Joe Graba, senior policy fellow, Education Evolving, July 25, 2008--Charter schools, too, are part of the established system--Noting that Education Evolving largely originated the concept of charter schools, of which there now are some 4,300 nationally, including 145 in Minnesota, Graba said that those schools, too, are largely unable to shift from standardization to customization.  He said about 20 of Minnesota's 145 charter schools have some aspects that would place them in the forefront of change. 

            Specifically, Graba highlighted New Country School in Henderson, MN (http://www.newcountryschool.com/), which organizes learning around students' projects.  Students, teachers and parents develop the projects, each of which would include many learning disciplines, such as math, writing, research, and literature.  Teachers call themselves advisors, not teachers.   A key aspect of New Country is that its board is run and operated by a professional practice of teachers, similar to professional practices found among lawyers and doctors.

Joe Graba, senior policy fellow, Education Evolving, July 25, 2008--Budget problems facing the Minnesota Legislature--The 2009 session will be very difficult for the Legislature, Graba predicted, with the possibility of starting with a projected deficit of $1 billion to $1.5 billion.   It has been 17 years since the state passed the first charter school law in the nation.  Education Evolving is reviewing the charter school law and will likely be recommending substantial changes.  Education Evolving has visited with Governor Pawlenty about possible changes.  One objective of Education Evolving will be to lay out some principles to be followed by any charter school, he said.

State Sen. Larry Pogemiller, Dec. 13, 2007--Invest in education--In Minnesota the best thing the state could do for its economy is to increase its investment in education, Pogemiller said.   In response to a question, he said that charter schools are helpful but not a panacea.  Part of the solution, he said, must be more authority for the faculty at each school.  It was noted that in some school districts, including Minneapolis, vacancies in schools are filled by teacher seniority, which means that some senior teachers select the schools with fewer at-risk children.   Pogemiller replied that there'd be no problem if all schools in the state had enrollments with a proportionate share of at-risk children.