January 10, 2001 - The push to overhaul teacher pay in Minnesota schools appears to be building momentum, but key lawmakers and education groups disagree on how quickly changes should come and how much money is needed. Advocates for teacher compensation reform say changes are needed soon to help retain quality teachers and attract a new generation into the teaching profession. The Association of Metropolitan School Districts hosted a conference on the issue today (Wednesday) in Saint Paul. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
January 10, 2001 - Stargazing just got a whole lot better at the University of Minnesota. Today the school received a $5 million gift from Hubbard Broadcasting that will allow it to buy time on the world's largest binocular telescope being built in Arizona. Chair of the Astronomy Department Leonard Kuhi (Kooee) says the telescope will have better resolution than the Hubble space telescope.
January 10, 2001 - Researchers at the Hennepin County Medical Center are reporting an increase in overdoses from GHB and related substances. GHB is also known as liquid ecstasy and has been banned. But HCMC researchers published a report in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine says the ban isn't stopping fitness buffs and teenagers from obtaining the substance. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
January 10, 2001 - If you started your morning with a bowl of cereal, you probably didn't think much about where it came from. But artist Jeff Morrison is trying to change that. He has a new exhibit at the A-Z Gallery in St. Paul called Cereal Killer. It looks at where we think our food comes from through the eyes of children. The exhibit looks like a classroom. 158 pictures and essays are taped up on the blackboard. They were created by first and second graders in Minneapolis and in rural South Dakota. Morrison asked the kids to answer the question: "Where did your breakfast cereal come from?" I stopped by A-Z Gallery to take a tour with Morrison, who says there's a purpose behind the art.
January 11, 2001 - Education Week magazine has given Minnesota schools an F rating in the area of standards and accountability. The publication citied inadequete testing and a lack of clear standards as reasons for the rating. Sandy Pappas is the chair of the Senate Education Committee. She says she was shocked by the rating. State Senator Sandy Pappas. Education Week did give the state high marks for student test scores.
January 12, 2001 - A statewide teachers' union says teacher shortages in Minnesota may be worse than earlier forecasts suggested. Education Minnesota yesterday released the results of a survey of Minnesota superintendents. 60 percent of superintendents say their district faces a teacher shortage-- and over one quarter of the respondents said they consider the shortage a major problem. Carol Johnson is the superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools. She's on the line now.
January 15, 2001 - Leaders of a new education lobbying group say they want to advocate a common sense, conservative agenda for school reform. The Minnesota Education League today (Monday) outlined a political agenda that includes private school tax credits, charter school incentives, an easing of teacher license requirements and an overhaul of the Profile of Learning graduation standards. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
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January 23, 2001 - First-year college women lack confidence in their computer skills and that means fewer career opportunities, since they will not go into a degree that uses a lot of computers.