional details in Personal Finance Working Group Assumptions document.
MDE and Sourcewell will host a no-cost virtual training for school leaders to learn more about language access on February 13 from 9:30-11 a.m. This training will enhance leaders’ understanding of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to create an inclusive environment. Participants will gain knowledge about relevant laws and policies related to language access in education, ensuring schools meet legal requirements. Participants will also learn about effective strategies for communication, translation and interpretation to bridge language gaps between schools and linguistically diverse families. Registration for the training can be found on the MDE calendar. Questions should be directed to Michelle Niska .
The 2023 Minnesota Legislature invested $15 million for grants to schools to start-up or expand the full-service community school strategy under Minnesota Statutes 2023, section 124D.231. Grant funding will expand systemic supports for students, families and communities across Minnesota. This is a one-time competitive grant opportunity with funding available until June 30, 2027. Grant amounts may range from $350,000 to $600,000 per site. Of the $14.7 million available, the Minnesota Department of Education will award at least $9.85 million for start-up grants and no more than $4.85 million for expansion grants.
Applications must be submitted electronically by February 26, 2024 no later than 5 p.m. Applications, instructions, timelines and further information can be found on the 2024 Full-Service Community School (FSCS) grant opportunity webpage.
MDE is also recruiting reviewers for this grant opportunity. For more information, please contact Jackie Blagsvedt, (651)-582-8805.
Personal Finance Education Working Group Applications are now open. Applications will close on February 2, 2024. MDE is seeking social studies, math, business education, family and consumer science, and agriculture, food and natural resources teachers, recent high school graduates, current Minnesota school administrators and pre-service program faculty (see the Personal Finance Working Group Assumptions document). The goal of the Personal Finance Working Group is to develop guidance to support the development of personal finance courses in Minnesota high schools. Details are in the Personal Finance Working Group Assumptions document. Applicants must agree to the assumptions and the timeline and be available for all meetings, from June 2024 to October 2024. In addition to the five full group meetings, there may be small group meetings scheduled to draft pieces of the guidance between meetings. Please read the Personal Finance Working Group Assumptions document prior to completing the application.
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