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Sign up for the Education Minnesota booth at the Minnesota State Fair

Shift signups are open for the 2024 Minnesota State Fair! Join us from Thursday, Aug. 22 through Monday, Sept. 2 at our booth in the Education Building. Each year, Education Minnesota members and staff volunteer to produce personalized photo calendars for visitors. The booth also features a different education group each day that showcases their curriculum area or program.

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Moorhead teacher Zak Amin wins Education Minnesota’s 2024 Human Rights Award

The Moorhead school district is home to a large Kurdish-speaking population—other than English, it is the most common language in the district and is spoken in the homes of 239 families. But Moorhead High School ESL (English as a second language) teacher Zak Amin noticed that there was a cultural divide between parents and children.

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First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visits Minnesota to launch “Educators for Biden” campaign

Fellow educator and First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, led a rally to formally launch the “Educators for Biden” campaign with Education Minnesota. Dr. Biden, along with Education Minnesota President Denise Specht, NEA President Becky Pringle and AFT President Randi Weingarten, spoke to members about the historic public education investments the Biden administration has made.

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Part-time field program allows for next step in union advocacy

Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators (EMAE) have been advocating for policies that will help reduce the teacher shortage by attracting more students into the education field. Since the number of students entering an education program has decreased steadily since 2017, attracting more students to these programs is essential for ensuring that all Minnesota students have access to high-quality educators.

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Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators advocatefor paid student teaching

Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators (EMAE) have been advocating for policies that will help reduce the teacher shortage by attracting more students into the education field. Since the number of students entering an education program has decreased steadily since 2017, attracting more students to these programs is essential for ensuring that all Minnesota students have access to high-quality educators.

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The rise of book bans throughout the U.S. and Minnesota’s legislative response

According to the American Library Association, 2023 saw the greatest number of attempted book bans in public libraries and schools in the United States since the ALA began keeping records 20 years ago. The ALA documented 4,240 unique book titles that were either removed or restricted beyond the age intended by the publisher, a 92 percent increase over the previous year. The ALA also noted that 47 percent of books banned or challenged feature the voices of LGBTQ+ people and people of color.

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2024 legislative session updates and progress report

State budgets are set in odd years, with even years being focused more on policy and small surplus investment. Before the legislative session ends on May 20, legislators will try to pass a modest budget, investing one-time money into education, pensions, health care, labor, transportation and more while also focusing on making needed policy-only changes in state law. Due to a “structural imbalance” in the state budget, legislative leaders settled on a modest budget to allow for stable state funding in future years.

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Local ESP chapters make gains at the bargaining table

After historic investments by the Legislature during the 2023 session, Education Minnesota advised local unions to build momentum as they headed into contract negotiations. Under the unifying campaign, “We’re Worth More,” we encouraged members to bargain boldly—and our ESP locals rose to the challenge.