By Adrienne Benjamin (Amikogaabawiikwe) I recently was selected as one of 50 “Young Cultural Innovators”…
Our Voices
News, insight, commentary, and calls to action from MnEEP staff and community
Urgency is building to support EMLs: Takeaways from the 2018 WIDA Conference
In October, I attended my first WIDA Conference. Minnesota is a WIDA member state, meaning Minnesota schools…
Race Equity and Excellence in Education Network (REEEN)
Leading with an equity lens: Lessons from REEEN in the MN education ecosystem
Education leaders, community members, and students comprise the Race Equity and Excellence in Education Network (REEEN) to inform important equity planning in Greater Minnesota. We have learned a lot from these partnerships and from our role in building the capacity of leaders and communities to use an equity lens in their equity planning, leading, and systems change work.
Here are some important lessons we have learned, and how we can continue to use them to build race equity in education:
2018 Election
How our newly elected officials can start building race equity in education now
The newly elected will soon begin the work of governing; setting policy to direct the actions of school districts, colleges, and departments of education. They will determine how to collect and appropriate taxes for the largest activity of our public institutions – the education of students in early through post-secondary education. But no matter the outcome, one thing will remain constant in the education of our young people: race equity still matters.
2018 Election
2018 Election: Let’s work to elevate the teaching profession
As we look toward the election, and the impact it will have on the future of all Minnesotans, it’s important to ask these questions:
What do we teach young people of color about aspirations? About making a difference? About giving back? About the value of work? About their strengths and talents?
Most importantly, WHO IS GOING TO TEACH them or the generations to come? How do we attract more change makers and nation builders to the teaching profession?
2018 Election
2018 Election: Do you know how EMLs are protected in law? How you can educate candidates and yourself
Minnesota and the federal government have written in statute various protections for students, including for those whose first language is not English. As we look toward the election, it’s important to understand how these laws and policies should guide all candidates and elected officials—and hold them accountable— in supporting equity for EMLs in Minnesota schools.
2018 Election
2018 Election: Addressing college completion and race equity
How do we maintain our state’s prosperity if our economic vitality depends on obtaining advanced knowledge and skills by communities which, although they will make up the bulk of our economic workforce, struggle with attaining postsecondary credentials? This is an important question for our state, and the answer may well be that we won’t be able to maintain and grow Minnesota’s quality of life unless we find a way to end racial disparities.
2018 Election
2018 Election: Who will lead with an education equity lens?
As we continue our MnEEP series on Midterm Elections 2018, here are some important ways to think about what it means to lead with an equity lens and key questions you can ask candidates to consider about building race equity.
2018 election: Addressing school discipline disparities
As Minnesotans consider candidates for state office this fall, it’s important that all candidates understand how deep discipline disparities impact students of color and American Indian students, and that they are prepared as elected officials to make changes that support these students for success in our classrooms, and in the future.
If you’re voting for race equity this fall, here is how language learners fit in
Identified English Learners (EL) continue to be the fastest-growing student group in Minnesota-—speaking more than 250 languages. Yet for many, their language isn’t seen as a right and a resource. Here are some ways candidates across the state can better serve and support the next generation of Minnesotans.
