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4 days ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
The fourth biennial Speaking Proudly oratory competition is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Minnesota State Capitol. The competition is open to all Minnesota high school girls interested in speaking freely about a Constitutional issue. Contestants are expected to deliver a well-researched, persuasive speech on the topic, “The Consent of the Governed” in America’s 250th year.
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2 weeks ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
When it comes to education spending in Minnesota, there never appears to be enough dollars at play. Gov. Walz and the teachers’ union continually call to “fully fund” public schools, yet the catchphrase is not accompanied with a specific price tag and consistent budgetary increases from the legislature don’t ever end up being enough despite education spending being the state’s biggest general fund expenditure. How does the general public feel when they hear this message?
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2 weeks ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
I previously wrote about the $7 billion elephant in the room plaguing Minnesota’s Teacher Retirement Association (TRA) pension fund. As of the plan’s , TRA says its funded ratio is at 79.9 percent, or put another way, only 80 cents on the dollar is available to pay already earned teacher benefits. Its unfunded liability is at $7.1 billion. The valuation report also reveals that the fund continues to run a contribution deficiency — $81,430,000 for 2024.
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2 weeks ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
The financial health of the Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) affects the fund’s long-term viability and ability to offer the majority of Minnesota educators the retirement benefit they have been promised. The plan supplements Social Security and Medicare benefits by providing teachers with defined pension payments when they retire.
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3 weeks ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic and Republican legislative leaders have reached an agreement on state budget targets that does not eliminate nonpublic pupil aid. (Gov.
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3 weeks ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
In defense of critical ethnic studies that is coming to all K-12 public classrooms, Minnesota Democratic legislators posit it as simply an opportunity to ensure students are taught about racial/ethnic cultures, communities, and histories. Indeed, the chief sponsor of the ethnic studies legislation has even characterized it as “a curriculum that reflects all students.” But a full read of the definition of ethnic studies in Minnesota law reveals it for the ideological discipline it is.
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3 weeks ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
For a state with low performance rankings across a number of metrics, the rise of Mississippi as a national exemplar in math and reading growth has been hard for many to accept. The state’s successes have not been completely unacknowledged, but there is a reluctance to admit that certain components of its education system could be a model to learn from.
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1 month ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
A recent CBS News article interviewed new Education Minnesota president Monica Byron on the state of education as she takes the helm of the teachers’ union, with reporter Esme Murphy reminding her and readers that less than half of Minnesota students are proficient in both reading and math. According to Byron and Education Minnesota, the low test scores are a “result from a critical statewide teacher shortage, and more students are choosing to opt out of tests,” continues the article.
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1 month ago | 
alphanews.org | Catrin Wigfall
(Center of the American Experiment) — The four-year graduation rate for Minnesota’s class of 2024 is the highest to date at 84.2 percent, according to newly released data from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Yet, the class of 2024 has the lowest math and reading proficiency results among graduation cohorts with a reported graduation rate.
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1 month ago | 
americanexperiment.org | Catrin Wigfall
The four-year graduation rate for Minnesota’s class of 2024 is the highest to date at 84.2 percent, according to newly released data from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Yet, the class of 2024 has the lowest math and reading proficiency results among graduation cohorts with a reported graduation rate.
