Minnesota
U.S.
Rank
Score:
88%
Grade:
B
Rank:
#5
Even the nation’s first charter school law which pioneered the dual concept of choice and diversity in public education is under assault by special interests, limiting much needed and wanted expansion.
Law passed: 1991
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 180
Number of charter students: 65,987
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No
Virtual charters allowed? Yes
AUTHORIZERS: Local and intermediate school boards, educational district cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, public universities, and private colleges can all authorize charter schools, though they must be approved by the state education commissioner. Active university authorizers are St. Catherine University, Bethel University, and University of St. Thomas. Together they authorize 17 schools.
GROWTH: With an increase of nearly 10,000 students since 2018, growth is steady but mainly comes from school expansions not a plethora of new schools.
OPERATIONS: Charter schools are exempt from most regulations that traditional public schools have, but the state has instituted many additional requirements by way of regulation.
EQUITY: Minnesota charter schools are funded inequitably, receiving approximately 30% less in total revenue than district schools. They do receive state support for leased facilities expenses because they cannot issue bonds or raise taxes like traditional public school districts. They also cannot use state funds to buy land or building. Minnesota law’s funding formula provides dollars for transportation to charter schools and gives charter schools the option of providing transportation and keeping the transportation funds or requesting the traditional district to provide transportation and then paying those funds to that district in which the school is physically located.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#26
Opportunities to make choices over private schools do not exist here but two very old tax benefits provide modest benefits to approximately 250,000 taxpayers.
Law enacted: 1995 and 1997
Number of programs: 2
Statewide Participation: 259, 108 taxpayers
Types of programs: Individual Tax Credit / Deduction
Individual Tax Credit/ Deduction
K-12 Education Subtraction
This individual tax deduction program was enacted in 1955, giving parents the opportunity to deduct educational expenses such as tuition, tutoring, textbooks and more. Students must attend school in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin to be eligible. There is no income limit for eligibility, and the program has no enrollment cap.
Individual Tax Credit/ Deduction
K–12 Education Credit
Minnesota’s K–12 Education Credit program was enacted in 1997, and gives families tax credits for educational expenses like tutoring, after-school programs and textbooks. This program does not allow private school tuition to be an expense, and the individual credit cap is $1,000 per student.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#28
Districts allowed to utilize quality of performance in evaluations and pay, but tenure is not driven by teacher effectiveness.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 73%
General Teacher Preparation 65%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 80%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 96%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 65%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 69%
Hiring 70%
Retaining Effective Teachers 67%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 79%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 65%
Score:
88%
Grade:
B
Rank:
#5
Even the nation’s first charter school law which pioneered the dual concept of choice and diversity in public education is under assault by special interests, limiting much needed and wanted expansion.
Law passed: 1991
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 180
Number of charter students: 65,987
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No
Virtual charters allowed? Yes
AUTHORIZERS: Local and intermediate school boards, educational district cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, public universities, and private colleges can all authorize charter schools, though they must be approved by the state education commissioner. Active university authorizers are St. Catherine University, Bethel University, and University of St. Thomas. Together they authorize 17 schools.
GROWTH: With an increase of nearly 10,000 students since 2018, growth is steady but mainly comes from school expansions not a plethora of new schools.
OPERATIONS: Charter schools are exempt from most regulations that traditional public schools have, but the state has instituted many additional requirements by way of regulation.
EQUITY: Minnesota charter schools are funded inequitably, receiving approximately 30% less in total revenue than district schools. They do receive state support for leased facilities expenses because they cannot issue bonds or raise taxes like traditional public school districts. They also cannot use state funds to buy land or building. Minnesota law’s funding formula provides dollars for transportation to charter schools and gives charter schools the option of providing transportation and keeping the transportation funds or requesting the traditional district to provide transportation and then paying those funds to that district in which the school is physically located.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#26
Opportunities to make choices over private schools do not exist here but two very old tax benefits provide modest benefits to approximately 250,000 taxpayers.
Law enacted: 1995 and 1997
Number of programs: 2
Statewide Participation: 259, 108 taxpayers
Types of programs: Individual Tax Credit / Deduction
Individual Tax Credit/ Deduction
K-12 Education Subtraction
This individual tax deduction program was enacted in 1955, giving parents the opportunity to deduct educational expenses such as tuition, tutoring, textbooks and more. Students must attend school in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin to be eligible. There is no income limit for eligibility, and the program has no enrollment cap.
Individual Tax Credit/ Deduction
K–12 Education Credit
Minnesota’s K–12 Education Credit program was enacted in 1997, and gives families tax credits for educational expenses like tutoring, after-school programs and textbooks. This program does not allow private school tuition to be an expense, and the individual credit cap is $1,000 per student.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#28
Districts allowed to utilize quality of performance in evaluations and pay, but tenure is not driven by teacher effectiveness.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 73%
General Teacher Preparation 65%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 80%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 96%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 65%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 69%
Hiring 70%
Retaining Effective Teachers 67%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 79%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 65%
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#7
The Minnesota Department of Education offers public school students online learning courses; some programs support full-time students while others are only supplemental. The DOE clarifies that not all of the programs can take students across the state as some are only offered to students residing in certain districts.
Statewide digital tools available to all K-12 public, private, and charter students include the statewide Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Sketchup Pro 3D printing software.
Bandwidth: “99.9% of students in Minnesota can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 1,111 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”
Minnesota has policies in place that are helping the state develop personalized learning efforts, one example being the state requires every student to have a personalized learning plan.
The Innovation Research Zones Pilot Program allows districts and charter schools to form innovative zone partnerships with higher education institutions, local government, nonprofit and for profit organizations to increase personalized learning in classrooms.
The state also has a Flexible Learning Year Program which gives schools the power to utilize flexibility in seat time and calendar year schedules, so schools can tailor learning to what best serves individual students’ needs.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, communications to schools and families about continued learning was often unclear and difficult to find after schools closed. While the state did encourage districts to continue instruction, it did not work to ensure that all students had access to devices and the internet. When Governor Walz closed schools on March 16th for a two week break, he was proactive in emphasizing the need for schools to use the time to develop plans in case closures were long-term: “We cannot wait until the pandemic is in our schools to figure things out.”
A website with information and resources for students, parents, teachers, and schools was created. A distance learning template was provided for schools to follow on March 26th, allowing Minnesota to be ahead of the curve of many states.
The reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year has been evolving as is the case with most other states. In late July, the state announced that schools could open for hybrid learning classes for summer school and then released guidelines in a new report, with a well-placed focus on local decision-making driven by data. Districts can decide whether or not to have in-person instruction, and can adjust as needed during the school year.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#7
The Minnesota Department of Education offers public school students online learning courses; some programs support full-time students while others are only supplemental. The DOE clarifies that not all of the programs can take students across the state as some are only offered to students residing in certain districts.
Statewide digital tools available to all K-12 public, private, and charter students include the statewide Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Sketchup Pro 3D printing software.
Bandwidth: “99.9% of students in Minnesota can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 1,111 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”
Minnesota has policies in place that are helping the state develop personalized learning efforts, one example being the state requires every student to have a personalized learning plan.
The Innovation Research Zones Pilot Program allows districts and charter schools to form innovative zone partnerships with higher education institutions, local government, nonprofit and for profit organizations to increase personalized learning in classrooms.
The state also has a Flexible Learning Year Program which gives schools the power to utilize flexibility in seat time and calendar year schedules, so schools can tailor learning to what best serves individual students’ needs.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, communications to schools and families about continued learning was often unclear and difficult to find after schools closed. While the state did encourage districts to continue instruction, it did not work to ensure that all students had access to devices and the internet. When Governor Walz closed schools on March 16th for a two week break, he was proactive in emphasizing the need for schools to use the time to develop plans in case closures were long-term: “We cannot wait until the pandemic is in our schools to figure things out.”
A website with information and resources for students, parents, teachers, and schools was created. A distance learning template was provided for schools to follow on March 26th, allowing Minnesota to be ahead of the curve of many states.
The reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year has been evolving as is the case with most other states. In late July, the state announced that schools could open for hybrid learning classes for summer school and then released guidelines in a new report, with a well-placed focus on local decision-making driven by data. Districts can decide whether or not to have in-person instruction, and can adjust as needed during the school year.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Tim Walz (D)
First term began in 2019 (no term limit)
Tim Walz was first elected in 2019 and has been re-elected in 2022. It was a closer race than expected but after four years of a lackadaisical approach to education, we aren’t holding our breath.
As of 2020, the House is Democrat and the Senate is Republican, where a scholarship tax credit program was passed, but failed to advance in the House. The governor was outspoken in his opposition to it. The Senate will have to keep pushing to expand educational opportunities for families here, and they face significant headwinds in both the House and Executive Branch.
Minnesota’s Blaine Amendment is less restrictive. Recently, the Minnesota Supreme Court let stand, but not reviewing it, “a decision of the Minnesota Court of Appeals that held that neither the state’s Compelled Support Clause nor its Blaine Amendment are violated by government programs aimed at helping students, even if those programs incidentally aid religious organizations.” (Institute for Justice)
School report cards are easy to find from the Minnesota DOE homepage under Data Center. Reports are comprehensive; they include academic measures on student achievement, student progress, graduation, and college enrollment, as well as non-academic measures such as attendance, safety, and disciplinary data which give parents a sense of school culture and climate. Educational options are also easy to find from the main page, which further increases transparency and accountability in the state.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.
Tim Walz (D)
First term began in 2019 (no term limit)
Tim Walz was first elected in 2019 and has been re-elected in 2022. It was a closer race than expected but after four years of a lackadaisical approach to education, we aren’t holding our breath.
As of 2020, the House is Democrat and the Senate is Republican, where a scholarship tax credit program was passed, but failed to advance in the House. The governor was outspoken in his opposition to it. The Senate will have to keep pushing to expand educational opportunities for families here, and they face significant headwinds in both the House and Executive Branch.
Minnesota’s Blaine Amendment is less restrictive. Recently, the Minnesota Supreme Court let stand, but not reviewing it, “a decision of the Minnesota Court of Appeals that held that neither the state’s Compelled Support Clause nor its Blaine Amendment are violated by government programs aimed at helping students, even if those programs incidentally aid religious organizations.” (Institute for Justice)
School report cards are easy to find from the Minnesota DOE homepage under Data Center. Reports are comprehensive; they include academic measures on student achievement, student progress, graduation, and college enrollment, as well as non-academic measures such as attendance, safety, and disciplinary data which give parents a sense of school culture and climate. Educational options are also easy to find from the main page, which further increases transparency and accountability in the state.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.