Minnesota Department of Education :

Charter School Authorizer, Charter School Board Trainer Certification Applications Available

Charter Authorizer Approval

Under legislation recently passed by the Minnesota Legislature governing charter school authorizers, the Minnesota Department of Education is making the application to become an approved charter school authorizer available.

Minnesota led the nation in developing the first charter school law and charter schools have provided exciting new and innovative school choice options for Minnesota families and students since 1992.

As a national leader in the charter school sector, we have learned through practice and experience that authorizers have a significant impact on the nature and quality of these public schools. The authorizer makes at least two critical decisions in the life of every charter school: whether to approve the application and whether to renew the charter school.

Historically, there is a direct correlation between a high-quality authorizer and a high-quality charter school. It is critical to ensure that charter school authorizers meet the highest standards of quality charter school oversight. Read the application.

Request for Proposals (RFP) for Certification as a Charter Board Trainer

The Minnesota Department of Education announces the Request For Proposal for individuals or organizations interested in becoming certified to deliver high-quality training to charter schools as defined by Minnesota Statutes section 124D.10, subd. (f). Read the application.

Lakeview School District Enters Minnesota's Nation Leading Q Comp Program

The 44th School District to enter professional development and achievement-based pay system

Cottonwood, MN – Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren announced today that the Lakeview School District will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school district will receive $99,203 in total revenue for implementation in the 2009-10 school year.

“I commend Lakeview School District on their decision to participate in this important education reform,” said Commissioner Seagren. “Q Comp will give participating teachers an opportunity to enhance their skills and take part in real-time, research-based professional development, which will help raise student achievement.”
Read News Release.

Rushford-Peterson School District Enters Minnesota's Nation Leading Q Comp Program

Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren announced today that the Rushford-Peterson School District will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school district will receive $165,100 in total revenue for implementation in the 2009-10 school year. Rushford becomes the 43rd School District to enter professional development and achievement-based pay system
   
In 2005, Governor Tim Pawlenty proposed and the state legislature approved Minnesota’s Q Comp program. Q Comp provides up to $86 million for districts that join the program. The Q Comp program has funds available for school districts, school sites and charter schools to implement a program for the 2009-10 school year. This funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis until all available funds have been exhausted. Read News Release.

Summer Food Service Program Seeks Sponsors

Roseville – The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is looking for organizations to sponsor the 2010 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) that will provide free meals to at-risk Minnesota children during the summer.

At-risk children are from low-income families who rely on free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches during the school year. During the summer, most school lunch programs don't operate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program helps fills the “nutrition gap” for children through age 18.

“It is incredibly important that at-risk children do not lose access to nutritious meals during the summer months,” said MDE Commissioner Alice Seagren. "The Summer Food Service Program provides funding to sponsors for free meals and snacks served to eligible children, helping them to return to school in the fall ready to learn." Read News Release.

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren Announces Real World Challenge Winners

The Hutchinson High School Team to represent Minnesota in national competition.

St. Paul – Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren today announced that a team of students from Hutchinson High School has won the Real World Design Challenge, a competition designed to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

“When students are inspired and engaged they can achieve amazing things,” Commissioner Seagren said. “Their efforts, and the efforts of all the students who participated in the Real World Design Challenge, will better prepare them for a hypercompetitive 21st Century.”

The Hutch Innovators will represent Minnesota in the national competition in Washington, DC on March 26-29, 2010. The Real World Design Challenge was conducted during the 2009-10 academic year. The winning team will participate in the National challenge that begins Feb. 12, 2010 and will receive an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.  Read news release.

Race to the Top Application Submitted to Washington
With Overwhelming Support from Minnesota

State education officials submitted Minnesota’s official application for President Obama’s Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative with overwhelming support from the state’s schools and districts.

The 1,000 page application is accompanied by memoranda of agreement signed by 300 school districts and 116 charter schools, representing over 93 percent of the students in the state. Because of the overwhelming support from local school districts, the state increased its grant request from $230 to $330 million.

“The overwhelming support we received from our schools, districts and stakeholders is a strong testament to the quality of our application,” said Alice Seagren, Minnesota Commissioner of Education. “In keeping with Minnesota tradition, their support will make sure the reforms of Race to the Top are implemented to benefit the students of our state for years to come.” Read news release. View list of schools. Read Minnesota's application. View Appendix to application.

School Spotlight Award Winners for 2009 Announced

Ten schools received the 2009 Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation School Spotlight Award for academic excellence and student success as evidenced by their students’ achievements.

“It is a privilege to recognize schools that are making great strides toward closing the achievement gap in Minnesota,” said Melissa Malen, Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation chair. “Spotlight Award-winning schools have used data-driven and student-centered approaches to develop unique curriculum, student support programs and staff development opportunities that in combination have brought their students success. The impact of the achievements made by their students will last a lifetime.” Read news release.

School Districts and Charter Schools Gearing Up For Race to the Top

School administrations, school boards, charter schools, teachers and communities are considering how their participation in Minnesota’s Race to the Top, President Obama’s signature education initiative, would benefit their school.

Over $4.3 billion in Race to the Top grants will be awarded to 10-15 states nationally in a highly competitive process to reward education innovation and reform. Because of our recent efforts in education reform, Minnesota is in a strong position to receive more than $175 million in Race to the Top funds. Watch this page for updates as districts and charter schools across the state begin to join the Race to the Top effort. Visit Minnesota's Race to the Top page for more information.

Minnesota Among 6 States Selected to Develop Dropout Prevention and Recovery Policies

WASHINGTON — Despite recent high school reform efforts, the dropout problem in the United States remains daunting. To address this troubling issue that affects all states, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) today announced it has selected six states – Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee and West Virginia – to develop comprehensive state dropout prevention and recovery policies through the State Strategies to Achieve Graduation for All initiative.

The initiative will help states clearly identify their dropout problem; assess the gaps in student supports for preventing students from dropping out of school and recovering the students that drop out; and create a dropout prevention and recovery action plan for implementation that includes tactics such as state policies, executive orders, advisory councils, legislation or regulatory reforms. Visit the National Governor's Association Website to read the complete press release.

Minnesota Department of Education on Twitter

You can now follow the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) on Twitter, which is a free real-time short messaging service. 

Follow MDE at: http://twitter.com/MnDeptEd 

Education Leaders Kick-off Race to the Top Effort with Regional Meetings to Gather Public Input

Minnesota well-positioned to receive federal funding due to recent education reforms

A series of public meetings around the state have been scheduled to gather input on Minnesota’s application for federal Race to the Top funding. The Race to the Top Fund is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and provides competitive grants to states that are engaged in education innovation and reform.

A stakeholder group consisting of leaders from K-12 education, higher education, business and the minority community has been working on Minnesota’s application and are now seeking additional public input from administrators, teachers and parents throughout the state. If Minnesota is awarded funds through Race to the Top, half of the money will be designated for local school districts that pledge to implement the reforms.

"The federal government is recognizing that educational systems around the country need reform, and I expect Minnesota to be one of the leading states in those efforts," said Alice Seagren, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education. “Many of the things they’re asking states to do, we already have in place here in Minnesota. Q Comp, for example, is Minnesota’s nation-leading reform that rewards quality teaching and keeps good teachers in the classroom by paying them in a more professional way." Read news release.

Minnesota Joins Common Core State Standards Initiative

The following is a statement from Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren regarding Minnesota joining the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a state-led process to develop common English-language arts and mathematics academic standards.

“Minnesota is a national leader in creating rigorous academic standards that are designed to help our students to be work-and-career ready.  By participating in this effort, we will take an active role in helping other states create consistent academic standards that will be as rigorous as Minnesota’s current standards.”

Read the news release from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) on Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Department of Education Releases Analysis of Q Comp

Report finds “There is a significant and positive relationship between the number of years a school has been implementing Q Comp and student achievement.”

Roseville, MN – There is a significant and positive relationship between the number of years a school has been implementing Q Comp and student achievement, according to a new analysis conducted by Hezel Associates, LLC, an independent education research and evaluation firm. The analysis, conducted on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Education, was released today. Read news release. View the report. View Q Comp overview.

Business and Education Leaders Launch Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Web Portal

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) President Kate Rubin today announced the launch of www.getSTEM-mn.com, a Web portal for Minnesota educators and businesses to build relationships and collaborate to match STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education needs with STEM businesses resources. “Minnesota educators are working to prepare students for careers rich in math, technology, science and engineering skills,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “The getSTEM Web portal will connect teachers with interactive and exciting learning resources they need to provide the rigorous and relevant learning that will prepare students for success.” Read news release.

Increasing Awareness of Military Issues Within Minnesota Schools

Thousands of Minnesotans serve our country in the military and in turn, thousands of military families and children are impacted by their service. As leaders in education, we want every educator to know that children in their classrooms and schools may be affected by the military service of a parent or family member.

The Minnesota Department of Education has partnered with Governor Pawlenty’s Yellow Ribbon Task Force and other educational organizations to increase awareness of military issues within Minnesota schools. As part of this effort, we are making available informational resources for military children, families and educators.