Distrust and Disorder: A Racial Equity Policy Summons Chaos in the St. Paul...
A student walks down a Harding High hallway wearing headphones, chanting along to violent rap lyrics. Teacher Erik Brandt taps him on the shoulder. Turn it down, he gestures. The kid stares at Brandt...
View ArticleWith Corinthian Student Loan Forgiveness, John Kline Wants Us to Pay for His...
It wasn't that long ago that Rep. John Kline, Minnesota's Most Reprehensible Congressman (TM), was pocketing tens of thousands in campaign contributions from Corinthian College, a for-profit school so...
View ArticleCount Chocula fuels John Kline's hostility toward healthier school meals
The road leading to the Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010 was paved with good intentions. First Lady Michelle Obama's crusade to improve what kids eat during the school day was due in large measure...
View ArticleWisconsin Gov. Scott Walker puts basketball billionaires before universities
When money is tight, tough choices are made. In the face of a $2.2 billion shortfall, Wisconsinites are finding that out the hard way as Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-led legislature play barber...
View ArticleUniversity of Minnesota hikes tuition
Like many other caffeine craving adults, Dean Johnson got up Wednesday morning and went to his local coffee shop. When he strolled in the Willmar caffeine house around 6:30 a.m., Johnson, who vice...
View ArticleTeacher Starri Hedges speaks out about sex shop field trip
On Friday, May 29, Gaia Democratic School teacher Starri Hedges led a group of students on a field trip to Smitten Kitten, a sex shop, to round out a year of sex ed. By the following Monday, a dismayed...
View ArticleEdison High coach Carl Brown claims firing is racist
Carl Brown rallied his players for the final time last Thursday. The football coach at Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis called an informal meeting off school grounds, not to go over...
View ArticleITT Tech sells an American dream of broken lives and financial ruin
The hard sell went down in a sun-baked office. Across an aircraft carrier of a desk, an ITT Tech admissions rep looked at Joseph White with a toothy smile. Did he want to enroll today? she asked....
View ArticleMinnesota teachers accused of rigging test
Students aren't graded on performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. The spring standardized tests don't weigh on their ability to graduate. Yet 17 students got caught using cell phones,...
View ArticleNAACP frustrated with lack of African American topics in St. Paul schools
St. Paul Public Schools has racial equity as the centerpiece of its current administration, but parents and teachers aren't convinced that the district is doing enough to bring equity to its curricula....
View ArticleMinnesota Daily reporter Grant Donald is caught fabricating interviews
When the University of Minnesota Athletics Department emailed the student editors of the Minnesota Daily claiming that an interview with a swim coach that appeared in a story didn't actually happen, no...
View ArticleCharter school teachers claim intimidation over union
When teachers voted to form a union at St. Paul’s Community School of Excellence last June, they hoped administrators would quit intimidating employees for uttering anything critical of how the...
View ArticleWhy the Minneapolis schools are better than you think
Outside Sanford Middle School on a spring day, a gaggle of kids play catch and chat. They're a patchwork quilt of black, brown, and white, dressed in everything from hijabs to skater shorts. These kids...
View ArticleUniversity of Minnesota among the 50 best schools in the world
Never has a violently jubilant crowd overturned cars while chanting “We’re No. 48!” But sometimes a top 50 placement feels alright. It might not be a riot-worthy finish, but the University of Minnesota...
View ArticleU of M Professor Ken Winters caught forging research document
A University of Minnesota student reporter was caught fabricating quotes for news articles last week. About the same time, a U researcher was caught forging a federal document. The key difference...
View ArticleSt. Paul Schools release bogus test score figures
When the Minnesota Department of Education released statewide report cards for the 2015 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) last Thursday, St. Paul congratulated all of its public schools that...
View ArticleOutspoken teacher Aaron Benner jumps into St. Paul school board race
Speaking to the St. Paul school board in 2011, teacher Aaron Benner openly criticized the district's drive to reduce student suspensions without offering effective alternatives to address serious...
View ArticleMinneapolis student with autism fears schools will shortchange kids like him
Arie Copley-Radder had a hell of a time adjusting to preschool. His first days in the classroom were an overwhelming blur of new faces, loud voices and bright lights. Confused and agitated, he’d start...
View ArticleSt. Paul's Community School investigated for not reporting child abuse
When a kindergarten student at Community School of Excellence walked into class one morning with a big black eye, his teacher demanded to know what happened. The student explained: mom’s boyfriend had...
View ArticleLes Lester's crusade for a black King Tut on television
It was a sleepy Saturday morning in downtown St. Paul as Les Lester stood alone before a cameraman at the Warren E. Burger courthouse. With a microphone in hand, Lester described his worst fear for the...
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