This technical brief describes state-level policies and procedural requirements for guiding teacher evaluation practices at the district level in the seven states served by the Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Building on the Issues & Answers report "Examining…

In the past few years, numerous states have initiated school improvement programs. These programs have included any or all of the following characteristics: (1) teacher and administrator certification and competency tests; (2) school-based planning; (3) staff development; (4) student assessment; (5) revised curricula and instructional strategies;…

Pre-referral guidelines developed by the Minnesota State Department of Education are presented. The guidelines concern the possible referral of students with unique learning patterns and are organized around existing district policies, teacher-student relationships, teacher skills, and alternative instructional programs provided by the various…

Legislation dealing with competency testing in general falls into the following categories: (1) mandating uniform statewide minimum competency testing, to which high school diplomas and/or grade promotion is related; (2) mandating uniform statewide minimum competency testing to be used for improvement of instruction but not tied to grade promotion…

Discusses Minnesota's recent tax reform legislation which provides for increased state financing of education. (JF)

A summary outline of examples of Minnesota statutory curriculum requirements is contained in this information brief. Information is presented in the following six categories: (1) curriculum requirements that all school districts must meet; (2) directions to the state board of education and the state board of teaching to develop curriculum or…

This volume contains the recommendations made to the Minnesota legislature by the Advisory Council on Fluctuating School Enrollments. Volume II serves as an appendix to this first volume and contains the data and information on which these recommendations were based. Volume I's recommendations center around the effects of fluctuating enrollments…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

In rural Minnesota many school districts are limited in their efforts to restructure by low enrollment, rural geographic location, meager tax base, narrow staff experience, extensive job responsibilities for staff, restricted staff development opportunities, and lack of direction in curriculum coordination. Because of actual or perceived…

The formulas used to determine the financial support available to Minnesota's school districts from the state are presented in this booklet along with examples of their application in a hypothetical district. The booklet first reviews a number of terms used in discussing Minnesota's aid program, then describes the foundation programs and…

Within the educational reform debate, there is general agreement that the development of high academic standards is an important first step toward improving academic outcomes. This report highlights the standards initiatives being implemented in Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota, and South Carolina. All four states have made substantial progress in…

This document reports a model for restructuring secondary vocational education in Minnesota, incorporating state-specified student exit outcomes with local additions. Following an executive summary, part 1 of the document explains the principles that guided the restructuring (integration of basic and higher-order thinking skills into the…

The discussion in this report focuses on the state-level structures and processes for the administration of teacher bargaining in four very different states: New York, Minnesota, California, and Kansas. Sections on each state are based on interviews with personnel in state labor relations agencies or boards. Each state's structure is described and…

This report documents the factors involved in the consideration of two bills by the Minnesota legislature in 1977. The first bill, designed to increase the level of state foundation aid to education, was affected by public concern over inflation and property tax rates and by the impact of enrollment decline. Lobbying efforts by organizations of…

An analysis of structured interviews conducted in 1973, 1979, and 1984 with state legislators and school lobbyists and 14 case studies that investigated issues in Minnesota state school policymaking reveal that influence relationships do not correspond to the bureaucratic model. Political leaders influence policymaking far more than do…