State postsecondary education data systems are vital assets for policymakers, researchers, and the public. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's (SHEEO) Communities of Practice project builds upon SHEEO's efforts to measure the capacity and effective use of state postsecondary data systems and provides states with…

In this brief, authors Marybeth Mattingly, Andrew Schaefer, and Douglas Gagnon explore challenges and opportunities for youth in Southwestern (SW) Minnesota. They analyze data on various demographic, economic, educational, and social indicators to gain a better understanding of the circumstances youth face and the opportunity available in SW…

This report provides a new resource for understanding the state of urban public schools in the U.S. Geared specifically toward city leaders who want to evaluate how well traditional district and charter schools are serving all their city's children and how their schools compare to those in other cities, the report measures outcomes for all public…

This report provides educators and policymakers with information they can use to celebrate their successes, understand their unique challenges, and set meaningful goals to increase opportunity for all students. It is important to note that while AP® Exams are valid measures of students' content mastery of college-level studies in specific academic…

A study was conducted to examine the ability of women who enroll in traditionally male occupations to receive equal training and equal employment benefits to those of males enrolled in the same programs. (A traditionally male occupation was defined as an occupation which employed 80% or more males.) The eight programs included in the study were…

A comprehensive review of educational choice literature and selected programs compose part 1 of this report. "Educational choice" is a catchall term encompassing a variety of strategies to grant parents the freedom to select schools, educational programs, or sets of courses based on the specific interests and needs of their children.…

This report analyzes interscholastic athletic programs offered by Minnesota high schools to identify errors in data reporting and suggest corrective action, identify areas of gender inequality in athletic offerings, and identify needed improvements in rule, law, or reporting requirements. The report outlines issues in sports equity, compares…

This document presents findings of a General Accounting Office (GAO) study that reviewed the experiences of three states that had recently reformed their school-finance systems to make them more equitable. Case studies of Tennessee, Texas, and Minnesota were conducted. Methodology included a review of school finance documents and legislative…

This report examines the status of women in Minnesota's schools, with emphasis on the effect of education on women's economic status. Educational attainment for Minnesota women is above the national average. Thirty-two percent of women in the state, compared with 28 percent of American women generally, have some post-secondary education. In…

This study's purpose was to explore the premise that increasing state support for elementary/secondary schools increases equal student access to educational opportunity. Following a brief overview of the background of the problem, including a description of the so-called "Minnesota Miracle" or Omnibus Tax Law of 1971 with its provisions…