Supreme Court Rules 5-4 in Favor of Janus. What Are the Implications for Unions?
On June 27, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Mark Janus, a child support specialist for the state of Illinois. Janus sued his union, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), arguing that he should not have to pay mandatory dues. This post will discuss the Janus case, and how unions—both state and national—have prepared for the ruling.
View post »PELSB Prepares for July 1 Implementation of New Teacher Licensure System
It’s been a busy few months for PELSB and its staff as they prepare for July 1 deadline for implementation of the new teacher licensure system. This post will provide a refresher on the new teacher licensure system, an update on rulemaking, and information on how teachers and teacher candidates can apply for licensure.
View post »Ron Brown College Prep: A Student-Centered School For Male Students of Color
Ron Brown College Preparatory opened its doors in August 2016 to 110 freshmen as part of DC Public Schools’ twenty million dollar “Empowering Males of Color” initiative. The primary purpose of the school is to serve the city’s young African-American and Latino men, two groups who have historically struggled in the district.
View post »What I Wish I Had Known Before I Left Teaching
Bewildered by the unrelenting demands of the job, and not impermeable to the demoralized banter of my colleagues, I left my 5th grade teaching post—and the teaching profession—after just two years. Strangely, I even insisted to my now-husband that he not let me teach again. Somehow I knew that I would want to.
View post »MN Charters Recognized for Innovation and Leadership
On May 10, the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools recognized four schools at the third annual Innovation Awards event. Additionally, under a new award program established this year, one educator was honored with the Minnesota Charter School Leadership Award.
View post »How a Rural Elementary School Became a Hub of Community Action
Deanna Hron—a kindergarten teacher at King Elementary School in rural Deer River, MN—received the Educator Leadership Award at the Community Schools National Forum in Baltimore last week, in recognition of her “strong leadership in advocating for community schools.” But Hron's journey was not without struggle.
View post »PELSB Selects New Executive Director and Releases New Rule Draft
On Friday, April 20, PELSB met to do final interviews for the three finalists for the executive director position, as well as to go over the new rule draft. This post will go over their deliberations, the new rule draft, and the timeline for rulemaking.
View post »MDE Wraps Up ESSA Committees and Prepares for Implementation
Last week, MDE held the last meeting of their Reporting and Recognition Committee, which was formed after they submitted the state’s ESSA plan to USDE in September 2017. This post will discuss the recommendations from the committee, how Minnesota will deal with a new ESSA provision around fiscal transparency, and some important dates regarding implementation.
View post »2018 MN Legislative Session: Four of the Biggest Education Policy Topics So Far
Even though it isn't a budget year, there are still many important and relevant education policy issues being discussed this legislative session. This post will summarize four pieces of legislation that have garnered a lot of attention and that we recommend you keep an eye on.
View post »Four Innovation Research Zones Approved by Commissioner Cassellius
During the 2017 legislative session, Education Evolving led a coalition that worked with legislators to successfully pass the IRZ Pilot Program. The purpose of the legislation was to “allow school districts and charter schools to research and implement innovative education programming models designed to better prepare students for the world of the 21st century.” This post includes detailed descriptions of each IRZ, as well as future plans Education Evolving has to improve the legislation.
View post »