Back-to-school season is in session again.
And for schools in Minnesota, that means huge things are unfolding.
The work done for education by principals, parents, teachers and lawmakers over the past year was impressive–so impressive that this legislative session was coined the ‘education session.’
It’s a title that was earned when you unpack what Governor Mark Dayton and the DFL approved for Minnesota’s kids and schools.
All-day kindergarten is available for all Minnesota families.
This is the centerpiece of Gov. Dayton’s attempt to reinvigorate our schools. Multiple studies show that all-day kindergarten leads to reduced achievement gaps between students of different economic and racial groups. The longevity of an all-day kindergarten program also helps reduce the need of additional academic help down the road.
We have more money for early-childhood education.
Why does early-childhood education matter? Well, when you consider that Minnesota has one of the nation’s worst achievement gaps between students of color and white students, it demands an answer. Experts believe part of the reason for the achievement gap lies in families not having the ability to send their children to well-funded schools. During the ‘education session,’ more money was appropriated to early-childhood education so that families, regardless of their economic status, have the ability to start their child’s education off right.
We’re increasing per-pupil spending in a major way.
It’s obvious that when funds to schools decrease it forces educators to cut budgets and look for other ways to save money. Gov. Dayton and the DFL didn’t want teachers and administrators to find themselves backed against a wall because they didn’t have enough money to successfully educate our kids. Now we’re spending more money on each student’s education so that educators have more time to focus on educating, and kids have more time to work directly with teachers.
The ‘education session’ sent Minnesota’s school system into an exciting and promising new direction.
When students hit the classrooms this week, they’ll have more resources than they did last year, allowing Minnesota to build the workforce we need for the future.
And that’s wonderful news for everyone.
