- Mike Schmoker on what to teach and when
- Curriculum as narrative (versus coverage)
- Quality control of online materials
- More analysis, collaboration, and engagement in small-group discussions
- Using YA novels to discuss harassment and unwanted touching
- Individualizing plans for English learners
- A media literacy website
- Deliberate practice and beliefs about intelligence
- Fostering productive mindsets in mathematics classes
- A hands-on math problem for third graders
- Keeping low-tech educational goals in mind
- ChatGPT, writing, and thinking
- A daily huddle for a school leadership team
- Jennifer Gonzalez and the Street Data Project
- Health and psychological benefits of controlled breathing exercises
- The best way to support an upset person
- Choosing an inclusive social emotional learning (SEL) program
- A strategy to improve note-taking skills in high school
- A classroom desk arrangement that maximizes learning
- The benefits of reading your writing drafts out loud
- In praise of memorization
- How do earlier school start times affect elementary students?
- Picture books to support suicide prevention in elementary grades
- A writer's guide to ChatGPT
- A gloomy take on the new bot
- Temple Grandin on the role of neurodivergent people (like her)
- Dealing with workplace incivility
- Further insights on growth mindset interventions
- Instructional coaching in a fishbowl
- Should high-school students vet online political ads?
- Three reasons not to try banning ChatGPT
- Jennifer Gonzalez and her team pick their favorite tech apps
- Ezra Klein on Twitter, Quaker meetings, and Wikipedia
- What's behind the dramatic decline in teen births?
- A doctor who prescribes books to young adolescents
- Getting the most from educators' home visits (click here for more on partnering with families)
- Daniel Willingham updates the research on growth mindset
- Getting students doing their own thinking in math classes
- Advice on giving advice to teens about drugs
- Books to complement the new Pinocchio movie
- Can you guess if this was written by ChatGPT?
- The Marshall Memo story
- A matrix for assessing assessments
- Interesting factoids from 2022
- Teacher professional learning focused on solving classroom problems
- Jennifer Gonzalez and Elena Aguilar on psychological safety in PD
- More on inaccurate press coverage of the "science of reading"
- Rubrics for assessing rigor and equity in math classes
- Addressing under-the-surface biases in math instruction
- Should students wrestle with concepts before direct instruction?
- Four possible leadership stances - and when to use them
- A video commentary on ChatGPT
- Is ChatGPT a threat to schools?
- Artificial intelligence and Plato
- Disrupting rituals in a Massachusetts high school
- Fourth graders’ curiosity sparks a deeper science curriculum
- More on journalists’ coverage of the “science of reading” debate
- Coaches’ questions to teachers showing curiosity and caring
- Ten key education studies from this year
- Recommended children’s nonfiction books
- Short item: Positive news stories from 2022
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This was a big week at the capitol. The Education Committees were in full swing on a number of issues and the Governor released the outline of his Education budget.
Governor Walz set out a comprehensive plan to support students, educators and schools. At the top of the list were proposed increases in the foundation aid formula of 4% for next year and 2% the following year. Also, in the future the formula will be indexed to inflation. The inflation increases will start in fiscal year 2026 and continue into the future allowing schools to have additional stability in future planning.
It will be interesting to see the various reactions of groups to the funding proposals in the coming week.
The Governor proposes reducing the special education cross subsidy by 50%. Special education costs exceed the revenue designated for that purpose. When that occurs, school districts are required to fund the shortage out of the general fund. Over the next biennium the state will spend $720 million to reduce the amount of the “cross subsidy”. (Cross subsidy is always somewhat confusing. It is just a subsidy. The general fund subsidizes the special education budget.) In effect, millions will stay in the general fund that can be used as intended—to provide educational programming. This issue has plagued school districts for years. The 50% figure is less than we had proposed, but it supplements foundational money that will be put to good use.
The Governor’s signature program will provide universal meals to students. This will include no-cost breakfast and lunch for all students at schools participating in the Federal School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program. As you might guess, the program is expensive at $388 million in the first biennium and $420 million in the next biennium.
Several other high profile, expensive programs are on the list as well. Paid family medical leave is being discussed in both the House and Senate. Employers would be required to make additional paid family medical leave available utilizing a number of formulas. Unemployment compensation for school district’s hourly workers is proposed by the governor. Payment of unemployment during the summer months would be reimbursed by the state under the Governor’s proposal. Additional support personnel, stipends for student teachers, mental health grants and reduction of the English Learner Cross Subsidy are included as well.
Pension changes were not included in these budget proposals. That discussion will most likely take place later in the session.
The finance committees will review all of these programs over the next several weeks.
The House Education Policy and Finance committees heard Rep. Feist’s proposal to require menstrual products in school restrooms used by students in grade 4 though 12. The bill, (HF44 and SF50) includes funding to school districts to cover the costs. The bill was initially developed by a group of high school students. Several female students testified about the difficulty and embarrassment experienced as a result of the lack of available products and the loss of school time. In addition, poverty is a major issue here. The bill generated some fighting between the democrats and republicans. It is expected the bill will pass out of committee next week. The Senate policy committee heard the bill as well.
The House heard the K-3 suspension bill, (HF58 Rep. Richardson) on Wednesday. This bill prohibits suspending K-3 students except in those cases where the student poses a “serious ongoing safety threat”. MESPA President Jason Luksik and National distinguished Principal Nancy Antoine testified on the bill. These hearings are painful as the proponents go through a list of cases where they believe their students were treated inappropriately. Also, a significant discussion about the disparities in suspensions was discussed. The bill will be heard in the Senate on Wednesday.
Next week contains a full slate of issues that are going to be discussed. Free meals, discipline, recess, menstrual products, and sudden cardiac death screening for athletes.
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by William A. Sommers
Click here for summary.
The Democrats demonstrated what they can do when controlling both the House and Senate this week. A major tax conformity bill was passed by both bodies and sent to the governor. This aligns several Minnesota deductions with federal deductions and will be retroactive resulting in the filing of amended returns. The bill had not passed the previous two sessions due to gridlock. This time, the $100 million in tax relief passed unanimously.
Procedurally the House and Senate have to pass resolutions to adjourn for more than four days. Both bodies passed the resolution this week to have a long MLK weekend. No legislative business on Monday.
Leadership released committee deadlines on Thursday. These dates establish the framework for work completion during the session.
First Deadline – Friday, March 10
Second Deadline – Friday, March 14
Third Deadline – Tuesday, April 4
Deadlines are a key part of the legislative process. Policy bills have to be reported out of all relevant committees in either the House or Senate by the first deadline. A bill that makes first deadline has to pass out of the other body’s committees by the second deadline. Finance bills have to be reported out of all committees by the third deadline.
The deadlines are a clear signal that the democrats want to move quickly through the session and potentially adjourn early. Behind the scenes, a strong partnership between House and Senate leaders are driving this.
The House Education Policy committee heard one of the Governor’s major bills this week. Authored by Rep. Jordan (Minneapolis) HF 5 provides free breakfast and lunch for all students. The cost is approximately $400 million. It passed the committee and was forwarded to the Education Finance Committee.
The committee also heard the “access to menstrual products” bill. House File 44 requires schools to make menstrual products available in restrooms used by students in grades 4 to 12. The bill, Authored by Rep. Feist (New Brighton) has 22 co-authors. The bill was initially put together by a student group and several high school students testified to the committee. Rep. Urdahl offered an amendment to limit the availability to “female restrooms”. The amendment was rejected by the committee.
Overviews were the order of business for the balance of the week. The Senate Finance Committee listened to presentations from teachers covering a landscape of issues on Tuesday. This was followed by two hours of student testimony on Wednesday. Thursday was a presentation from the Department and its goals. Mental health was the general topic in Senate policy on Wednesday.
Next week will include several issues of interest to principals. On Tuesday the House Policy committee will take up the Indigenous Peoples Day bill. This will strike out Columbus day from school holidays, insert indigenous peoples day and provide a list of required curricula that must be taught on that day. (HF 211 Keeler). Wednesday the committee will take up K-3 suspensions (HF 58 Richardson). The bill prohibits suspension of any student in K-3.
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