Education

New Law Targets Teacher Training

By Joetta L. Sack — October 11, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2003 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.

Minnesota

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner

Republican
Senate:
35 Democrats
31 Republicans
1 Independent

House:
66 Democrats
68 Republicans

Enrollment:
850,000

State lawmakers want to transform the teaching profession in Minnesota through a new Quality Compensation for Teachers program, also dubbed QComp, that will offer career ladders and performance-pay plans to teachers in participating districts.

The $12.6 billion K-12 budget for the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years represents a 3 percent increase over the previous two years’ allotment and includes $86 million for the QComp program.

Under QComp, districts will receive $260 per pupil for any participating schools, including charter schools. Those districts will use the aid to build a peer-evaluation process based on teachers’ skills, responsibilities, and academic achievement. Two districts have been approved for the program so far.

The budget also includes a first-time allotment of $11.6 million for the state’s Get Ready, Get Credit program, which gives high school students opportunities to take college-preparatory tests and earn postsecondary credits. It also gives students more access to Advanced Placement courses.

Minnesota state education officials also received a $2 million grant from the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to complement their work on the Get Ready, Get Credit program. The money will go toward helping improve high school programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

A version of this article appeared in the October 12, 2005 edition of Education Week

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz What Lowers Teacher Turnover? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Which State Is About to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What is a Project 2025 Author Doing at the Education Department? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: June 11, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
5 min read