Birth to Baccalaureate

Alice in Wonderland

2010-01-12T17:20:00.002-06:00

On Jan. 23, Alice Rockswold will embark for the opportunity of a lifetime.

A few weeks ago, the Mankato West junior was notified that she was chosen to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives Page Program and would be sponsored by local democrat Tim Walz - who is, himself, a former teacher at West.

For about five months, Rockswold will have regular duties in the halls of congress. She'll deliver correspondence and packages, assist lawmakers, answer phones and help prepare the floor for House sessions. Along the way, she'll be attending school each morning from 6:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and she'll be staying in a dorm with the rest of the pages.

Rockswold admits she's a fan of politics and credits her father for piquing her interest in the subject. She said they often watch Hardball together and have spent many hours debating policy: "We're generally on the same side," she said.

Rockswold, who will resume her senior year at West in the fall, said she is most excited about the chance to be present at the president's State of the Union address. Traditionally, the pages are allowed to be among those that line up to shake the president's hand on the way to the podium: "I hope I can make it," she said.

A description, application and history of the Page Program can be found here.

More on Jody Allen Crowe ...

2010-01-11T13:36:00.003-06:00

In Monday's edition of The Free Press, I wrote a story about Jody Allen Crowe, a longtime educator who has now devoted his life to raising awareness about the long-term neurological and developmental effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol.

Crowe's personal story is fascinating, much of which I did not include in the news article for space reasons.

He went to school in Grand Rapids and was in fifth grade when the nation's first school shooter, David Black, killed a school administrator.

That event haunted his life, eventually becoming a driving force behind Crowe's research into the links between Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and school shooters. He published a book on the topic, "The Fatal Link," and in it, Crowe documents that Black fit the profile of a child exposed to alcohol while in the womb.

He was a school superintendent and principals at several Native American reservations in Minnesota and Idaho.

During that time (which Crowe said were also filled with innumerable positive moments), he was sucker-punched, assaulted, cursed at, spit on and forced to wrestle more than one weapon from students' hands. He witnessed 12-year-olds running street gangs and 12-year-olds giving birth. During those years, one teacher at one school estimated that 70 percent of all children on the reservation were affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

But Crowe's crusade has not come without personal cost. In his book, Crowe documents the litany of ways in which prenatal exposure to alcohol affected his own family, including his wife's exposure and his daughter's decision to drink while pregnant. He writes: "It pains me to see what alcohol has done that cannot be undone."

Flex learning year: Can't have it both ways

2010-01-05T14:46:00.003-06:00

I was irritated when I read this story from the Marshall Independent about public attendance at a district presentation on its proposal to introduce a flexible learning year.

The proposal represents a coalition of about 30 south central and south western Minnesota districts who have collaborated on a proposal to begin school about two weeks earlier in August (with the intent of having more learning days before the high-stakes tests in April).

Such proposals have traditionally been rejected by the state - as Minnesota lawmakers have been very protective of State Fair and resort lobbyists who claim a post-Labor Day school start is essential for revenue. But this proposal represents an unmatched level of collaboration. Participating districts have agreed to implement the flex learning year for at least three years as well as share time and resources for staff development.

The proposal is nothing if not a genuine attempt by school leaders to reform an education system that, if the prevailing opinion can be trusted, is not producing students that are globally competitive.

Strange thing is, opponents attack the flex learning year because it puts kids in school during prime family vacation time.

To me, such have-cake-and-eat-it-too attitudes stand in the way of the one thing we all want: a better, more efficient education for our children.

Autism and the special diet

2010-01-05T09:19:00.003-06:00

A report in the January issue of Pediatrics is gaining widespread attention because it discredits several special diets that have come into vogue as treatments for autistic children.

Among the champions of these gluten-free, casein-free diets is celebrity Jenny McCarthy, whose son is on the autism spectrum.

I've talked to several parents in Mankato who have opted for special diets for their autistic children to help combat the indigestion and stomach pain that are often (and quite curiously) associated with autism. I've talked to teachers and professionals who agree the diets are helpful, if not near-magical. My mother, a special education teacher who specializes in working with autistic teens, believes the diets could represent a breakthrough in autism treatments.

But the panel of doctors who authored the Pediatrics study do not agree; their main assertion being that gastrointestinal problems are not more prevalent in autistic children. Anecdotal evidence, however, from teachers and parents of autistic children implies the opposite - that there is, in fact, an autism-specific stomach ailment often called "leaky gut."

For me, this debate hits close to home. My son has a developmental delay that often mimics the symptoms of autism.

During a specially convened clinic with a panel of area professionals, my wife and I asked about the efficacy of these special diets. It was then we were told by a very well-respected pediatrician in this area that there is no evidence the diets work to begin with.

Who's right?

I'm certainly not sure. But as the medical and educational professions continue to grapple with this mysterious affliction, this debate about special diets is sure to continue.

Next up in education:

2009-12-23T15:58:00.004-06:00

For those of you who simply can't get enough education reporting (hello? hello?), I thought I might give a little preview of what awaits after the holiday season:

- Several area superintendents are retiring, including John Rokke in Waseca and Willis Schoeb in Maple River. Both districts have records of strong achievement; but Waseca is facing a $2 million budget adjustment and Maple River closed a school last year. A consultant has already told the Waseca School Board that this year is not a particularly good one to be looking for a superintendent.

- There is a Dec. 31 deadline to apply for contract arbitration between school districts and their teachers unions. Mankato Area Public Schools appear headed in that direction after a recent contract offering was rejected by 97 percent of teachers. For many districts, contract settlements will be a deciding factor in how deep this spring's budget cuts will go.

- Education Minnesota, the state's teacher union, has publicly stated its opposition to the federal Race to the Top Funds. A story in the Star Tribune last week stated that Ed Minnesota has complaints about the application, which places a high priority on merit-pay initiatives. Could be bad news for local districts hoping for a bit of extra cash.

Updating a special birthday wish ...

2009-12-09T17:59:00.003-06:00

Keely Schuck, the 9-year-old girl who asked for donations to Heifer International instead of gifts on her birthday, has now raised more than $1,900. Her original goal was $500.

Since posting this video on YouTube, Keely has raised enough money to purchase at least three dairy cows for an organization devoted to sustainable solutions to world hunger.

Along the way, she's received donations from complete strangers; was able to meet local hunger activist Tim Strommer with Kids Against Hunger; and has been lauded by people across the community.

But most importantly, she fulfilled her birthday wish of doing "something meaningful in the world."

Well done, Keely.

Sign of things to come?

2009-12-09T17:39:00.004-06:00

The Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School Board formally approved its new two-year teacher contract about two weeks ago. According to numbers compiled by the Minnesota School Boards Association, LCWM's two-year increase of 2.7 percent is among the lowest in the state.

But the question is whether LCWM will be a bellwether for surrounding districts.

The negotiating table is a complicated place this year. Union negotiators know that pushing too hard for raises may result in deeper staff cuts when the budget axe falls in a few months; plus, Gov. Pawlenty has already warned that schools may be the first in line when the state deals with its own $1 billion shortfall in the next session.

The Mankato Area School District is still negotiating its teacher contract. Officials have given no indication of how deep this year's cuts might go (last year's amounted to $3 million), but they have been candid in saying another round is highly likely this year.

One thing, however, is for sure: the depth and breadth of upcoming budget cuts are likely to hinge, at least in large part, on teachers contracts.

And I'd be willing to bet there are a lot of district's hoping for contracts like LCWM's.

And the medal goes too ...

2009-11-30T13:15:00.002-06:00

Every holiday season, I'm besieged with emails and tidbits about area schools who are donating to worthy organizations.
I try to give some credit to everybody, sprinkling stories throughout the season. But it's impossible to cover them all.
So I need to give credit to the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton sixth-graders. They are collecting pennies to support the building of schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, an idea that germinated after the class read "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson (in itself a remarkable story of a mountain climber-turned humanitarian). They have collection jars at all three district schools and several around the community as well.
But (in a somewhat dubious distinction) they were the first to notify me. Surely there will be many to follow, but kudos to JWP for getting a head start.

Expert schmexpert.

2009-11-19T09:57:00.004-06:00

Admittedly, my window of political perspective is pretty limited. But even a political lightweight like myself can enjoy the old-fashioned brouhaha that is developing over charter schools.
School choice is a deeply held and ravenously defended movement in education.
Its supporters say that charter schools can fix the achievement gap, teach the unteachable, serve the under-served and, generally, save students from a post-Industrial education model that has changed little in the last century.
Critics say charters siphon much-needed state aid from traditional districts already crippled by inadequate state funding and that their lack of oversight and accountability makes them invisible to the public.
As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle. But the real problem arises when the so-called experts can't separate themselves from the politics.
Take, for instance, a MN2020 report released this summer. The report documented that more than 75 percent of all charters lacked certain financial controls and that their audits contained irregularities. Inevitably, charter opponents hailed the report as definitive proof that the movement had failed. Charter supporters, meanwhile, blasted the report for its bias and pointed out that nearly all schools, charter or otherwise, have qualified audits.
Even months after its release, I can personally vouch for the fact that bitterness about the report remains on both sides.
But even more problematic is the story developing at Stanford University.
The nutshell: Brilliant economic professor authors groundbreaking study on New York charter schools. She shows, through meticulously gathered data, that charters have the potential to all but close the achievement gap. The report was released - and charter supporters proudly donned their finest feather yet.
But one problem: The report wasn't peer reviewed; and when it was (surprise, surprise) the reviewer found the study was overstated, under-quantified and, generally, untrustworthy.
Back to square one.
The charter school debate is one of the most important taking place right now in the world of education. And this kind of biased reporting only re-hinges the debate on the same old partisan frameworks.
Shame. Shame. The public needs better from its so-called experts.

A sidenote:
Minnesota was the first state in the country to legalize charter schools when it did so in 1991. Since then, regulations and guidelines for charters have evolved, but the Center for Education Reform ranks this state's charter law as the second best in the nation.

One superintendent's courageous stand ...

2009-11-17T16:00:00.000-06:00

I read a lot of news stories. Dozens, and sometimes hundreds, a day.
But it has been some time since I read a quote this powerful:
"I'm not John Doe. I'm Tim Caroline."
The words were spoken Monday by the superintendent of the Moose Lake School District. He was filing a suit alleging that he was molested by a church priest while on a church-sponsored trip at Dunrovin Retreat Center in Marine on the St. Croix in 1970 or 1971.
This is the seventh suit filed against the official since February, according to this story from the Star Tribune. The official also faces suits alleging abuse while teaching at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and Cretin High School in St. Paul in the late 1960s and early '70s.
Most suits alleging sexual abuse against minors are filed under "John Doe." But instead of retaining his anonymity, Caroline used his name.
I find such a statement to not only be courageous, but exemplary. And Caroline's actions speak a thousand words for the many who have been silenced by the stigma of being a victim.

Who doesn't love a trust fund?

2009-11-17T10:52:00.000-06:00

During the 2008 legislative session, lawmakers made a change to the way proceeds from school trust lands would be spent on schools. And now, that change is ready to pay dividends.
In previous years, money from the trust lands - which are located in northern Minnesota and generate profits on timber sales, mineral leases, taconite royalties and campground fees - were subtracted from the state's K-12 budget. Thus, school districts were not seeing any additional revenue from the land.
But last year, lawmakers decided to use those proceeds as a source of new revenue to schools. So, beginning in fiscal year 2010, districts will receive $36 per student.
Jerry Kolander, business manager for Mankato Area Public Schools, said the district has already included that extra revenue (approximately $250,000) into the budget - so it won't help in staving off possible spring reductions. But, he said, a little extra money is "always welcome."
Of course, the state legislature could always decide to change the law again in the next session. With whispers already coming out of St. Paul about another state budget deficit and another round of unallotments, such a scenario is not unlikely.

The school trust lands were created in 1858 when the federal government put two parcels of land for each township into a public school trust. For a more detailed look at the governance and history of the lands, see this legislative report. And here's an article from the International Falls Daily Journal where superintendents discuss the impacts of the trust revenue.

Get ready for more spring cuts

2009-11-16T12:12:00.000-06:00

Since last spring when school officials made the largest round of budget reductions in recent history, many administrators have been candid in saying that this coming round of cuts could be even more painful.
Waseca, for instance, has cut millions of dollars and dozens of staff in the last two years. But a failed referendum two weeks ago has all but guaranteed another seven-figure reduction. When the Waseca School Board meets on Thursday, it will begin delving into specifics on how the reductions will be handed out. School closings and reduced activities will be on the agenda for sure.
In Anoka-Hennepin School District, which is among the largest in the state, school closings and boundary shifts are supposed to save more than $3 million.
The work is already beginning and budget forecasts are decidedly grim. If communities thought last year was tough (ask Maple River and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown families about their school closings) then don't hold your breath that this year will be any better.

On student councils and international competition ...

2009-10-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

As the K-12 education reporter, I often find myself debating with folks about the quality of American education in comparison to other countries.
I've heard dozens of anecdotes from educators and teachers who have been to China, Japan, Germany and others, and have returned with stories of factory-like students marching through a regimented 10-hour school day before coming home to enthusiastically renew their studies before dinner. And we've all read the reports of American students lagging behind their international peers in everything from reading and math to science and engineering.
I can't debate the accuracy of those reports. But what I can debate is the fact that American education includes more than education - and that's significant.
On Tuesday, the Mankato East Student Council held its fall blood drive. Council members organized a small army of nurses and cots, brought in boxes of doughnuts and cases of bottled water, and set a goal to collect 110 units of blood.
But the interesting thing is that Tuesday's blood drive is only the first of two drives the Council in sponsoring this year. Because East's National Honor Society decided to focus its service projects elsewhere this year, the Council made the decision to continue the spring blood drive themselves (which is normally sponsored by the Honor Society).
That one decision could save dozens of lives. And it illustrates a broader understanding of what's important to a community.
The point is this: In American schools, education goes beyond reading, writing and 'rithmetic. In this hyper-standardized and assessment-heavy era of education, it's important that students are taught about the world that lies within arm's reach.
We should all value a competent American student who can compete with the best and brightest on a global scale. But we should also value a student who understands the world outside a textbook.
And while a blood drive won't change the world (well, it might for the patient who needs the transfusion) - it does show that Mankato is teaching its students to value community and the role they can play within it.

Co-worker won't cough in the crook of their arm? Car won't start? Having a poor day? You need heartwarming stories of Mankato students:

- Loyola students remember a fallen friend: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/archivesearch/local_story_044174443.html
- Mankato elementary students brighten the holidays: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/archivesearch/local_story_352220315.html
- Mankato soccer jerseys travel the globe: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/archivesearch/local_story_025220340.html

Polite disagreement

2009-10-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

The public hearing on attendance boundaries for Mankato's new Rosa Parks Elementary was an interesting place to be on Monday night.
A few observations:
- Folks are remarkably loyal to their neighborhood schools. A couple families said they built homes in the Franklin attendance area specifically for that school. A couple other families said they trust the education at their current school and are hesitant to change.
- District boundary lines are confusing. Mankato's map of boundaries looks like a jigsaw puzzle. Washington's boundary stretches across much of hilltop Mankato, but only because its own neighborhood has lost much of its residential land due to the expansions by the two hospitals and Bethany Lutheran College. Kennedy's area, however, is so concentrated with students that its boundary is little more than an island situated in the middle of Washington's area. It's confusing to district officials, not to mention parents.
- Lastly, people are exceedingly polite in this town. Parents had legitimate concerns about the effects of these changes on their children - and they brought all of them to the public hearing. One woman said her daughter is already having anxiety about changing schools; another parent was worried his child might now spend more than an hour on the bus each morning. But despite the concern and disagreement, discussion was respectful and polite throughout.

But just in case you're wondering what Mankato is missing (or what you can do to waste the next four minutes), here are a couple good fight videos from town-hall style meetings:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts5siyBYddM&feature=related
2. http://failblog.org/2009/04/02/injury-fail/
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J63nHNydOgs

Funny numbers

2009-10-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

When it comes to education statistics, all the numbers don't always add up.
Much has already been said and written about the achievement gap in American schools. To an alarming degree, non-white students are not achieving at the same levels as their white peers. There are a number of reasons, some explored and some unexplored, but most relate to income level.
But here is where the numbers can get confusing.
Last week, The Free Press re-printed a story from the Christian Science Monitor that analyzed a report from the Center on Education Policy on the achievement gap in all 50 states. Minnesota did not compare favorably because its gap is not closing as fast as some other states.
But fast forward to Wednesday when the National Center for Education Statistics released the results from a nationwide math assessment for 4th- and 8th-graders. In it, Minnesota's students competed with those of Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont as the country's best performers.
But even further, the scores of Minnesota's non-white students - although still not as high their white peers - were just about the same as the national averages.
And while it's difficult to draw conclusions from any single report or batch of test data, it seems that while Minnesota continues to have a clear achievement gap - most students are still receiving a competitive education.

Dad was right.

2009-09-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

I remember fondly many of my father's sayings. They varied in content and form, and he seemed to have dozens at his disposal.
On lazy, couchside afternoons in front of the TV, dad would say: "Couldn't get any work done today anyway - it's too wet to rain and too windy to haul rock."
I don't know either, but he'd laugh like hell every time he said it.
He told me things like "If you get into a fight you know you're going to lose, make sure you throw the first punch because it might be your last."
To him, anything disgusting was "ockey medicine." And if you spilled milk on your chin while taking too big of a gulp from the carton, then you just "slopped your dripper."
But driving down 5th street the other day, I remembered another: "Always stop at a lemonade stand."
I was going back to the Free Press office after lunch. I had just eaten two helpings of leftover beef stew and then washed it down with a glass of ice milk. I was stuffed to my shoulders and enjoying a discussion on public radio about nuclear reactors in Iran when I saw the faint outline of a lemonade stand.
As I neared the stand, I tried to quiet my father's voice inside my head. I just ate, I told myself, and dad would forgive any man for not putting lemonade on top of beef stew.
I tried not to make eye contact with the moppy haired youngster manning the stand as I drove by. But I couldn't help myself. We locked eyes and, seizing his window of opportunity, the 7 or maybe 8-year-old held up his handwritten sign.
It said: Homade Lemenade.
I bought a glass at 50 cents. I only had a $5, and he could only give me back $3, so he said I could keep the plastic cup. It was a fair deal, so we shook on it.
The lemonade was terrible, clearly lacking a mother's steady hand on the sugar, and I dumped it out three blocks away on Mulberry Street.
But it was still worth the stop - if only to get dad's voice out of my head.

More on debt ...

2009-09-15T15:12:00.000-05:00

In Wednesday's edition of the newspaper, I reported on the United South Central School District discovering an accounting error that caused the district to fall into statutory operating debt. Now resolved, the district is out of debt and firmly in the black.

But along the way, I came across a surprising trend.

Despite the sluggish economy and a continually declining number of K-12 students statewide, the number of districts in statutory operating debt (also called "SOD") is at its lowest level in more than a decade. From 1999 to 2007, there have been at least 24 districts in SOD, with the peak coming in 2001 with 45 districts.

For all taxpayers hear about stagnant state funding and declining enrollments, this trend seems to highlight that current accountability measures (state-mandated audits, compliance laws, billing procedures, etc.) are working to some degree.

All this, of course, could change next spring when districts balance their 09-10 books with the additional challenge of delayed aid payments (one of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's solutions for balancing the state budget).

For the latest state report on districts in SOD, look here.

Kudos for tough justice

2009-08-26T15:11:00.000-05:00

And, this time, the justice came from Edward Bearse, an Anoka County judge who is ruling in this case of teacher-student sex allegations.

The details are still being hashed out, but a veteran Stewartville third-grade teacher is accused of inappropriate sexual touching with several students. One of the allegations is that the teacher, a 63-year-old man, used a small stool to have girls sit in front of him so he could rub himself on their backs. A few of the girls passed him a note asking him to stop the behavior; later, those girls went to the principal.

But the tough justice came during the bail hearing. When the teacher's lawyer asked for leniency on the bail conditions so the teacher could continue to be near his grandchildren, the judge denied the request, citing the seriousness of the allegations.

There is no doubt that teachers have been mistakenly, and even falsely, accused of sexual abuse. And it's possible this teacher is among them. A judge's order to stay away from grandkids would be a devastating blow to an otherwise innocent man.

But what if the teacher is guilty? In that case, this teacher needs to be as far as possible from children - his own and others'.

Within the past year, there have been several teacher-student sex cases in this area that have been brought to trial. I've reported on many of them. I even received a call from one of the victims, and that 15-minute conversation remains among the toughest I've ever had - personally or professionally.

And if I've learned one thing from it all, it's that the victims are real. Students who are sexually abused by teachers and authority figures almost always have many years of emotional and psychological pain in front of them. Later, their wives and husbands will cry with them; their therapists will bill them; and the public, by and large, will forget about them.

But judges and other stewards of justice must always keep the victims in mind. And, sometimes, protecting children must come at the expense of the rights of the accused.

If the Stewartville teacher is found innocent and the charges false, he will be owed an apology. But not from the judge, who deserves kudos for erring on the side of caution and protecting children from his harm - even when his decision may be considered by some to be excessive.

A little provincial pride.

2009-08-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

As long as we are celebrating (gloating?) in victories over our neighbors on the eastern border (Brett Favre anyone?), here's the latest list of top average ACT scores by state.

For the fifth consecutive year, Minnesota's students have posted the nation's best average ACT score. Iowa ranked second with Wisconsin, Nebraska and South Dakota rounding out the top five. And while only 27 states have a majority of students taking the college entrance exam (many east- and west-coast states still use the SAT), Minnesota's results do show signs that implementing rigorous academic standards and increasing the availability of post-secondary and college-level courses can produce tangible results.

Parents: Begin panicking now.

2009-08-14T11:33:00.000-05:00

Have a seat parents. This could be a bit unsettling.

According to this report from OnlineFamily.Norton - a web-management tool that, among other functions, helps parents block certain web content from their children - kids are not quite as naive as we'd like to believe. In the report issued Friday, OnlineFamily details kids' top 100 search terms collected anonymously through Symantec between February and July 2009.

Some on the list are not surprising in the least, and some are actually encouraging. Michael Jackson (11th), Miley Cyrus (15th), Club Penguin (22nd), Amazon (35th) and weather (44th) all ranked in the top 50.

But other search terms are downright terrifying. "Sex" ranked fourth while "porn" was sixth; "Boobs" ranked 28th and "naked girls" ranked a few spots ahead of "Playboy" at 86th. In between were a handful of non-flattering slang terms for genitalia.

Of course, none of the parents out there have searched any of those terms themselves. But if they had, they would have seen that simply typing "sex" into a search bar can yield a host of explicit images, video and audio - much of it without requiring sign-up or registration.

The web is no different than any other public space where children need to be supervised. But unfortunately, there are no security guards and there is no 911 in cyberspace. Dangers and strangers are allowed to roam the web unchecked - which makes parents the best (and only) police.

Supervise wisely.

From the mailbag ...

2009-07-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if this is a sign of the economic times or of an overworked email server, but lately I'm receiving an increasing number of product emails in my inbox. These emails usually arrive under a heading portending certain disaster if they aren't opened immediately - and they usually are sent straight to my delete folder without second thought. But a few have caught my attention:

- "My Sister, Alicia May:" This particular book is about a young girl growing up with a sister who has Down syndrome. Many contemporary childrens books address issues such as race, ethnicity and sex - but few venture into the territory of special needs. Full disclosure: I have not read this book and cannot vouch for its quality - but it's worth a mention for the simple fact that the book explores a relationship few others have.

- Plastic surgery for kids: Yes, you read that right. And no, the email is totally serious. In fact, this doctor says plastic surgeons can play an "important role" in children's lives. Not for facelifts and liposuction, but for reconstructing and treating large scars, lacerations and broken bones (especially in the face). Must be a tough economy indeed when an Orange County doctor is marketing surgery services to pre-teens.

- Advanced potty tactics: I'm going to quote straight from the release on this one and allow you to make your own humor (although, strangely, I can see how this product might be helpful):
"There's a revolutionary new product that makes potty training a breeze. ... Potty Pony Pals. This innovative training underwear is the only product to have graphics on the inside of the garment. It comes with a DVD that shows toddlers how to watch over their new potty underwear and keep the 'pal' on the inside dry!"
Whatever works, right? Incidentally, the company that markets the underwear also promotes a host of other innovative, but slightly wacky, baby products. Check them out: Bee-Tees (character-building t-shirts), Paci-Plushies (pacifier holders), G-Mom bags (designer diaper bags), Bibs N Burps (bamboo burp clothes and bibs), and Modest Middles (nursing tank-tops).

Facing the (referendum) music

2009-07-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

The drumbeat begins anew.
In the last two years, about 150 Minnesota school districts have attempted operating referendums, and for many different reasons. Sometimes due to financial mismanagement, sometimes deflating enrollment, sometimes unexpected maintenance projects or technology upgrades.
But now, with state aid for schools frozen for at least the next two years (and likely the next four) and delayed aid payments a certainty, some school districts are already forecasting significant budget challenges.
In Mankato schools, where the sting is still evident from the latest $3 million reduction, officials have predicted that future cuts are all but certain.
In Waseca, school officials took to the county fair this week to gauge community support for a referendum desperately needed to maintain programs in the face of declining enrollment.
And the Blue Earth Area School District just hired a consultant to help plan fall referendum.
These schools will not be the last and, in many communities, taxpayers will have the painful decision of taking from their own thinning wallets to keep schools out of debt.

Lancers salute

2009-07-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

All you need to know about the Mankato Area 77 Lancers took place in the summer of 2008, the year before this, when I was covering my first preseason training camp for the Lancers parade season.
It's called Spat Camp (can't remember why) and encompasses musical, physical and mental training. Practice, march, exercise, eat, repeat - that's the general theme of events at Spat Camp, which is held at Dakota Meadows Middle School the first week after school lets out and goes for more than 12 hours a day.
About 100 kids from all over the region participate in Spat Camp, but several parents are also on hand to sew and repair uniforms, make sure kids are hydrated, etc.
While chatting with parents during my first visit to camp in 2008, a lone student ambled into the room with his head tilted mysteriously backward.
When asked about this curious cranial position, the student lowered his chin to answer - but before the words could escape, gushing blood from his nose answered for him.
The student had tripped during a marching exercise and bashed his beak. No broken bones, but plenty of flow.
While a half-dozen parents scrambled for gauze and smelling salts and sewing kits, this unfortunate young Lancer calmly waited, fingers pinching at the nostrils. I asked him how he felt and he responded: "Late for practice."
No kidding.
Since then, that's my image of the Lancers. Dedication and commitment to success - even while your nose is bleeding.
And this year is no different. In addition to winning grand champion at the Jefferson City (Mo.) Parade on its recent performance swing through Missouri, the Lancers have been rated top marching band at several parades and are ranked in the state's top three.
The Lancers have a rich tradition, and this year is another for books.
NOTE: The Lancers hold their final performances of the season on Tuesday (8:15 p.m. at Sibley Park) and Sunday (7 p.m. at the Alltel Center).

On preschool music and drug running

2009-07-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Radio music, at least these days, is not for the young. And my best evidence comes from my now-13-year-old sister. A precocious youth who read chapter books and talked about boys before her age even hit double digits, she must have been about 9 when we were driving in the car together, idly scrolling the FM radio dial.
Suddenly, her eyes lit upon the sound of some thumping rap ditty and she flung the volume knob hard right. With little hesitation and much enthusiasm, she began singing the lyric "Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty." So in an effort to prompt a moment of introspection, I asked her if she knew what those lyrics meant, fully expecting the answer was no.
I was wrong.
Deadpan, and a little annoyed, she replied: "Yes, Tanner. It means you have drugs in the car."
Ummm. Wow.
So, for any parents who have reservations about their elementary-age snowflakes learning the latest in over-the-road drug running from the latest top-40 hit, here is a novel new idea:
Preschool Radio.
The 30-minute podcasts available on the site are more practical than streaming audio and there's plenty of archived material. The site was started by a former morning show announcer and now-at-home mom who had the same radio reservations as myself. The songs are performed by actual musicians and sound pleasantly musical - without much of the schmaltziness found in many children's tunes.
The drawback, clearly, is being caught at a stoplight doing the Steering Wheel Macarena to preschool radio jams. But, hey, it's better than getting caught ridin' dirty.

Wind fall (get it?)

2009-06-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

An interesting development today from the St. Paul Legal Ledger ...

School trust lands are nothing new. But legislation during the 2008 session directed that schools actually receive some proceeds from land use directly - a change from previous years when school trust land proceeds were used to offset education costs.

Now, it seems, as taconite and timber sales have dropped in the flagging economy, wind may have become the prized resource. Schools in this area, including St. Peter, have flirted with wind energy for years, but this may be a legitimate way to harness wind for financial gain.

Both political parties believe there are major flaws in the state's education funding system. Too many inequities, too many disparities and too much burden on local tax levies. But long-term solutions will be impossible until there is a little breathing room in the state budget.

For now, such bold moves may help weather the storm.

The increasingly public superintendent

2009-06-15T14:12:00.000-05:00

I offer this story today, from the Rochester Post-Bulletin, but not as a commentary on Rochester Public Schools. To be honest, I have little familiarity and even less experience with their school system.

But the story brings to light how political school superintendencies have become. I don't mean political in the snide, pejorative sense; but political in terms of the dialogue superintendents have with their district residents.

Witness the rise in town hall meetings and community feedback forums in public school districts. Witness the way superintendents in many districts spend much of their time stumping for fall referendums. Most superintendents are now hired on three-year contracts and it is not uncommon for school boards not to renew those contracts.

Not to say this evolution has been a negative one. Superintendents serve as a primary conduit between the classroom and the public - and that's significant. Classrooms are, in some ways, very similar to halls of congress where the actions and behaviors of its participants can seem strangely foreign when viewed from the outside.

Superintendents are also largely responsible for measuring the success of their respective districts and sharing that information with the community. That element of public accountability, while flawed in some ways, has long been needed in public schools - and I think most superintendents would agree.

And while publicly elected superintendents are rare, the debate is long-raging with very few states outside those in the south even allowing such a selection method. I would tend to agree that appointment works best, but it's an interesting debate nonetheless.

Red means student generosity

2009-06-12T17:12:00.001-05:00

I got to work Friday morning and found my little, red voicemail light was on. Such discoveries often bring a lump to my throat knowing that, behind that light, there is often an angry reader or an observant one who has caught a mistake in my story. For me, that little red light has come to signify dread and shame.

But Friday's red-light special was of the heartwarming variety. It was a message from Shane Baier, the principal at Mankato East, to let me know the Class of 2009 had made a $100 donation to the ECHO Food Shelf. The interesting thing is, the donations were collected during the actual graduation ceremony. Students received their diplomas and then dropped their dimes and dollars into a donation basket.

As the K-12 education reporter, I come across dozens of such stories.

Covering a story recently about Maud Hart Lovelace fans, I found myself wandering the Betsy House where I stumbled upon a framed letter written by an obviously very young student. Scrawled in somewhat misshaped penmanship, the note said simply that the Betsy-Tacy Society was important and the student council wanted to donate some money.

And that was it. No fanfare. No fancy language. Just an acknowledgement of work well done and a token of financial support.

This blog entry could go for days detailing all the generous efforts of students in this area. Truly, they prove regularly that this country is in good hands.

Consider this an acknowledgement of work well done.

Charter school governance: Mayors or Quarterbacks?

2009-06-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

After the Minnesota legislature passed a round of charter school reforms during the latest session, it appears a different kind of charter-school sponsorship is cropping up elsewhere. According to these news accounts in the NY Daily News and the Providence Journal, there seems to be a growing interest in mayoral academies, where civic and community leaders govern a school.

Such a concept would represent a significant philosophical shift from charter schools in this area, which are largely founded on teacher governance. A model based on mayoral or municipal governance would have some clear benefits, not the least of which would be expanded opportunities for collaboration.

But one drawback to mayoral academies might come quickly to mind for residents of the Mankato area. Being a youngster in the Free Press office, I had never heard the strange and mysterious tale of Stan Christ - the former Mankato mayor who fled critics and controversy by cover of moonlight - until yesterday when fellow FreeP staffers relived the tangled tale.

With apologies to the dependable John Brady, perhaps Minnesota should consider Brett Favre-sponsored charter schools. He's one person we know won't go away.

School reform: Everyone has an opinion

2009-06-10T10:33:00.000-05:00

School reform is a topic sure to spark conversation at any water cooler. Especially now, as schools face increasing amounts of public scrutiny and accountability (one of No Child Left Behind's clear, but often forgotten, successes) everyone it seems has an opinion on how schools can produce better students. This guy is one of them, and he brings some interesting ideas to the table about school reform.

While the premise that American students are lagging in comparison to the rest of the world is arguable (an international test, the TIMMS, evaluates math and science skills of students from all countries; American and Minnesotan students performed very competitively in 2007), one thing is for certain:

Schools are changing. And change is good.

And even though many of the reforms discussed in the above link are unfeasible in this area, a few of them are already germinating in school districts throughout the region. Take bilingual education, for instance. Here's a story that ran in the Free Press about a preschool teacher who uses Spanish to enhance/promote student literacy; Project SOCRATES (based in N. Mankato) provides world language courses to rural schools through Internet-TV; and most schools now require a world language component for graduation.

Another suggestion was to raise the compulsory education age. Keeping students in school for another year may not be the solution - but giving students some post-secondary and experiential education while still in high school is invaluable. Classes like Project Lead the Way and ProStart give students a chance to explore careers while still in high school; PSEO and Advanced Placement offerings continue to increase.

Schools have a tough job. In a business where kids are the commodity, change must be handled carefully and diligently. But educators also have to hear the demands of the wide world outside the schoolhouse doors. And that world demands students that are smarter and more adaptable than ever before.

Education Secretary is QComp-limentary

2009-06-03T14:46:00.000-05:00

Today could be the first in a new era of teacher compensation in Mankato Area Public Schools.

Members of the Mankato teachers union are voting this afternoon on whether to accept the district's QComp proposal, which was recently approved by the state. If approved, teachers would receive raises based on meeting individual, school-wide and district-wide goals - instead of experience and education level.

Of indirect importance to Mankato schools is the continued support of performance-pay programs by political heavy hitters at both the state and federal level. Despite its continued status as a political lightning rod (you can read a critical Star Tribune report from February here, and a report from the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor here) such widepread support for performance-pay programs will help districts feel comfortable that funding will not be pulled from under their feet a year or two into the program.

According to an Education Week blog post, Education Secretary Arne Duncan was in front of U.S. House and Senate members on Wednesday to outline the department's fiscal 2010 budget. During one hearing, Duncan was grilled about his continued support for teacher performance-pay programs, which are slated to receive a huge boost in federal aid.

At the state level, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been fervent in his support for QComp, refusing in the last legislative sessions to dissolve QComp and redirect the funding into other school funds.

As for the vote in Mankato schools today, the result is anyone's guess. The district's 2006 QComp proposal was rejected by teachers.

Hey girls - how about some science?

2009-06-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

Somewhere between dolls and dresses, the girls are losing their compasses and protractors.

Gender norming is nothing new. Sociologists have long known that boys grow up with trucks and dirt, and grow up to become mechanics and entomologists. Girls grow up with mini baby strollers and plastic kitchen sets, and later become nurses and teachers.

But as area high schools continue to expand their math and science programs, they are also trying to find ways to extend their programs to more girls. And according to this story on a New York Times blog, that challenge continues nationwide.

During Monday's meeting of the Mankato Area School Board, career education coordinator Monde Schwartz gave of an overview of the district's career education programs. Among them is a revolutionary engineering curriculum called Project Lead the Way that is rapidly becoming a staple of science-conscious high schools throughout Minnesota.

Mankato schools have offered Lead the Way for several years. The curriculum includes several classes, from introductory engineering concept courses to advanced design courses. For the first time next year, Mankato schools will be offering the highest-level Lead the Way class: Engineering Design and Development, in which students must solve a real-world engineering problem and submit their solution to a panel of outside reviewers.

Along with Lead the Way, the district also offers a nursing class (students can earn their state nursing assistant's certification) and a culinary arts class - both of which are largely attended by girls. But, Schwartz told the board, the district still wants to see more girls participating, especially in the district's engineering classes.

With the technology, science and engineering industries boasting most of the fastest-growing (and well-paying) careers in the world, there are plenty of opportunities for young women who are willing to take the leap into a boys' world.

For those interested, here some links for parents and students.

For young girls:
- Braincake: an online community where girls can solve science mysteries and share their stories
- Zoey's Room: another online community for science-savvy girls
- Whyville: an imaginative and interactive game-based science site for girls and boys
- Cool Math: math-related games and puzzles
- Animal Land: math and science games related to animals

For parents:
- Sally Ride Science: a primer on getting girls involved in science
- Girls Tech: a comprehensive list of science links and resources; a terrific web site for parents seeking healthy online activities for kids

A hello and more wage freezes ...

2009-06-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

In the interest of sparing folks a speech about this being an inaugural blog post (I'm sure my lack of blog experience will be readily apparent without an announcement), I offer this story I read today on MinnPost.

Wage freezes are, indeed, sweeping the state. In this area, teachers in Waseca have already accepted a soft freeze to help the district alleviate a $1.3 million budget cut. Ed Waltman (Mankato) and Harold Remme (New Ulm) are only two area superintendents who have already accepted pay reductions.

This spring alone, more than 100 jobs and $10 million were cut from area school budgets. Those are significant numbers in any industry, especially in education where officials are continuing to adjust to rising achievement standards and evolving demands from a workforce that is waiting to replace a generation of baby-boomers with today's learners.

During Monday's meeting of the Mankato Area School Board, officials closed the meeting to the public and began discussing bargaining terms for the upcoming negotiation session with teachers. And while it's too early to tell what the next round of contracts will look like, odds are good that freezes will be a topic of discussion.

I'd be curious to know what people think about wage freezes for teachers. Some would argue that unions have worked against themselves by driving districts into a corner financially and that freezes are not only appropriate, but responsible, in this economy. Others would argue that teachers are already underpaid and undervalued and that further wage loss is too much to ask.

Given the fact that Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proposed frozen education funding through the biennium - and knowing that a district's expenditures rise 2-3 percent each year due to salary raises and increased operating costs - this does not appear to be an issue that will go away soon.