School district's consolidation legal wrangling may have statewide impactFebruary 15, 2012 2:30 PMBy Elizabeth DunbarTwo legal disputes involving a rural northern Minnesota school district could impact how other Minnesota school districts communicate with their constituents about tax hikes and provide financial data to the public on construction projects.
Play3min 54secJohnson Controls deal to preserve St. Louis County schools leaves voters confused, angryFebruary 15, 2012 2:30 PMBy Elizabeth DunbarToday, thanks to a voter-approved bond referendum, construction of two new schools and upgrades to three others are nearly complete in St. Louis County. The $78 million reconstruction project was directed by the very same company that pitched the consolidation — Johnson Controls. And fallout from the deal is leaving a bitter aftertaste.
Turkish group takes U of M back to courtFebruary 15, 2012 7:45 AMBy Bill WarehamIt’s been the better part of a year since Alex wrote about the court fight between a Turkish group and the University of Minnesota over the reliability of the group’s site, specifically its information (or lack thereof) on Armenian genocide. Last April a judge dismissed the suit, but the Turkish Coalition of America is appealing…
Educator: More partnerships to build learning opportunitiesFebruary 14, 2012 5:02 PMBy Tim PostThe Minnesota Department of Education is asking more businesses across the state to adopt schools.
Off for a week's vacationFebruary 14, 2012 10:41 AMBy Alex FriedrichJust letting you know I’ll be gone for several days, but will be back on Tuesday, Feb. 22. My editor, Bill Wareham, might post a few things in my absence, but it would be light.
ND higher ed board to sue to drop Fighting SiouxFebruary 14, 2012 8:53 AMNorth Dakota's Board of Higher Education voted Monday to sue to attempt to block a public vote on a state law that requires the University of North Dakota's athletics teams to be called the Fighting Sioux.
Play3min 47secAnoka-Hennepin drops controversial 'neutrality policy'February 14, 2012 6:45 AMBy Tom WeberThe state's largest school district has dropped a controversial policy that requires teachers to stay neutral when issues of sexual orientation come up in class.
Why Capella Education Company laid off 63 peopleFebruary 14, 2012 3:31 AMBy Alex Friedrich“2011 was a year marked by a challenging economic environment and increased competition for the high-quality learners Capella serves.” Capella Education Company CEO Kevin Gilligan on last year’s revenue drop and news that it had to lay off 63 non-faculty positions. The company owns Capella University. (Note: The previous version of this post had an…
What Northland Community College got from the PistonsFebruary 14, 2012 3:20 AMBy Alex FriedrichThis just seemed cool. WDAY News 6 reports that none other than the Detroit Pistons has donated a DC-9 to Northland Community and Technical College’s aviation program. Students won’t fly it; they’ll take it apart and put it back together. Read the full story and see some of WDAY’s footage here.
Notes in the Margins: Cheating, modernizing a library, and Obama's college fundFebruary 14, 2012 1:48 AMBy Alex FriedrichCourt hears challenge to CA affirmative action ban Backers of affirmative action asked a federal appeals court Monday to overturn California’s 15-year-old ban on considering race in public college admissions, citing a steep drop in black, Latino and Native American students at the state’s elite campuses. (Associated Press via The Boston Globe) Obama emphasizes education in economic…