June 18, 2009 - Hard economic times put pressure on many parents hoping to save money to help their kids pay for college. The trends of parents saving or not for their children’s are mixed in Minnesota.
June 26, 2009 - MPR’s Kerri Miller meets with career counselor Lindsey Pollak and CollegeRecruiter.com founder Steven Rothberg to talk about the struggle recent college graduates are facing with entering into the job market.
July 7, 2009 - Minnesota colleges hope to use early retirement as a way to help balance their budgets. Higher education officials say offering retirement incentives to older employees is a better option than laying off younger workers. But some wonder if early retirement has much appeal in these tough economic times. Tim Post reports.
August 3, 2009 - A leader in both football and teaching, former Vikings offensive guard Randall McDaniel joins Midday to talk about his upcoming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and about being an educator in Minnesota. McDaniel also answers listener questions.
September 24, 2009 - The number of Hmong women pursuing college is growing in Minnesota. But a college education can be hard won in families that traditionally encourage daughters to marry young and raise families. Kao Choua Vue of MPR Youth Radio Series shares her story and reports on what's driving young Hmong women like her to pursue their college dreams.
October 29, 2009 - On this episode of the Grammar Grater podcast, we look at interesting words having to do with Halloween. We're joined by MPR News arts reporter and Scotsman, Euan Kerr.
October 30, 2009 - Midday presents an American RadioWorks documentary titled “Early Lessons,” which explores the history of preschool.
November 6, 2009 - As part of MPR's Youth Radio Series, Youth Radio reporter Sadiya Mohamed tells tells her story as a young Somali American, adjusting to a new home and language in Minnesota.
November 25, 2009 - A charter school in St. Paul plans to close next month because of financial problems. 'Skills for Tomorrow' school has continually lost enrollment in recent years, which has only hurt finances, but officials say the governor's shifts in education funding this summer also contributed. While "Skills" is the first school to announce its closure since the shifts, advocates for charter schools worry it won't be the last. Tom Weber reports.
December 29, 2009 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on how a Minnesota high school coach is challenging gender stereotypes. Women lead only 2% of Minnesota boys’ teams, so heads are turning when the Ulen-Hitterdal Spartan Boys’ Basketball team takes to the court this year.