Federal Video

Educators From Tim Walz’s Old School React to Having Him on the Ballot

By Jaclyn Borowski & Libby Stanford — August 8, 2024 3:16
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.

Educators in Mankato, Minn., have been busy navigating heightened attention on their school district since Vice President Kamala Harris chose a former Mankato teacher, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.

Walz worked as a social studies teacher at Mankato West High School for a decade before running for Congress in 2006. Mankato Superintendent Paul Peterson and Mankato West Principal Sherri Blasing spoke with Education Week about Walz’s tenure in the district and what his addition to the Democratic ticket means for teachers and students.

Jaclyn Borowski is the Director of Photography and Videography for Education Week.
Libby Stanford was a reporter for Education Week.
Related Tags:

Video

Reading & Literacy Video Want Kids to Read More? An Expert Shares the Low-Cost Tips That Work (Video)
A researcher shares her tips about how to motivate kids to read more.
Illustration of children's hands holding books in a circle in the center of the frame.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week
Early Childhood Video How Play-Based Learning Helps Children Practice Math and Literacy Skills
See how elementary teachers use play-based learning to reinforce math and literacy instruction.
1 min read
Children enjoy a morning at the writing center at the Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School in Concord, N.C., on Sept. 3, 2026. Educators at the school use play to reinforce math and literacy instruction.
Children enjoy a morning at the writing center at the Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School in Concord, N.C., on Sept. 3, 2026. Educators at the school use play to reinforce math and literacy instruction.
Peyton Sickles for Education Week
Early Childhood Video Play-Based Learning: How It Can Build Young Children’s Independence
An EdWeek video looks at how an early learning program helps students explore boundaries and responsibility.
1 min read
Students tend to chickens at WonderHere in Lakeland, Fla. on Sept. 1, 2026.
Students tend to chickens at WonderHere in Lakeland, Fla. on Sept. 1, 2026.
Saul Martinez for Education Week
Teaching Video How Co-Teaching Helps English Learners Succeed
Increasingly in the Metro Nashville schools, general-education and English-learner teachers team up.
1 min read
Laura Eady, a 3rd grade general education teacher (left), and Lisa Maddox, an English-learner teacher, prepare lessons together for students at Mt. View Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 2, 2026.
Laura Eady, a 3rd grade general education teacher (left), and Lisa Maddox, an English-learner teacher, prepare lessons together for students at Mt. View Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 2, 2026.
Kevin Wurm for Education Week