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.

The education of R.T. Rybak
On his way out, mayor reflects on the educational challenge he's about to tackle.
Moorhead prez: Part of enrollment drop due to tougher standards
Minnesota State University – Moorhead President Edna Mora Szymanski told the Star Tribune that some of its decline in enrollment was intentional: In 2010, Minnesota State University Moorhead decided it was admitting too many unqualified students, and it started referring “large numbers” to community and technical colleges, said Moorhead President Edna Szymanski. … The harsh Read more →
Rochester paper: Sound more aggressive, MnSCU
Last week I posted the response of a Metropolitan State University professor, who said the Star Tribune‘s editorial board was portraying faculty as “obstructionist” toward MnSCU’s Charting the Future plan for more coordination among campuses. Looks like the Rochester Post-Bulletin also had little patience for uppity faculty: An early draft of the report was criticized Read more →
The rallies, sponsored by gay and lesbian advocacy group OutFront Minnesota and the state's teachers union Education Minnesota, will focus on raising support for a new bill that would require schools to track cases of bullying and train staff on how to prevent bullying.
More community colleges confer bachelor’s degrees ​A growing number of community colleges are jumping on the baccalaureate bandwagon, but college leaders say the trend is not a threat to the associate degree or community college concept. (Community College Daily) Napolitano, University of California president, ‘deeply skeptical’ of Obama college rating plan Napolitano’s reaction is especially significant because she Read more →
Northwest Technical College in Bemidji is expected to undergo a major restructuring next year. Declining enrollment has created a deficit of $300,000, or just over 3 percent of the school’s budget. President Richard Hanson wants to close that gap. But he has also called for a re-examination of the school’s educational mission, academic programs and Read more →
State higher-ed office hiring consumer protection advocate
The state Office of Higher Education is hiring its first consumer protection advocate to monitor college recruitment and advertising practices. The new hire will work with George Roedler, who heads up the registration and licensing section and mediates complaints that students have with schools. Commissioner Larry Pogemiller says the advocate will identify misleading practices and Read more →
Study: Exhausted teens benefit from later morning school starts
New research from the University of Minnesota shows that when teenagers start school later in the morning, they're tardy less often, are absent fewer days, and their grades improve. But districts considering a later start time often face push back from parents who schedule their lives around their students' school routine.
Are academics working harder than they did before? Or just differently? While the data on this issue remain inconclusive, new technology may be responsible for distributing their efforts in more visible and differentiated ways. (Impact on Social Sciences) Why educating the educators is complex One of the biggest debates in public education today is over how to best Read more →