Minneapolis educator strike Yesterday marked the ninth day of Minneapolis teachers striking for higher wages, better mental health support, reduced class sizes, and more. Check out this list of updates on negotiations from Fox 9— Minneapolis Public Schools said yesterday that they “believed progress was being made” with current negotiations centered on benefits, specifically an offer of a 7% raise for teachers, the artic... Read More
Progress on the “Equity Article” The Minnesota Legislature’s last major initiative focused specifically on equity was in 2016, with approval of a package of investments that came to be known as the “Equity Article.” It was a bipartisan response to Gov. Mark Dayton’s urgent plea to address continuing wide disparities in the economic condition of people of color, despite general economic growth and recove... Read More
MinnPost on “One Minnesota Equity Blueprint” We are getting interest and inquiries from many quarters this week in response to our recent MinnPost commentary, which summarizes our Thriving by Design convening and our One Minnesota Equity Blueprint project. From the article: “All these imperatives emerged during the unique three-day conference: inclusiveness and embracing our diversity, welcoming newcomer... Read More
Policy Analysis Conference and Rural Priorities The 2017 Annual Minnesota Policy Conference, which convened last week at the Commons Hotel on the University of Minnesota campus, focused extensively on our state’s troubling rural-metro divide. Growth & Justice has been influential over the last decade in shaping this conference agenda and our Policy & Projects director, Matt Schmit, facilitated a breakout discussion this time ... Read More
Putting Things Back Together Our research and advocacy on behalf of workforce quality and equity has uncovered yet another effective Career Pathway model called Youth Social Entrepreneurship. We co-authored a recent commentary in MinnPost on the “Tried and True Engine” program serving youth in Chisago and Washington counties, featuring a young man who was having some trouble in school but who is now headed for a promising care... Read More