If you're an American Indian student in Minnesota, your chances of graduating from high school in four years are lower than any other racial and ethnic group. One observer says it's complicated.
A broadcast from the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts "Big Questions" series. The question this time is "Why haven't we closed the achievement gap?" Education commissioner Brenda Cassellius, Mitch Pearlstein of the Center of the American Experiment and Catherine Squires of the U of M discuss why so many things have been tried, but the gap continues to persist.
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As schools try to close the achievement gap, some educators worry that a shift in grading standards -- and allowing students to correct answers they've gotten wrong on tests -- isn't preparing their students for college or the workplace.
In a state where the vast majority of teachers are white and a growing number of kids are not, schools are trying to figure out the best way to bridge that divide.
Over the next few months, MPR News reporter Laura Yuen will join host Tom Weber in taking a deep dive into some of the issues surrounding Minnesota's graduation gap, introducing along the way some of the students and teachers who are living it.
Minnesota's students of color graduate at rates lower than their counterparts in nearly every state. A lack of spending on student support statewide may have something to do with it.
Minnesota hasn't always ranked so poorly when it comes to pupil support spending. But budget cuts have resulted in schools making other choices at the local level.