May 29, 1997 - Try this for a good time: Join a group of strangers who disagree with your politics. Well, believe it or not, hundreds of Twin Cities residents have voluntarily participated in community circle dialogue groups this spring. They talked about eliminating racial barriers in education, housing and the workplace. Participants meet in St. Paul (tonight) Thursday evening at Macalaster College for a wrap-up event. A national figure in renewing civic participation says the popularity of citizen discussion groups is rising because of mistrust of experts. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more. --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 4151 | TIME: 3:48 | OUTCUE: "...soc --------------------------------------------------------- Lynelle Charay (sha RAY) was the lone African American in her community circle dialogue group. She grew up in a segregated Mississippi town before moving to Minnesota. Charay, a Minneapolis public schools social worker, says if
May 29, 1997 - The Minneapolis school board has ended its contract with a private, for-profit management company. Public Strategies Group, and its president Peter Hutchinson, took over administration of a troubled school district three and a half years ago. Board members say the company has completed its mission. But the change comes at a time when the district is being criticized by state officials and minority groups for not measuring up. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... The Minneapolis school board decided in 1993 to look outside traditiona
May 31, 1997 - Minnesota education officials say the results of a basic skills writing test offer no statewide insights because so few students participated. The Department of Children, Families and Learning today released scored from the voluntary practice test. Despite its lack of meanigful statistics, educators say the test was an important exercise in the move toward statewide education standards.
June 2, 1997 - School officials in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks are trying to clean up, dry out and repair their school buildings in time for the start of classes in the fall. The school year abruptly ended in April for both districts when the flooding Red River forced residents to evacuate. Flood damage to schools is estimated at more than 40-million dollars in Grand Forks and at least 10-million dollars in East Grand Forks. Some of the schools might never reopen. Minnesota Public Radios Tim Pugmire reports... (Sound)
June 3, 1997 - Governor Carlson has vetoed his 200-th bill of his tenure as Governor. He pulled out his well-inked pen and killed the K-12 Education Funding Bill Today (tues) Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports: It's no secret...Governor Carlson holds the record for the number of vetoes issued by any governor in state history. He is an ardent supporter of the power of the veto, saying it not only ensures that no single partisan agenda dominates...but also ensures greater bi-partisan cooperation among lawmakers and an active Governor willing to delve deep into the legislative process. Carlson was up-front about what he wanted from the K-1
June 4, 1997 - Midday examines the future of the Minneapolis Public School system with guests Bill Green, chairman of the Minneapolis School Board; and Gary Sudduth, president of the Minneapolis Urban League. Green and Sudduth discuss Public Strategies Group termination, test scores, superintendent search, concerns on infrastructure of school district, and answer listener call-in questions.
June 4, 1997 - DFL legislative leaders, along with school officials at St. Paul's Central High School, stayed on course with their message for the governor to support the K-12 Education Bill that passed the legislative session. Carlson vetoed the bill yesterday setting the stage for a special session. As Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports, both legislative leaders and the governor are trying to drum up support for their own positions on the bill.
June 6, 1997 - The political standoff over education tax credits has put school districts around the state in a bind. Earlier this week the governor vetoed the K-12 spending bill because it didn't contain credits for families' non-public school expenditures. The issue is expected to get resolved sometime this summer during a special legislative session, but in the meantime school administrators are having trouble planning for the 97-98 school year. Minnesota Public Radio's Holly Nelson reports.
June 9, 1997 - A Voices of Minnesota interview with Mary Beth Blegen for Mon, June 9, 1997. Mary Beth Blegen spent her school year traveling as the National Education Association's teacher of the year. In July, the Worthington educator takes a new job as a consultant in Washington D. C. at the Department of Education. Today on our Voices of Minnesota interview we'll hear Blegen talk about her life. She's been a writing, history and literature teacher for 30 years at Worthington High School. The 52-year-old South Dakota native is also well known to Worthington-area readers through her weekly newspaper column. Blegen told Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil her column often became a public expression of personal struggles.
June 9, 1997 - MPR’s Euan Kerr talks with guitarist Steve Tibbetts about his recent work. Tibbetts, whose work is primarily instrumental, is trying something new…but also very old, with his latest album "Cho." He adds music to a 900-year-old acapella song cycle performed by Buddhist nuns in Nepal.