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.

Wisconsin’s Northland College to close at the end of the academic year
In early 2024, it was unclear whether Northland would continue but the college announced it would drastically reduce its majors and cut staff. Despite these efforts, the board chair said the school no longer has the resources to continue.
Lawmaker who led state to require ethnic studies in schools decries effort to undo it
State Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis, authored the bill that set ethnic studies standards a few years ago. She joined Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer on Wednesday in response to Republican Rep. Ron Kresha’s legislation.
Dangerous cold across Minnesota leads to more school delays for Wednesday
Some Minnesota school districts have announced they’ll be starting classes late or moving to online learning on Wednesday, Feb. 19, as a stretch of dangerously cold conditions continues across the region.
Extreme cold prompts school delays, closures across Minnesota for Tuesday
Dangerously cold air that has settled across the Upper Midwest this week has prompted some school districts in Minnesota — including Minneapolis and St. Paul — to cancel classes on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Ellison tells Minnesota schools to follow law if immigration authorities show up
Responding to the Trump administration’s decision to allow immigration enforcement in schools, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Friday advised district leaders to ensure that they and any federal officials who arrive at schools follow legal protocols. 
University of St. Thomas scrambling after Dept. of Ed cuts millions in funding
The $6.3 million grant was targeted under President Donald Trump’s effort to cut programs the government considers “diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI.
Federal education money and Minnesota: 4 questions
As the Trump administration presses for big cuts to the federal education bureaucracy, school leaders in large and small districts across the state say they rely on federal dollars to support their most vulnerable students. Here’s a look at what’s happening.
Feds to probe Minnesota State High School League over transgender athlete policy
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it will investigate the league’s intention to follow state law and allow students in the state to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, despite the president’s recent executive order.
Are kids not reading like they used to? A Minnesota English teacher weighs in
In many English classrooms across the U.S., assignments to read full-length novels are becoming less common — a result of the perception that students have a shorter attention span and less interest in reading the assigned novels.