August 2010
In this issue:
The buzz
From our guest bloggers
New research highlights
Keep up with the headlines
LearnmoreMN opportunities
The buzz
People are talking about the education and workforce challenges facing Minnesota and the nation:
- "We know that nothing counts more than smart investment in education from birth all through life and especially for a ready workforce of young adults."
— Dane Smith, Growth and Justice - "If the nation's education system does not start serving students of color better today, all Americans will feel the difference in their wallets."
— Bob Wise, Alliance for Excellent Education - "In order for Minnesota to continue growing as an economically vibrant state, we must invest in math and science education and provide opportunities for children to develop critical skills in these areas."
— John Fitzgerald, MN2020 - "While a generation of educated Minnesota workers is poised to retire during the next decade, the young people rising to replace them include greater proportions than the state has seen in many decades of recent immigrants and minorities."
— Sharon Schmickle, MinnPost
Browse these and other examples of What others say about the challenges.
From our guest bloggers
Each month, the LearnmoreMN blog features a different community member sharing their perspective about school success and the educational challenges we face in Minnesota.
August blogger Bill Blazar of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce focuses on college readiness. Read his post, K-12 system fails in college-ready grads and consider joining the conversation by adding your comment.
Carlos Mariani Rosa, executive director of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, will be blogging for LearnmoreMN in September.
Would you like to be considered as a guest blogger for LearnmoreMN? If so, please contact Debbie Boyles.
New research highlights
New reports and studies include:
- Help Wanted: Projection of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, Georgetown University
"By 2018, we will need 22 million new college degrees — but will fall short of that number by at least 3 million postsecondary degrees." - Change in Income by Education Level, by Race in Minnesota, Minnesota Private College Research Foundation
The data confirm the link between higher education and higher incomes, though average wages are considerably lower for black, American Indian, Hispanic and Asian Minnesotans. - Investment in State Postsecondary Education – Minnesota, NCHEMS
This collection of tables shows the cost of postsecondary education for students and the increase in earnings they experience and state investment and the impact on the number of college degrees produced. - Bridging the Gaps to Success: Promising Practices for Promoting Transfer Among Low-Income and First-Generation Students, Pell Institute
Successful practices and policies of six community colleges for transferring low-income first-generation students from two-year to four-year institutions. - ACT Profile Report: Graduating Class of 2009
"Minnesota's average score of 22.7 was the highest in the nation…. The overall average for the state masks disparities in participation and preparation by race."
Keep up with the headlines
A selection of the top education stories from national and local media outlets are added to LearnmoreMN each weekday. Subscribe to the RSS feed for the top three stories of the day along with other new LearnmoreMN content. Or, view all stories for the week on the Newsroom headlines. (The previous week’s stories are on the archive page.)
LearnmoreMN opportunities
Does your organization work to help more Minnesota children succeed in school? If so, consider how you might use LearnmoreMN’s presentations, facts and news headlines to supplement your efforts — or send us a note about what you might contribute to enhance the LearnmoreMN resource.
