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.
April 6, 1999 - The Saint Paul school board will let its high schools decide individually whether to provide birth control directly to students. Board members met until early this morning debating the controversial proposal to allow health clinics in those schools to distribute contraceptives. In a hastily concieved compromise, parents, teachers and students at each school will now vote on the issue.
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.