Minnesota
State Government
Governor
Tim Walz (D)
State Senate
33
Democrats,
33
Republicans
State House
69
Democrats,
64
Republicans
Economic well-being - Minnesota
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
11.1
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.2
Poverty rate
9.3%
Unemployment rate
3.6
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
5.1
Star Tribune, June 14, 2012: Education equity helps Minnesota students
"Focusing on outcomes is a logical way to assess how students are doing. From standardized testing, we know that Minnesota has one of the largest achievement gaps for students of color in the nation."
Pioneer Press, June 4, 2012: 20 years on, have charter schools met their goals?
"Nathan's study shows charters have long catered to low-income, minority students. Half of charter school enrollment statewide is poor students of color; in the Twin Cities it is closer to two-thirds.Yet, in St. Paul, that trend appears to be changing."
Pioneer Press, May 28, 2012: Minnesota schools: Financial aid not consistent with needs
"Most, but not all, of those other schools don't receive federal funding to educate higher concentrations of low-income children and thus aren't eligible for extra help. But many of them, mainly in suburban and rural Minnesota, have seen huge increases of students living in poverty."
St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 26, 2012: Minnesota schools: Financial aid not consistent with needs
"Under Minnesota's new accountability system, only 42 schools have been identified as 'Priority,' or needing special attention. But a Pioneer Press analysis of the data shows at least 71 other schools had similarly low scores but won't get that label -- or help from the state to improve."
Huffington Post, February 19, 2012: (Op-Ed) Educating Two Generations
"Imagine if parents and children participated in programs that provided education and skills for both at the same time. It is happening in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Community Action Project's CareerAdvance program where parents whose children are enrolled in local Head Start programs have the opportunity to earn credentials in nursing and health technology..."
Star Tribune, December 23, 2011: (Op-Ed) Finally, good news for little learners
"A portion of a $28 million Promise Neighborhoods award won by the Northside Achievement Zone will go for preschool scholarships for poor families. And a $15 million Investing in Innovation grant was awarded to the University of Minnesota and its partner organizations to implement 33 Child-Parent Centers, a learning improvement strategy for low-income families developed in Chicago for pre-K through grade 3."