January 2010
In this issue:
The buzz
From our guest bloggers
Keep up with the headlines
New research highlights
LearnmoreMN opportunities
The buzz
People are talking about the education and workforce challenges facing Minnesota and the nation:
- Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant and Twin Cities Business magazine share insights from state demographer Tom Gillaspy, who says investing in education and increasing productivity are key to meeting the state’s challenges.
- The American RadioWorks program “Rising by Degrees” examines the plight of Latino/a students working towards a college degree — and why it’s so hard for them to get what they want.
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.
Student migration and Minnesota’s future, by January blogger Nate Lassila of the Minnesota Private College Research Foundation, addresses the loss of Minnesota students who leave the state for college. “Investment in education decades ago led to Minnesota’s highly educated workforce and vibrant, innovative economy...but decreasing investment over the past decade may change Minnesota’s appeal.”
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman will be blogging for LearnmoreMN in February, followed by Dolores Fridge from Medtronic in March.
Consider joining these conversations and posting your comment.
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.)
New research highlights
The Demographic Trends page was recently updated. New reports and studies include:
- "Minnesota's 2008 High School Graduates Enrolled in College at Record Rates" (Dec. 2009), Minnesota Office of Higher Education
- "The Female Factor: Women Workers in the Twin Cities" (Oct. 2009), Department of Employment and Economic Development
- "The Age Factor: Older Workers in the Twin Cities" (Apr. 2009), Department of Employment and Economic Development
- "Minnesota Population Projections by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2005 to 2035" (Jan. 2009), State Demographic Center
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 what you might contribute to enhance the LearnmoreMN resource.
For example, former principal Colleen Wambach and the Minnesota Private College Council's John Manning are including LearnmoreMN information and video clips in a joint presentation at a late-January workshop organized by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals. For more information, contact Manning at jmanning@mnprivatecolleges.org.
