November 13, 2000 - On election day St. Paul voters approved a school levy which earmarked money for improving technology in the public schools. Voters around the country have been asked to spend money on computers in education. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports that, at one time, computers were seen as a cure for America's educational ills, but now some experts are calling for a moratorium on computers in the classroom. { ambience of classroom (59:23, 1:19:30, 1:24:00) At Highwood Hills Elementary School in St. Paul, each of these 7 and 8 year olds has their very own laptop computer. On the teacher's desk there is another computer, which is networked with the machines on the students desks. Teacher Cindy Arle (ar-lee) types a question about a story the children recently read. That quesiton flashes on each child's screen and the kids go to work typing in the answer.
November 14, 2000 - The national experts hired to review Minnesota's Profile of Learning say the system of graduation standards is too light on subject details and needs heavier state control. State education officials today (Tuesday) released a long-awaited analysis from the nonprofit organization Achieve Incorporated. The report sets the stage for more debate over the controversial show-what-you-know system in the next legislative session. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
November 14, 2000 - A privately funded commission on early childhood development is calling on the state to allocate 480 point 7 million dollars a year on pre kindergarten education and child care tax credits. The bipartisan commission says studies prove that early childhood education is essential for children to succeed later in school. But some state officials say the price tag is too big. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
November 14, 2000 - MPR’s Maris Helms reports that more than 300 government officials and business leaders were in St. Cloud to give Governor Jesse Ventura feedback on budget proposals he will take before the legislature in January. One of the top issues was funding K-12 education.
November 17, 2000 - The victors in tomorrow's (Saturday) Minnesota - Iowa football game get more than a win in the standings. They also get the honor of hoisting a bronze statue of a pig onto their shoulders as they march off the Metrodome field. "Floyd of Rosedale" goes home with the winning team in a college football rivalry that dates back nearly a century. One of the most memorable "Floyd" showdowns occurred forty years ago, in Minnesota's last national championship season. The U of M is honoring those 1960 champions in an anniversary ceremony tomorrow. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
November 17, 2000 - A panel of bioethicists, geneticists and reproductive specialists gathered at the University of Minnesota this afternoon friday to discuss how the nation should adopt a policy on the genetic screening of embryos. Last month, doctors at the University of Minnesota transplanted stem cells from a newborn's umbilical cord into his older sister who suffered from a rare genetic disease. Since a stem cell transplant was the only way of saving the 6 year old girl, the parents genetically screened an embryo that would match their daughter. That has bioethicists worried that future parents may start "tailoring" children to their liking. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
November 20, 2000 - After years of wrangling, the University of North Dakota is preparing to decide the future of the schools Fighting Sioux nickname. The Sioux name was chosen in 1930, and is a focus of school pride. Since the 1960s people have challenged the name, some charging it is offensive to Native Americans. A commission studying the use of the Sioux nickname held its final meeting today. Next month the U-N-D president will recommend keeping or changing the nickname. The states board of higher education will make the final decision. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
November 21, 2000 - University of Minnesota astronomy professor Rebecca Humphreys has an added incentive to study the solar system these days -- keeping track of her namesake. A former student of Humphreys named astroid number 1-oh-1-7-2 after her last week. Asteroid Humphreys is three to eight miles in diameter and orbits the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. I asked her what it was like to get the news:
November 22, 2000 - MPR’s Patty Marsicano reports on the University of Minnesota's Women's Athletic Department, as it turns 25, and shares how the department has grown since its start in 1975. Marsicano interviews a variety of student athletes, as well as the women’s athletic director at U of M.
November 22, 2000 - Representatives at a climate conference at the Hague this week are trying to agree on how to cut down on pollutants that are believed to cause global warming. One of the main pollutants is carbon dioxide. The United States supports what its calls a flexible plan. In part, that means forests that absorb carbon would count toward meeting reduction targets. There has even been talk of paying farmers here in the United States to plant trees rather than crops. The European Union rejected the United States' plan yesterday. John Pastor is a biology professor and part of the University of Minnesota's Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth. He's on the line now. John Pastor is a biology professor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth