Education News

MPR News keeps track of the latest education news in Minnesota so you can understand the events shaping the future of learning and how it impacts students at any level.

Stay informed about local education events, policies and more happening in schools and colleges across Minnesota.

Beware of those college brochures that tout diversity in campus life
Researchers who looked at more than 10,000 images from college brochures, comparing the racial breakdown of students in the pictures to the colleges' actual demographics, found that, overall, the whiter the school, the more diversity depicted in the brochures, especially for certain groups.
On the BBC World Have Your Say: suicide bombings in Russia are causing concern among leaders who fear militants are ramping up violence before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
Gender-neutral housing is coming to the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus. In the fall of 2015, up to several dozen upper-division students will have access to campus apartments regardless of sex or what gender they identify with. Transgender students have been pushing for the change. And the U will join a growing number of Read more →
What if We Punished Colleges for Student Loan Defaults? Under a proposal created by Senate Democrats, colleges might bear greater responsibility for whether or not their students pay back their loans on time. (Washington Monthly) Morgan State student takes a stand for gay rights at historically black university Openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students at Read more →
Historian Brian Ingrassia speaks about the origins of college football in the late 1800's and traces the evolution of the sport to a multi-million dollar athletic spectacle on university campuses. His book is "The Rise of the Gridiron University: Higher Education's Uneasy Alliance with Big-Time Football." He spoke November 9, 2012 at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Carleton and St. Olaf will soon work together on college courses
Northfield’s old rivals — St. Olaf College and Carleton College — are teaming up to save costs. A $1.4 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will have them jointly run some areas of their information technology, administration — even academic programming. St. Olaf President David Anderson said sharing some college operations would be Read more →
University of Minnesota – Duluth eyes $4 million in first-round of cuts
University of Minnesota – Duluth officials say they’re preparing an initial round of budget cuts for the campus. They haven’t identified exactly where the $4 million in reductions will occur. But Chief Academic Officer Andrea Schokker said they could include the elimination of up to two low-enrollment degrees, the layoff of part-time faculty and the Read more →
How much does the U spend on a football scholarship student?
Amy Perko, the executive director of the Knight Commission, puts into national perspective its data showing that in 20011 the University of Minnesota spent close to $200,000 for the average scholarship football player — an increase from $108,000 six years prior: “The pattern that clearly emerges is that athletic spending is rising rapidly, while academic Read more →
The 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech in 2013 Most of the schools we include in this year’s list are public colleges or universities bound by the First Amendment. But some of them are private colleges that, though not required by the Constitution to respect student and faculty free speech rights, nonetheless promise to do so. Read more →