Minneapolis / St. Paul News Blog

​Chris Stewart, a self-described evangelical Christian and reformer won a seat on the Minneapolis school board in 2006, has announced on his Web site and Facebook that he's not seeking re-election "after a great deal of soul searching."

"I ran for this office in 2006 because I was deeply frustrated by the countless news stories about chaos in Minneapolis Public Schools," he said. "Having worked with families in poverty I was aware of how systems meant to help are often unsuccessful. Instead of complaining about the failing schools I decided to launch an unlikely campaign for a school board seat. The short story is that I won."

The longer story is that he's ruffled a lot of feathers, before and after his tenure in public office. Two incidents stand out.

​Some University of Minnesota students found themselves amid the culture wars the other day when a group of conservative evangelical Christians peppered the Minneapolis campus with about 1,000 copies of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of the Species," -- with a twist. When students opened the book they found a 50-page introduction attacking its findings.

Photo by krystalchu

​ Teachers are usually responsible for busting middle school kids jacked up on hormones for passing too many notes in class. Now one of them is accused of passing his own inappropriate notes to the younger ladies in class. A Buffalo Community Middle School teacher is accused of passing dirty notes to 12- and 13-year-old girls, police said.

The two girls turned the notes over to the school and apparently didn't know who the notes were from. School officials don't believe there was any other contact or inappropriate behavior between the girls and the teacher.

Few details were released about the contents of the notes, but officials are calling them sexually explicit. The teacher has been at the school since the early 1980s. He is on paid administrative leave.

"There appears to be sufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges," Police Chief Mitchell P. Weinzetl said in a news release, published in the Star Tribune.

Photo by James Sarmiento

​The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has looked at the state of public education across the country and has found that we here in Minnesota are, well, not above average. We're downright middling, in fact. We don't even earn a gold star (unlike Wisconsin).

​A sleek $6 million war machine touched down on the Richfield Middle School's football field yesterday to intimidate inspire students to abstain from substances outlawed by the United States government.

​The Daily Beast has made a list of the smartest cities, and we rank No. 4!

We get plaudits for our high percentage of bachelors degrees and voter participation.

But R.T. Rybak isn't going to let us rest on our laurels:

"Knowing that we might be the best or one of the best on these key measures shouldn't stop us from striving to do better," says Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

​ Last week, people critical of President Obama's speech to kids this morning made quite the stink, accusing Obama of trying to indoctrinate school children with a socialist agenda.

Big surprise: Obama's speech is totally fine and a great message for children to hear from their country's leader. The White House released the text of his speech Monday and it was clean of any potentially evil rhetoric.

Even Newt Gingrich came to Obama's defense yesterday on his Twitter feed:

Just read President Obamas speech to students.white House posted it. it is a good speech and will be good for students to hear

Remember that Presidents Reagan and Bush also talked to students nationwide. As long as it is non political and pro education it is good

Former First Lady Laura Bush approves too.

If you want to read the speech yourself, check it out here.

​ In what has now become a ridiculous overreaction to President Obama's planned back-to-school speech to students across the country Tuesday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty took on the national Republican talking point this morning, saying he is questioning Obama's motives in an "uninvited" speech. The Minnesota teachers union, on the other hand, fully supports the speech and encouraged schools to air it.

During his time on WCCO-AM this morning, Pawlenty seemed highly suspicious of Obama's plan, particularly of the president asking students to write to him.

"There are going to be questions about -- well, what are they are going to do with those names and is that for the purpose of a mailing list?" the governor said, according to the Star Tribune report.

​Minnesota's Rep. John Kline is really concerned about what kind of horrid brainwashing President Obama has in store for the country's children next Tuesday when he does a back-to-school address to kids. Scary we know. A president who actually cares about kids! And knows how to talk to them! Blasphemy.

Of course Obama is going to get all evil-eyed, play some Raffi (do kids still listen to that crap?) and convince them to join his socialist movement. These kids are going to go home spouting off talking points about bank bailouts, saving the car industry, a public option for health care, and letting gay people be loud and proud in the military.

No. We can pretty much guarantee that Obama is going to say hello, introduce himself to many kids who have probably never heard him speak, and tell the kids to stay in school. Study hard, work hard, and think independently. What's so wrong with having the top American inspiring kids to care about going to school?

Of course someone (or a lot of people) have a problem with it. They didn't seem to mind when George H.W. Bush did it though, but liberals sure did. Kline has personally requested that Obama provide his speech ahead of time to ensure it's "appropriate" for kids.

Give us a break.

Photo by kevindooley

​ The two Anoka-Hennepin teachers accused of using gay slurs against a student based on his perceived sexuality are on leave and won't start the school year.

The notice from the school district said that Diane Cleveland and Walter Filson wasn't clear on why they wouldn't be teaching the start of the school year. Cleveland's attorney told the Pioneer Press she took an unpaid, voluntary leave of absence until the matter is resolved. Her lawyer said she doesn't plan to resign.

The announcement came out the same day that a group of community members urged students to boycott their classes. At a school board meeting last week, they asked the district to fire the accused teachers in the case.

According to student Alex Merritt and a complaint filed by his mother with the state Department of Human Rights, the teachers made multiple comments about his sexuality during the 2007-08 school year. After an investigation by a state agency, officials found probable cause and the district agreed to pay the family $25,000.

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Last week we told you about a high school student in the Anoka-Hennepin School District who will receive $25,000 after two teachers harassed him so much about his perceived sexuality that he was forced to move schools to get away from it. The student, who is straight, said the two teachers made jokes in front of entire classes of his peers, poking fun at his choice in research subjects and asking him if he wanted a gay student to follow him to the bathroom.

The report sparked outrage in the community after the two teachers faced minimal discipline for their actions and were never fired for the harassment. Protesters at the school board meeting last night demanded more training for teachers concerning gay students and some asked for the teachers to be fired.

Photo by kevindooley

​After teachers repeatedly taunted a high school junior in the Anoka-Hennepin School District about his perceived sexuality, the student was forced to move to a school 25 miles away to escape the teacher's torment and the resulting harassment from fellow students.

Now the district is paying his family a $25,000 settlement in the case and the student, Alex Merritt, is speaking out in hopes of helping others come forward about harassment in the classroom.

Merritt told the Star Tribune that the settlement is just a tiny consolation that "doesn't fix a broken heart" or "bring back all my friends."

And what has the district done to try and stop this from happening again? Not a whole lot.

Photo by kevindooley

​ The Anoka-Hennepin School District is paying a high school student's family $25,000 in a settlement after two teachers made his perceived sexual orientation into a class joke. Teachers seem to now set their gaydars based on a student's choice of research topics.

The high school junior wrote a report on Ben Franklin during the 2007-2007 school year. His teacher, Diane Cleveland told the entire class that the student had a "thing for older men." Cleveland also told the class the boy's "fence swings both ways," according to the Star Tribune report on the Minnesota Department of Human Rights investigation.

When the student wrote a report on Abraham Lincoln, teacher Walter Filson said, "Since you like your men older ..." Filson also told some students that the boy "enjoys waring women's clothes."

Photo by Eddie~S

​When a class bully started making fun of a girl's weight during a game of kickball, the substitute teacher took the matter into his own hands and fought back to make the boy stop. Unfortunately the teacher allegedly took it too far, choking and slapping the 12-year-old boy for his actions. So much for teaching this boy a lesson. Now he might realize his actions can land adults in legal trouble if he pushes them far enough.

Now the teacher faces fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges and can't substitute teach. There are just so many teachable moments here we don't know where to start.

​So the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota sued a Twin Cities charter school for allegedly mixing religion and public education. What does the school do? Sue them back of course!

Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TiZA) is located in Inver Grove Heights was sued by the ACLU for promoting the Muslim religion and violating the First Amendment. We wrote about this ongoing battle here.

Now TiZA is fighting back, countersuing the ACLU for defamation, says the Star Tribune.

Both the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press ran stories today about Minnnesota students' science test score results. The good news: the number students proficient in science is up six percent from last year. The bad news: more than half of test-takers remain deficient in the subject.

But what jumped out at us is the way the dailies chose to frame the test results. If you read just the headlines while sipping coffee this morning, you probably came away with radically different conclusions vis-a-vis our youth's grasp on science.

Newsweek published their list of America's Top 1,500 Public High Schools and 28 Minnesota schools made the cut. (via)

Here is how the ranking is created:

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way.

Check out which Minnesota schools made the list. See the full list here.

Do you think the ranking is a fair assessment of the "top" public schools in the country? Can a school really be judged based on the percentage of students taking advanced tests.

So the NCAA just released its Academic Progress Rates, and it pains us to report that U of M dude athletes rank near the bottom. As in tenth. Thankfully, though, the Big Ten is a bit of a misnomer (home to eleven schools), meaning the Gophers aren't like dead last.

When it comes to the evolution vs. creationism "debate," what side you come down on depends largely on your high school biology teacher's grip-on-reality (or lack thereof), according to a recent University of Minnesota study.

Published in this month's issue of BioScience (a journal put out by the American Institute of Biological Sciences), the report found that students who learned the biological ropes from admitted creationists are more likely to embrace centuries-old fairy tales themselves, even after entering adulthood.

A study of the Top 50 cities in the United States shows a slight increase in high school graduation rates nationwide over a 10-year period, but Minneapolis failed to keep up pace.

The Minneapolis Public School district saw a 1.7 percent decrease in students graduating on time from 1995-2005 with a depressing 45.3 percent graduation rate.

Look at the bright side: At least we aren't Indianapolis, with an embarrassing 31 percent graduation rate. How does that even happen?

Photo by Luke Vargus

President Obama hasn't even finished his third month in office, but Obamamania is still going strong from election season. He could end up an embarrassment of a president, but who even cares? It's Obama!

A St. Paul school is considering a name change in honor of the President and First Lady. Schools in New York, California, and New Jersey have already been renamed in honor of Obama.

U.S. News and World Report came out with its list of best high schools in the nation, and 13 Minnesota schools made the list.

Yay high schools! The confusing thing is, those same schools are listed as underperforming based on the standards of the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Huh? We don't get it.

College debate isn't what what the limited books and movies would have you believe. It's stranger, smarter, and dare I say better than just about any other educational activity. More than just "talking pretty," debate requires an intricate mix of intellect, confidence, and strategic thought -- qualities it also helps develop.

As such, it attracts brilliant personalities. Brilliant personalities that are sometimes abrasive and erratic. You can see this on display in a new YouTube video from the Cross-Examinatation Debate Association's national tournament last March. In that video, which has now been linked on CNN.com's main page, debate coach Bill Shanahan and Pittsburgh's Shanara Reid-Brinkley, a judge, exchange heated words.

She calls him an asshole, he calls himself a "fucking asshole," and says he embraces his status as a "fucking asshole," and then ... well, then he shows her, and the rest of the room, his eponymous orifice. It's an arresting visual, debate's version of the NBA's Ron Artest melee.

You can read one of the debaters' full explanation in jargon, but what you really want is the video, which is here:

Binge drinking, as evidenced by the lines of empty cups and tapped kegs littered throughout Dinky Town, is an ever-emerging problem among college students.

And the University of Minnesota has decided one way to stop it is to tell Mommy and Daddy on you.

For just $20, the school is offering parents an online course with tips about how they can help stop binge drinking. The idea developed three years ago, but interest has been so great the school recently started outsourcing the product to other universities, says Marjorie Savage, the parent program director at the U who helped design the course.

In a new state by state ranking of high school graduation rates, Minnesota comes in...well...it's complicated.

Consider these two local headlines on the rankings, both published on June 4th:

From the Star Tribune:
Minnesota's graduation rate is among highest in the United States

And from the Minnesota Public Radio website:
Minnesota ranks at bottom for black graduation rate

The Strib story continues its sunny-side approach past the subhed ("In 2005, 78 percent of Minnesota's seniors graduated; a new study showed that that rate was ninth in the nation.") and well into the story itself.

Minnesota has long prided itself as a leader in higher education. The government-issued Minnesota Measures report released last month calls that perception into question.

One barometer of success in higher education is the rate at which students complete their degrees. In 2005, 34 percent of students attending Minnesota's two-year schools graduated within three years. While that's good for 24th place overall (we did mean barely above average), it's nearly 30 points lower than first-place South Dakota, as noted here.

In 2006, in the midst of his successful run for a seat on the Minneapolis Board of Education, a concerned delegate pointed Chris Stewart to a little known provision in the No Child Left Behind Act that makes some federal funding to school districts contingent on access to military recruiters.

"I didn't know then what a reasonable response would be," Stewart says. "But I just knew there had to be something that addressed or challenged it in one way or another."

In recent weeks letters have been landing in the mailboxes of every principal in the Minneapolis School District notifying them of new restrictions on military recruiters--the result of a Stewart drafted resolution that passed unanimously in March.

Time has a great story debunking the clean energy myth. Several studies at the University of Minnesota are cited to show the impact of widespread Ethanol demand.

One of the studies revealed that we're digging ourselves a 400-year-hole with ethanol:

A study by University of Minnesota ecologist David Tilman concluded that it will take more than 400 years of biodiesel use to "pay back" the carbon emitted by directly clearing peat lands to grow palm oil; clearing grasslands to grow corn for ethanol has a payback period of 93 years. The result is that biofuels increase demand for crops, which boosts prices, which drives agricultural expansion, which eats forests.

Steve Groen, the superintendent of Edina’s Calvin Christian School, felt pretty good heading into the Edina City Council meeting last night. A month earlier, the council had voted unanimously to consider issuing his school $1.5 million in non-profit revenue bonds to go toward expanding the school’s library and classrooms. Tonight was the big vote and there was reason to feel confident.

But there was one thing standing in the way of the coveted funds: the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Minneapolis has reclaimed its ranking as "America's Most Literate City" -- and St. Paul has jumped from 11th to 3rd.

Residents of St. Paul "show evidence of stable or increased literate behaviors, be it reading newspapers or magazines, going online, library use, or buying books from a local bookstore," according to researcher Jack Miller. In this, St. Paul bucks a disturbing nationwide trend -- it's the only city nationwide where Sunday newspaper circulation has increased per capita.

The rankings are based on several metrics within six categories, including "newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment and Internet resources." Last year's literacy champion, Seattle, slipped to second.

Verily, I think I speak for all us learned and sagacious denizens of these dual metropolises when I say: Suck it, Seattle. I hereby challenge Seattle Weekly's talented and debonair web editor, Chris Kornelis, to a read-off. Alternative weeklies at 10 paces.