December 5, 2003 - University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks will launch a commission today to study the role that time outside of school plays in young peoples' learning and development.
December 5, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports on the concerns over charter schools outside of the metro. There are 88 charter schools in Minnesota. While about two-thirds of those are in the Twin Cities, a growing number of charter schools are popping up in greater Minnesota. Supporters say starting charter schools in rural Minnesota is tough and they face resistance from school districts afraid of losing students.
December 9, 2003 - The University of Minnesota is moving forward with plans to build a new football stadium without the help of T. Denny Stanford. Stanford had pledged to contribute 35 million dollars of the cost, but negotiations with him fell apart. Meanwhile, Governor Tim Pawlenty's Stadium Steering Committee meets for the first time today. The governor formed the committee to evaluate stadium proposals for the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. MPR Sports Commentator and Star Tribune writer Jay Weiner has followed the stadium debate for years and he joins us this morning with an update.
December 10, 2003 - talked about her concern for adolescents. She said that all people, especially young people, need to be shown respect to avoid perpetuating the cycle of hate.
December 11, 2003 - A remembrance of the late Gisela Konopka, U of M professor, an expert on helping troubled kids. The internationally known University of Minnesota professor of social work died Tuesday (12/09/2003). She was born in Berlin, Germany, and was a resistance fighter during World War II. She was interviewed in 1995 for MPR's Voices of Minnesota series.
December 11, 2003 - House Democrats are blaming Republican budget cuts for double-digit property tax increases facing many communities. They say many homeowners will see significant increases next year, while homeowners in suburbs that tend to vote Republican will see little or no increase. Officials with the Pawlenty administration say they didn't target certain areas for budget cuts, and some of the property tax increases stem from other factors. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
December 11, 2003 - A remembrance of the late Gisela Konopka. The internationally known University of Minnesota professor of social work died Tuesday. She was born in Berlin, Germany, and was a resistance fighter during World War II. She was interviewed in 1995 for MPR's Voices of Minnesota series.
December 12, 2003 - Minneapolis school district officials say they need to make four and a half million dollars in budget cuts by the end of the month. The mid-year budget correction comes on top of the 30 million dollars in reductions needed earlier this year to balance the current budget. The new cuts will mostly affect the district's center support services. But individual schools will also take a hit, and more teacher layoffs are a possibility. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
December 15, 2003 - The committees writing the proposed social studies standards are required to finish their work by the end of the day today. They are revising the original version of the standards, which was released in September and drew strong criticism. Some teachers, parents, and others said the first draft was politically biased, included too many names and facts, and contained age inappropriate standards. Dr. Todd Flanders is the chair of the committee that is writing the US History standards. Dr. Todd Flanders is the chair of the committee that is writing Minnesota's U-S history standards.
December 16, 2003 - The Minneapolis school district has reached a tentative contract agreement with its teachers. The agreement would increase the total cost of compensation by six-point-one percent over two years. It would also retroactively restore pay increases based on education and experience, which the district has withheld from teachers since the start of the school year. More than two-thirds of the state's school districts are still without a contract for this school year... and are working under last year's contracts. Joining us now are two guests... John Sylvester from the Minnesota School Boards Association, and Judy Schaubach (SHAH-buck) from Education Minnesota, a union that represents about 70-thousand educators throughout the state. That is John Sylvester from the Minnesota School Boards Association. We also spoke with Judy Schaubach (SHAH-buck) of Education Minnesota, a union that represents about 70-thousand educators throughout the state.