Lack of Progress Report

Nearly 4,900 high school seniors might not graduate in Minnesota because they have not passed state-mandated reading or writing tests. The shocking number amounts to about 8 percent of all seniors tested. Even more stunning -- it shows no improvement from last year's results.

The students are allowed to retake the tests after waiting six weeks.

Targeted

Star-Trib writer Daarel Burnette reports that school administrators estimate the St. Paul school board will have to lay off hundreds of employees and cut multiple programs in an effort to meet an anticipated $25 million shortfall next year. Administrators put most of the blame on legislators who have proposed deep cuts in the state's public school systems this session. St. Paul Superintendent Silva: "We did not expect that St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth schools would be targeted in the way that we have been targeted this legislative session."

Giving Back

Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that four Minnesota businesses announced a collaboration that holds promise to make an even greater impact on Minneapolis kids. For the first time, Cargill, General Mills, Medtronic and Target wisely joined forces to provide a total of more than $13 million in grants to the Minneapolis district.

Donors worked with Minneapolis school district leaders to identify areas that are known to expedite student achievement. Speeding that progress is crucial for Minneapolis schools; 70 percent of the district's 32,000 students are of color, and 65 percent are lower-income. Like many urban districts, Minneapolis has large learning disparities between many minority and white students.

The grants are part of the general trend among Minnesota foundations to refocus their education, giving with an eye on producing better results for students.

Learn more . . .  

Professor James A. Banks

James A. Banks has been a researcher and leader in efforts to increase educational equality for all students in the United States and the world for more than three decades. As a fifth grade teacher in Chicago, then as a graduate student at Michigan State University, as a professor at the University of Washington beginning in 1969, Banks has pursued questions related to education, racial inequality, and social justice in more than 100 journal articles and 20 books. James Banks is at UW's Center for Multicultural Education. On March 3, he gave an address on his latest work: Democracy, Diversity and Social Justice: Education in a Global Age.

Stop Bullying

Did you know that 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school? StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on how students, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying.

Risk Factors of LGBT Bullying

Young LGBT people may be more at-risk for bullying. Compared to their heterosexual peers, some LGBT kids, teens and young adults are at increased risk for bullying, teasing, harassment, physical assault, and suicide-related behaviors.

Over a ten-year period more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students (aged 13-21), were surveyed. The results were published in The 2009 National School Climate Survey. The survey found that in the preceding year, because of their sexual orientation:

• Eight in ten LGBT students had been verbally harassed at school
• Four in ten had been physically harassed at school
• Six in ten felt unsafe at school
• One in five had been the victim of a physical assault at school

Unfortunately, these types of experiences with violence also occur outside of school and may continue into young adulthood.

Young LGBT people may be more at-risk for sexual discrimination and bias. Young LGBT individuals may be bullied as a part of sexual/gender discrimination and bias by their schoolmates, ethnic or religious groups or by other societal concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

More information is available at: StopBullying.gov

Video Math Revolution!

Salman Khan is using the web to teach math and science to millions.

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere. The free website allows visitors to browse 2000 instructional videos by topic. Khan's videos are simple, straight-forward and fun, and if you don't get something -- just rewind.