MREA announced today its platform of the key education issues for the 2016 Legislative session. MREA members approved the platform at the annual business meeting on Nov. 16. The platform comes from months of grassroots input, research and reflection on how to keep us positioned to be effective in the legislative process. Anticipating that property tax reductions will be a … Read More
White House Praises Passing of ESSA
The Obama Administration today is praising action by the House of Representatives to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan bill to fix No Child Left Behind, and is calling on the Senate to take swift action on the legislation so that it can be signed into law before the end of the year. The bill rejects the … Read More
U.S. Congress Develops Framework for ESEA
The House and Senate Education Committee staff have been working on an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) framework, a proposal to reconcile the differences that exist between the House and Senate ESEA proposals, as passed this summer. Noelle Ellerson of NREAC and AASA provides this two-fold summary: The first half details what we know about the framework and the second … Read More
Franken Appointed to Congressional Committee on "No Child Left Behind"
U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has been named to the bipartisan congressional committee tasked with finalizing a legislative overhaul to “No Child Left Behind,” which has governed our nation’s education policies for the past 13 years. Earlier this year, Sen. Franken helped craft an education reform measure that passed in the Senate Education Committee and later in the full Senate. That … Read More
Get 2015 Annual Conference Resources
MREA hosted the 2015 Annual Conference on Great Beginnings: When Learning Starts Early, Inspires and Applies from Nov. 15-17 at Cragun’s on the Lake in Brainerd. We share the electronic versions of the presentations and resources we received from featured speakers, general sessions and breakouts here. Featured Speakers Building Strong Foundations for Early Student Success Economics of Investing in Early … Read More
Conference Procrastinator Rates Start Sunday
There’s still time to register for MREA’s 2015 Annual Conference, but do it soon — procrastinator rates kick in Sunday. Starting November 1, registrants will pay a late fee to register for the conference. In just three weeks, more than 350 education professionals from across Minnesota will gather at Cragun’s Resort for Great Beginnings: When Learning Starts Early, Inspires and Applies. The event is three days of … Read More
MDE Hosts Early Learning Listening Sessions
The Minnesota Department of Education, in partnership with the Minnesota Initiative Foundations and Minnesota’s Future, is holding regional community listening sessions to learn how they can be more effective in linking policies, programs and practices to ensure every child in Minnesota has a high-quality early education. Information and themes that arise will be shared with the Minnesota Departments of Education, … Read More
Addressing the Dropout Challenge in Rural America
The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network recently hosted a webcast that focused on how communities in rural America are in major transition as leaders confront the realities of significant social, cultural, and economic shifts. Their August 11 episode, “Public Schools at the Crossroads: Addressing the Dropout Challenge in Rural America,” focused on how public schools today are at a crossroads as they try to … Read More
MREA Hosts Webinar on American Indian Funding
MREA hosted a webinar August 13 to help member school leaders learn about the new American Indian (AMI) education aid funding formula. This funding legislation, passed during Minnesota’s 2015 legislative special session, makes 61 MREA member districts eligible for new, increased, or stabilized AMI aid formula funding. Read more about the AMI funding passed in the legislative special session. The online meeting was lead by Dennis Olson, … Read More
MREA Analysis of MCA Tests Reveal Striking Results
MREA released today a regional analysis of the 2015 MCA test data in math, reading and science from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Among the most striking results is rural Minnesota severely lags in science achievement. The analysis also revealed that one Greater Minnesota region is leading the state in overall achievement. Students in the school districts located in … Read More