The State of the State and Education

Pawlenty isn’t making any friends anywhere with smarmy platitudes like this “As well as upgrading technology, Pawlenty asked for a four-year language requirement and, even more rigorous, that students complete the equivalent of a full year of college before they graduate from high school. If they do so, he advocates rewarding them with a year of free tuition at any one on Minnesota’s public institutions of higher learning, “regardless of their class rank and … ACT scores.”

When even the cream the the public system’s crop has to take remedial courses in college…to say nothing of the absolutely dismal graduation rate of 60% in the metro districts (MPS and SPPS).

The problem will remain intractable until stakeholders, teachers, parents and students are held to account for the huge public investment we make in education.

Nothing can even begin to change until teachers realize that if their profession is ever to gain the respect it once had, their interests are being damaged as long as they remain governed by a blue collar trade union whose focus has nothing to do with providing academic excellence.

How best to implement Project-based learning in our schools Sounds like more Minnesota schools need Project Foundry.

What is Project Foundry?

It’s a web-based tool for the classroom that builds on the strengths of project-based learning. The tool dramatically reduces overhead for teachers, proactively engages students, and easily aggregates school customized assessments.

Project Foundry captures the process, proof, performance and outcomes of a project to ensure these insightful experiences promote student growth and adhere to educational benchmarks.

Currently used by 30 schools in 10 states (including the Minnesota New Country School in Henderson, MN), Project Foundry has become the tool of choice to implement project-based learning in schools.

You should check out their website at http://www.projectfoundry.org

Pawlenty isn't making any friends anywhere with smarmy platitudes like this “As well as upgrading technology, Pawlenty asked for a four-year language requirement and, even more rigorous, that students complete the equivalent of a full year of college before they graduate from high school. If they do so, he advocates rewarding them with a year of free tuition at any one on Minnesota's public institutions of higher learning, “regardless of their class rank and … ACT scores.”

When even the cream the the public system's crop has to take remedial courses in college…to say nothing of the absolutely dismal graduation rate of 60% in the metro districts (MPS and SPPS).

The problem will remain intractable until stakeholders, teachers, parents and students are held to account for the huge public investment we make in education.

Nothing can even begin to change until teachers realize that if their profession is ever to gain the respect it once had, their interests are being damaged as long as they remain governed by a blue collar trade union whose focus has nothing to do with providing academic excellence.

How best to implement Project-based learning in our schools Sounds like more Minnesota schools need Project Foundry.

What is Project Foundry?

It’s a web-based tool for the classroom that builds on the strengths of project-based learning. The tool dramatically reduces overhead for teachers, proactively engages students, and easily aggregates school customized assessments.

Project Foundry captures the process, proof, performance and outcomes of a project to ensure these insightful experiences promote student growth and adhere to educational benchmarks.

Currently used by 30 schools in 10 states (including the Minnesota New Country School in Henderson, MN), Project Foundry has become the tool of choice to implement project-based learning in schools.

You should check out their website at http://www.projectfoundry.org</p>