What happens when teams from 57 cities building afterschool systems gather to discuss two key system responsibilities--improving afterschool programs and using data for informed decision-making? Lots of rich discussion. This report covers a national afterschool conference held in February 2013. It details what mayors, program providers, system…

This report from Public Agenda is a summary of the process and outcomes of the "Difficult Dialogues" that took place in November 2008 at the 4th annual policy summit of the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC). Nearly 200 state legislators, institutional and system-level leaders and governing board members, faculty, executive…

One of the most powerful predictors of strong community support for schools is the corresponding strength of a school district's community education program, according to research done in Minnesota that assessed the level of support for public education. For a group of Minnesota school leaders who were looking for ways to build better grassroots…

In 2009, families nationwide were surveyed to see how many children are in afterschool programs, how many are unsupervised after school and how these numbers compare to five years ago. "America After 3 PM" provides the most comprehensive and accurate picture to date of what this nation's youth are doing each day after school. Overall,…

The purpose of this issues brief was to obtain a better understanding of how online programs are dealing with students who have been identified as at-risk. The first section, "Strategies for Working with At-Risk Student Populations in Online Environments," documents a sampling of K-12 online programs currently working with at-risk…

In a decade and a half, the charter school movement has gone from a glimmer in the eyes of a few Minnesota reformers to a maturing sector of America's public education system. Now, like all 15-year-olds, chartering must find its own place in the world. First, advocates must answer a fundamental question: What type of relationship should the…

Explores the recent implementation of restorative justice practices in Minnesota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania school communities, examining how their approaches can address substance abuse problems and offer alternatives to zero-tolerance policies. The three programs are committed to the idea that restoration is a more appropriate educational tool…

The Minnesota Department of Education's rules regarding licensure of coaches are described. (MT)

"Quality Counts 2008" reintroduces state grades in six key areas, from the Chance-for-Success Index to the teaching profession. This special issue of "Education Week" includes the following articles: (1) Human Resources a Weak Spot (Lynn Olson); (2) Teacher Salaries, Looking at Comparable Jobs (Christopher B. Swanson); (3) Data…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

The Office of Educational Accountability has compiled and analyzed indicators of progress in developing a statewide accountability system in Minnesota. This report focuses on the state as a whole, not on specific schools or districts. Chapter 1 is an introduction to Minnesota's accountability history and current concerns. Chapter 2 examines…

This report describes an investigation of the types of additional instructional opportunities and remediation efforts provided by Minnesota schools and districts for students who do not initially meet basic skill requirements in reading and/or mathematics in eighth grade. Primary research questions included: What additional instructional…

This report identifies seven strategic practices for effectively managing preventive maintenance of Minnesota school district, city, and county buildings; and profiles local jurisdictions currently using them. The following best practices for preventive maintenance are recommended: (1) inventory building components and assess their conditions; (2)…

Explores various dimensions of charter school accountability, using three models of educational accountability (bureaucratic, performance, and market) as a basis for assessing state policies on charter school accountability in Arizona, Kansas, and Minnesota, and noting that states place varying degrees of emphasis on these three forms of…

Over the past 27 years, the influence of technology has revolutionized the professional practice of Design and its products produced. At the same time, technology has also created more advanced and complex pedagogy for design education. However regardless of technology's influence, critical thinking, problem solving, and presentation are still…