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.

More Minnesota schools halt in-person classes as COVID-19 cases rise
Schools across the state are beginning to suspend in-person learning as COVID-19 case rates rise. Duluth, Bloomington and Hopkins public schools have announced plans to transition their students to distance learning. 
ChangeMakers: Vanessa GoodThunder, revitalizing the Dakota language
Vanessa GoodThunder, 26, is the director of the C̣aƞṡayapi Waḳaƞyeża Owayawa Oṭi, the Lower Sioux Early Head Start and Head Start Dakota language immersion program in Morton, Minn. She is from the Lower Sioux Indian Community, a Dakota community in Southwest Minnesota described as "where they paint the trees red."
During the pandemic, Minnesota school levy requests hit a 24-year low
Minnesota K-12 districts received low voter approval on school funding requests in an unprecedented presidential election year. Already cash-strapped schools are worried about the potential for more financial strain.
This year's Minn. school board races are competitive and more racially diverse
The majority of Minnesota school districts are holding board elections in November. And there are large numbers of people running to fill those seats, including record numbers of candidates of color.
What one school board’s decision to 'let them play' means for Minnesota 
On Monday the Anoka-Hennepin school board voted 5-1 to continue high school sports and extracurricular activities, while transitioning students to distance learning. Other districts are likely watching Anoka-Hennepin’s experience and could make similar decisions going forward as they try to resume the normal rhythms of the school year. 
In an open letter, the principals of North Community High, Patrick Henry High and the Harrison Education Center criticized their school board’s decision to terminate its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department.
Are the risks of reopening schools exaggerated?
New research has found few links between in-person K-12 schooling and COVID-19 case rates. "There is not a consistent pattern," one study author said.
Barrett was trustee at private school with anti-gay policies
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett served for nearly three years on the board of private Christian schools that effectively barred admission to children of same-sex parents and made it plain that openly gay and lesbian teachers weren't welcome in the classroom. The three schools, in Minnesota, Indiana and Virginia, are affiliated with People of Praise.