April 20, 1999 - More than one-thousand low income, Twin Cities children will attend non-public elementary schools next fall through a privately-funded scholarship program. The KidsFirst scholarship fund will pay up to 12-hundred dollars toward tution for eligible students who currently attend metro area public schools. Organizers say they're helping parents make educational choices for their children. But some critics say the project undermines public education.
April 21, 1999 - Last night, the board voted to undo a compromise that would have left the decision up to individual schools, but the board added a provision requiring parental consent.
April 21, 1999 - Students and teachers in Minnesota are among those struggling to understand Tuesday's shooting ramage in a Littleton, Colorado high school. The violent attack was a topic of conversation today in many classrooms. In the the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, school officials and students were talking about the latest school tragedy and reflecting on their own preparations for a similar incident.
April 28, 1999 - Teachers, parents and students throughout Minnesota are waiting today for results of this year's 8th grade basic standards tests. The tests measure minimum skills in reading and math and are a requirement for high school graduation. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports Minnesota school districts have spent a lot of time and money the past year to raise scores..
April 29, 1999 - Students who aren't making acceptable academic progress in Saint Paul public schools could soon be prevented from moving on to the next grade. The district's new superintendent, Pat Harvey, says she wants to end social promotion as part of a new district accountability plan.
May 5, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from St. Cloud State University as part of MPR's week-long project called "Hidden Rainbow: The Changing Face of Minnesota." In this first hour of program, Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion on racism in St. Cloud with Ralonda Mason, a local lawyer handling racism cases for St. Cloud Area Legal Services; Taye Reta, former St. Cloud business owner and member of the State Council on Black Minnesotans; Susan Ihne, executive editor at The St. Cloud Times; and Vusi Khamalo, director for the Multicultural Services at St. Cloud Technical College.
May 20, 1999 - Saint John's Abbey and University sits alone off 1-94, just west of Saint Cloud --- isolated from nearby towns. After a big campus fire in the late 1930's, it became clear that Saint Johns needed a fire department of its own to respond to campus emergencies fast. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Saint John's Firemonks.
May 20, 1999 - Inaction by the state legislature on the controversial Profile of Learning means it returns intact next fall for a second school year. Teachers throughout the state have struggled with the new graduation standards.
May 26, 1999 - More Minneapolis public school graduates will get a chance to attend college thanks to a major donor. Retired Medtronic executive Winston Wallin and his wife Maxine announced they are expanding their scholarship program from one high school to all of them. Wallin graduated from South High, and began offering scholarships to students there eight years ago. He says his earlier experience with the students who have already benefited from the program led him to expand it. Now more than 200 graduates will receive an average of ten thousand dollars to attend the Minnesota college or university of their choice
May 26, 1999 - Saint Paul School District officials say they're preparing for their largest ever summer school program. More than 15-thousand students in kindergarten through 12th grade are expected to enroll in the remedial sessions. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... This is the second year in Saint Paul for mandatory summer school for students who have net yet passed the state basic standards tests. It's the first year summer school is required for any third grader who's fallen behind in reading. School officials were caught off guard last summer when more students than expected showed up for summer classes. Assistant Superintendent Cy Yusten says that won't happen again...