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.

Half of the state's kids aren't prepared for school. Too many never catch up.
Despite the recession’s debilitating effects on so many Americans, few of the very wealthiest donors gave to programs that directly help those in need. Of all the donations on the list, almost half were for new buildings or campus expansion at universities. — from the Chronicle of Higher Education article on this year’s decrease in…
Wages rise for all, but a gap widens Massachusetts’ recent economic gains have mostly benefited better-educated workers, insulating them during the economic downturn. Those with less schooling were left to grapple with slower-growing salaries and higher rates of unemployment. (Boston Globe) Universities Are Challenged as Demographics Shift – Although the changing demographics of college campuses…
Challenges ahead for Minneapolis Public Schools
2010 was a challenging year for Minneapolis Public Schools, and 2011 should be no different. Midmorning speaks with the Minneapolis Schools superintendent about schools budgets, contract negotiations with teachers, and the achievement gap.
Dayton names heads of education, health depts., MPCA
Gov.-elect Mark Dayton on Friday appointed three people to head the state's education, health and pollution-control agencies.
Worst college role models of 2010
Having made its list of scandals, The Huffington Post continues down the dark path with its list of Worst College Role Models of 2010. Here’s the abbreviated list: Karen Owen. The Duke student’s “thesis” — a tell-all comparison of the men she’d slept with — took the Internet by storm. Phusion Projects. Drinking the company’s…
The Budget Crunch might be the story of the year across many Minnesota campuses, but it’s not the only thing people have been talking about. A number of campuses have still been able to sport new buildings, while a few have been busy grappling with flooding or academic controversies. Finding the most notable stories is…
Business is booming for the University of Gelato
You’ve got that right. And Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy is attracting a lot of refugees from the economic crisis, who want to make a new start in what appears to be quite a lucrative business — at least in Europe, according to the Wall Street Journal. Student Moreno Barbieri, a roofer in Italy, told…
Mary Ann Prado of Minneapolis Community and Technical College tells the Star Tribune of the challenges homeless students face in trying to take classes: “They are not well rested, and they are stressed out. … If you haven’t eaten, how are you going to study when your stomach is growling? I have to help find…
Huffington Post college editor Leah Finnegan calls Adam Wheeler — the student who got into Harvard by lying — a modern folk hero: Getting into college is a ridiculous circus and becoming worse. Enter into any upper-to-middle class enclave from December to May and it will be the talk of the strip mall: Who got…