Minnesota

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Minnesota
The Tharpe family, pictured outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on April 28, 2025.
Gina and Aaron Tharpe appear outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28 with their daughter Ava, who has a severe form of epilepsy. The court is weighing what liability standard should apply to the suit for damages they filed against their school district.
Mark Walsh/Education Week
Law & Courts Supreme Court Poised to Back Student in Key Disability-Rights Case
The U.S. Supreme Court considered what liability standard should apply for cases brought by students under two key federal disability laws.
Mark Walsh, April 28, 2025
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6 min read
The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024.
The U.S. Supreme Court as seen on Dec. 17, 2024. The court will hear arguments on April 28 in a case about the legal standard for discrimination for two federal disability-rights laws and how they play out in schools.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh Discrimination Standard for Some Special Education Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider what legal standard must be met for proving discrimination against students with disabilities.
Mark Walsh, April 24, 2025
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9 min read
Clayton Hubert is an art teacher who wears many hats as an educator, including driving the school bus each morning, as seen here on Jan. 16, 2025, in Lamberton, Minn.
Clayton Hubert, an art teacher, wears many hats as an educator, including driving the school bus some mornings, as seen here on Jan. 16, 2025, in Lamberton, Minn. Many teachers say the expectations of the role have grown far beyond classroom instruction.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Teaching in 2025: ‘Every Day Is a Crazy Day. It’s Fine.’
The profession is changing, and it's more challenging than ever. Resilient teachers are adapting. But at what cost?
Sarah D. Sparks, Caitlynn Peetz & Ileana Najarro, March 4, 2025
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26 min read
Clayton Hubert, the K-12 art teacher in Lamberton, Minn., speaks with students during art class on Jan. 16, 2025. Like many educators, he has to manage a constant slew of interruptions—like next-door construction—while teaching.
Clayton Hubert, the K-12 art teacher in Lamberton, Minn., advises students during an art class on Jan. 16, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Teachers Cope With Endless Distractions
From construction noise to natural disasters, teachers work to keep students focused through distractions.
Sarah D. Sparks, Ileana Najarro & Caitlynn Peetz, March 4, 2025
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7 min read
030425 SOT Principals Teachers EDU BS
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession ‘Does Anyone Care How Hard I Worked Today?’: Principals and Teachers Get Candid
Three conversations reveal what's really going on with teacher morale.
Olina Banerji & Jaclyn Borowski, March 4, 2025
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2 min read
SOT Lamberton BS THUMBNAIL
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Video Meet the Hometown Boy Turned Art Teacher (and Bus Driver, and Wrestling Coach, and ...)
Clayton Hubert is bus driver, art teacher, and coach. But even his small, tight-knit school community struggles with student engagement.
Caitlynn Peetz & Kaylee Domzalski, March 4, 2025
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1 min read
112524 lamberton AP BS 5
Buses line up outside the newly opened Red Rock Central Secondary School in Lamberton, Minn. Community leaders view the $41 million as a boost both for students and the broader community.
Courtesy of Red Rock Central School District
Families & the Community A Small Town's Deep Affection for Its New School
A new school in a western Minnesota town of fewer than 800 residents was a full-community project, from start to finish.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 26, 2024
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5 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. He shared anti-immigrant rhetoric targeting the Haitian immigrant community of Springfield, Ohio.
Alex Brandon/AP
English Learners Amid Political Attacks on Ohio Immigrants, How Schools Can Support Newcomers
Former President Trump's anti-immigrant rumors shed light on how an Ohio town's schools have helped newcomers.
Ileana Najarro, September 11, 2024
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5 min read
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gets a huge hug from students at Webster Elementary after he signed into law a bill that guarantees free school meals, (breakfast and lunch) for every student in Minnesota's public and charter schools in Minneapolis, on March 17, 2023.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gets a hug from students at Webster Elementary School in Minneapolis on March 17, 2023, after he signed into law a bill that guarantees free school meals for every student in Minnesota's public and charter schools. Free school meals have become a campaign issue since Walz was named Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate on the Democratic ticket.
Elizabeth Flores/Minneapolis Star Tribune via TNS
Student Well-Being How Free School Meals Became an Issue Animating the 2024 Election
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has highlighted his state's law to provide free school meals to all students as he campaigns for vice president.
Libby Stanford, September 4, 2024
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6 min read
Illustration of dollar being used to fill gap in bridge.
DigitalVision Vectors
States Some School Workers Now Get Unemployment Over the Summer. Here's How It Works
Districts are scrambling as some states now allow non-instructional school employees to collect summer unemployment checks.
Mark Lieberman, August 13, 2024
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9 min read
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrives at a campaign rally Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wis.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrives at a campaign rally Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wis.
Julia Nikhinson/AP
Federal The School Where Tim Walz Taught Suddenly Finds Itself in the National Spotlight
It has to navigate excitement for one of its own with political neutrality and ensuring the school is still a place focused on learning.
Libby Stanford & Jaclyn Borowski, August 8, 2024
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8 min read
Gov. Tim Walz pauses before delivering his third State of the State address Sunday, March 28, 2021 from his old classroom at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minn.
Gov. Tim Walz pauses before delivering his third State of the State address Sunday, March 28, 2021 from his old classroom at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minn.
Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP
Federal Video Educators From Tim Walz’s Old School React to Having Him on the Ballot
The superintendent and a principal from Tim Walz's former school district weigh in on his selection, and what it means for their town.
Jaclyn Borowski & Libby Stanford, August 8, 2024
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3:16
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens as Maryland speaks to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at the White House in Washington.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at the White House in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen the Minnesota governor as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Tim Walz, a Former Teacher, Is Kamala Harris' Running Mate
Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach, for the No. 2 slot on the Democratic ticket.
Libby Stanford, August 6, 2024
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4 min read
Karen language students work on a presentation highlighting historical figures during a Karen for Karen speakers class at Washington Tech Magnet School in St. Paul, Minn., on May 22, 2024.
Karen-language students work on a presentation highlighting historical figures during a Karen for Karen speakers class at Washington Tech Magnet School in St. Paul, Minn., on May 22, 2024.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Assessment How a District Used the Biliteracy Seal to Expand Language Instruction
The St. Paul public schools in Minnesota has seen success in its Karen language program.
Ileana Najarro & Kaylee Domzalski, July 30, 2024
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5 min read
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