A small school in southern Minnesota, strapped for funds and needing new math books and a fresh curriculum, flipped its classrooms and raised achievement and student engagement. The math teachers led and implemented the changes. Upon reflection, they found 10 good reasons educators should consider flipping their classroom. Among the most…

The original vision of a charter school called for heavy doses of professional teacher contribution throughout all aspects of curriculum and administration. Unfortunately, that is not how charter schools have evolved. Until now. The Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools is the first union-sponsored entity created for the sole purpose of…

A state legislator who played a key role in enacting the nation's first charter school law in Minnesota tells the story of shaping the ideas and the bill. She now looks for ways that charter schools can coexist with traditional public schools to deliver a better education for all children.

If Minnesota public school choice programs were as bad as Judith Pearson's "Kappan" (June 1989) article alleges, most teachers would not support them. There would be declining cooperation among rural school districts, little interest in handicapped or "unattractive" students' needs, and a teacher shortage. As this article…

Describes an EdVisions Cooperative made up of eight small charter schools in Minnesota. EdVisions, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides charter schools with guidelines to develop teacher-driven professional accountability systems linked to project-based learning for students. (PKP)