Minnesota

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Minnesota
Yamileth Escalera tosses a red foam cube into a container full of water during a pre-K prep program at Castleberry Elementary School in Fort Worth on June 29, 2026. The students had to guess whether their chosen object would float or sink when dropped in water.
During a pre-K prep program at Castleberry Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 29, 2026, Yamileth Escalera tosses a red foam cube into a container of water as part of an activity where students guess whether their chosen object will float or sink. Increasingly, students in pre-K and kindergarten are required to complete standardized assessments to measure their development and preparedness.
Elvis Martinez-Cartagena/Fort Worth Star-Telegram via TNS
Early Childhood Q&A This State Has a New Kindergarten Assessment—No Computer, Pen or Paper Required
The assessment evaluates 16 items in four separate foundational skills categories.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 24, 2026
•
8 min read
Signs reading "NO ICE ACCESS" taped to the front doors of Valley View Elementary School, on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn.
Signs taped to the front doors of Valley View Elementary School declare that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents can't enter the building, on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn. District leaders across the country are now regularly requesting emergency contact information from families in the wake of heightened immigration enforcement.
Liam James Doyle/AP
School & District Management ICE Raids Are Making Emergency Contacts Essential for Schools
Educators say schools can help families plan for what happens if parents are detained by ICE.
Ileana Najarro, July 16, 2026
•
5 min read
9x16 Immigration Enforcement Minnesota Education 26035828132101
School & District Management Video Two Principals, One Agenda: Keep Kids Safe From Immigration Action
Two principals talk to Education Week about how to work through the fear and chaos of ICE action.
Olina Banerji, July 14, 2026
•
1 min read
RiverviewDualImmersion017
A staff member from a district school carts away food and household items to donate to student families in St. Paul, Minn., February 23, 2026. Across the Twin cities, teachers and school administrators adapted to support families affected by heightened immigration enforcement.
Tim Evans for Education Week
Families & the Community As ICE Activity Rises, Schools Focus on Family Support
Since 2025, school districts have quickly adapted to shifting effects from federal immigration enforcement.
Ileana Najarro, June 22, 2026
•
7 min read
Image of polynomial math problems. Overlay of words include: Polymorphic, polygon, polyhedron, polynomial.
Collage by Education Week + Canva
Reading & Literacy Even in Math, Teachers See a Chance to Boost Students' Reading Skills
Minnesota middle school teachers spread foundational literacy skills across academic classes.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 9, 2026
•
6 min read
Immigration Enforcement Texas 26036856269438
Hutto High School students protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Hutto, Texas. New national survey data found that immigration enforcement continues to affect schools.
Jay Janner/STATESMAN.COM via AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Schools Saw Rising Student Anxiety From Immigration Enforcement in 2025-26
New national survey data from this spring found increased absences due to immigration enforcement.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, June 2, 2026
•
7 min read
Teachers talk during lunch in the teacher’s lounge at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com
Teachers talk during lunch in the teacher’s lounge at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on May 5, 2026. Teachers here have spent the nine months since last August’s mass shooting trying to create normalcy in a school year that’s been anything but normal.
Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via TNS
Student Well-Being & Movement Annunciation School Teachers Look Back on a Year That Started With a Shooting
Since August, teachers have navigated raw and unpredictable grief—the children’s and their own.
Reid Forgrave, The Minnesota Star Tribune, June 2, 2026
•
11 min read
From left: Heather Johnson, Terri Daniels, and Tom Brenner.
From left: Heather Johnson, Terri Daniels, and Tom Brenner.
Gina Tomko/NASSP
School & District Management Q&A Three Retiring Principals on What’s Changed in Schools
These principals reflect on the rising challenges reshaping school leadership.
Olina Banerji, May 15, 2026
•
4 min read
Students take a recess break outside of St. Paul district school in St. Paul, MN, February 23, 2026.
Students take recess outside an elementary school in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 23, 2026.
Tim Evans for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement School Counselors See Rising Trauma Linked to Immigration Enforcement
The school staff whose job it is to support students say they see major signs of emotional distress.
Ileana Najarro, February 26, 2026
•
6 min read
Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis. Federal immigraiton enforcement disrupted learning in the Twin Cities in recent months. A new national poll of K-12 parents found most oppose immigration enforcement at or near schools.
Ryan Murphy/AP
Families & the Community How K-12 Parents Feel About Immigration Enforcement Near Schools
The latest national poll found most parnets opposing ICE enforcement at or near schools.
Ileana Najarro, February 25, 2026
•
4 min read
A sign reading "Protect Neighbors" is posted near a bus stop as a school bus passes on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis.
A sign reading "Protect Neighbors" is posted near a bus stop in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026. A lawsuit from two Minnesota school districts and the state's teachers' union says immigration agents have detained people and staged enforcement actions at or near schools, school bus stops, and daycare centers.
Kerem Yücel /Minnesota Public Radio via AP
Law & Courts Educators Sue Over ICE Activity on School Grounds and Nearby
The challenge targets the Trump administration's revocation of a policy that limited immigration enforcement at schools.
Alyson Klein, February 4, 2026
•
5 min read
The 2023 National Teacher of the Year award for Rebecka Peterson is displayed during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Washington.
The Council of Chief State School Officers will announce the 2026 National Teacher of the Year award later this spring. The crystal apple award is pictured in this photo from 2023.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Teaching Profession The Nation's Top 5 Teachers in 2026 Focus on Community, Place-Based Education
This year's top teachers bring their communities into the classroom, and vice versa.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 30, 2026
•
7 min read
A child kneels in the snow among demonstrators holding signs during a news conference at Lake Hiawatha Park in Minneapolis, on Jan. 9, 2026, demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement be kept out of schools and Minnesota following the killing of 37-year-old mother Renee Good by federal agents earlier on Wednesday.
A child kneels in the snow among demonstrators holding signs during a news conference at Lake Hiawatha Park in Minneapolis on Jan. 9, 2026, demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement be kept out of schools following the killing of Renee Good by federal agents.
Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP
Teaching 'There's a Firehose of Information': Talking to Students About Minneapolis
Find curated coverage on discussing confusing, scary, or politically charged topics in the classroom.
Sarah Schwartz, January 26, 2026
•
2 min read
A young man in the city looking at American flag in a surreal window. Concept art of change, solution, freedom, hope, life and environment. Conceptual artwork.
iStock/Getty + Education Week
Families & the Community Opinion ‘What Sort of Nation Terrorizes Children?’: A Teacher’s View From Minneapolis
My students live with the knowledge that anyone they love could be taken by ICE at any moment.
Italia Fittante, January 23, 2026
•
4 min read