March 8, 1999 - The legislature will soon debate Governor Ventura's proposal to reduce class sizes in elementary schools. Ventura wants one teacher for every 17 students in kindergarten through third grade. He's convinced smaller classes will improve student achievement. Ventura holds up Centerville Elementary School to prove his point. But the success of one school's experiment might be tough for other schools to copy.
March 11, 1999 - Howard Sinker, MPR sports commentator; and Jay Weiner, MPR sports commentator, discuss the allegations of academic fraud in the University of Minnesota basketball program. MPR reporters William Wilcoxen and Tim Pugmire contribute reports. Basketball coach, Clem Haskins, discusses big-time athletics in the University setting.
March 11, 1999 - University of Minnesota administrators and students are trying to make sense of the academic fraud allegations against four men's basketball players. U of M officials declared the players ineligible for today's NCAA tournament game, and an internal investigation is pending. University Regents tried conducting business as usual, and reserved comment about the scandal. But around the campus, students freely shared their opinions, and few are defending the accused players.
March 12, 1999 - The University of Minnesota's men's basketball team was eliminated yesterday in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Their season ended on a controversial note as four players -- including two starters -- were declared ineligible for the game after allegations of academic fraud surfaced earlier this week.
March 18, 1999 - Mark Yudof, University of Minnesota president, discusses the role of athletics at the University and the accusations of academic fraud in the Gopher men's basketball program. Yudof also answers listener questions.
March 18, 1999 - A "Talk of Minnesota" program, presenting the views of MPR listeners on the role of big time athletics at a university. Wendell Anderson, former Governor, University of Minnesota regent Gopher hockey player, joins the conversation.
March 22, 1999 - State officials are rejecting a proposal for unlimited open enrollment among Twin Cities schools because they say it's "unworkable." The Minnesotaeaplis NAACP wants to eliminate metro area enrollment boundaries as one step in settling its education adequacy lawsuit against the state. The state has now responded with its own settlement proposal, and few of the NAACP initiatives are included.
March 30, 1999 - This week some farmers will start preparing the fields for spring planting. Commodity prices, usually volatile, have been more so lately making the financial outlook for farmers shakier than it's been in years. This weekend thousands of high school and college students gathered in Brookings, South Dakota, for an agricultural exposition. As Minnesota Public Radio's Cara hetland reports the 'future farmers' have watched their parents deal with a volatile industry and seem to have learned some important lessons.
April 1, 1999 - A plan to train inner-city youth for careers in agriculture is moving through the state legisalture. The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council wants to build an urban agriculture high school in Saint Paul. The group is seeking 350-thousand dollars in start-up money. But some critics call the plan a boondoggle.
April 5, 1999 - Many discipline problems at two Minneapolis schools are now resolved in student court, where students serve as the lawyers and jury. Organizers of the program at Webster Open School and Four Winds American Indian magnet school say student court is building leadership skills and reducing behavior problems. The program has also caught the attention of the nation's top law enforcement official.