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Teachers implementing different reading techniques see success
The scientific reading standards are required under the Read Act that was passed in 2023 to improve Minnesota’s falling proficiency rates.
MINNESOTA, USA — Last year, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the largest school funding bill in Minnesota history which totaled about $2.2 billion.
This year, there was another bill that will provide $40 million to school districts in 2025.
While the bills have gotten full support from Democrats, some Republicans argue that despite pumping schools with record amounts of cash, students’ test scores aren’t improving.
New data from the Minnesota Department of Education released on Thursday shows that students are far from recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in reading. The numbers show scores dropped in 2021 and stayed down for the next three years.
To combat that, Gov. Walz also signed the Read Act last year. Its goal is to boost proficiency levels by shifting instruction away from just memorizing words to more phonics-based instruction.
Monroe Elementary in Brooklyn Park was one of the first schools to implement that kind of training nearly three years ago and is already seeing significant gains.
“The thing I love about kindergarten is you’re giving them a solid foundation to continue their education career and a huge piece of that is that literacy piece,” said teacher Sarah Zins.
Minnesota has long ranked in the top 10 across the country for its education quality, but its reading proficiency, in particular, dropped. While that may be due to COVID, experts say it’s also because of persistent racial and funding gaps and faulty training methods.
Zins, and 15 of her colleagues, are moving away from the traditional teaching method that mimics a guessing game – one that relies on memorization and pictures – to the so-called science of reading. It’s rooted in federally acclaimed research that finds kids are more successful when they sound words out instead.
“It’s hard to change and it’s hard to say, maybe I wasn’t teaching the best strategies to read, but I’m going to be brave and I’m going to try something new,” said Zins.
The concept is taught to kids up to third grade. The movement, now mandated by the Read Act, requires districts to purchase curriculum in line with this technique.
Except, some programs offer materials for free, including Bridge2Read.
“It’s equitably accessible across the state,” says Bridge2Read’s Vice President of Research and Development David Parker. “A district might be smaller or bigger, in either case, have less access to resources, then this can be an option for them.”
The nonprofit is part of ServeMinnesota – an organization that helps the longtime AmeriCorps programs run across the state of Minnesota. Parker said Bridge2Read was developed about five years ago after finding success specializing in tutoring for students.
“It was requested by teachers, it was developed in partnership with teachers and now that the teachers are using it, they’re finding it fits within their day and it’s a natural addition to their instruction,” said Parker.
Parker said Bridge2Read has now partnered with up to a dozen districts across the state. He said the materials and trainings are free – and can sometimes only take up to a half day of instruction.
“There’s always been educators, there’s always been researchers who are tracking this, we want to do this, and a few things we know we can do better, and we’re at that point,” said Parker.
At Monroe, it’s proving that phonics is paying off. Zins said that proficiency levels in kindergarten at the end of each year jumped from 45% to 90% based on state-approved measurements.
The results are so impressive that the school was also given Minnesota’s Future Award in 2023. It recognizes high-performing schools and education programs for innovation and helping all students succeed.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
The organizations say many Asian Americans are planning to vote despite lack of candidate outreach.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Most people have been contacted in some way shape or form by a campaign in the last few weeks. And if the polls are right and the race for president is a dead heat, every vote will matter.
That’s why this is a head scratcher:
According to a September 2024 voter survey by Asian American Pacific Islander Data, 27% of Asian-American voters said they hadn’t been contacted by either political party trying to get their vote. Last spring, earlier in the voting season, it was even more – 42%.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group nationwide.
Their voter participation levels are growing too, with 60% of eligible Asian-American voters turning out in 2020. And AAPI Data reports as many as 90% of Asian Americans they surveyed said they plan to vote this cycle.
“Candidates are not reaching out to Asian Americans, which is a huge mistake,” said ThaoMee Xiong, executive and networking director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders.
She says even though there are more than 200,000 eligible Asian voters in Minnesota, the Asian vote is under-appreciated.
“Neither the Democratic or Republican parties have been reaching out in huge numbers,” Xiong said. “They’re sending general mailers to everyone but … they need it in their native language.”
That’s why CAAL is partnering with two more organizations to keep voter turnout high and reach anyone candidates or advocates missed.
Xor Xiong is from Asian American Organizing Project, which focuses on engaging metro-area teens and young adults.
“Many of our communities are still facing barriers to go to vote,” he said. “There’s been more times than I like to admit in terms of when I was having a conversation over the phones of voters being surprised that they can take time off to go and vote, or they can bring the kids to the polling locations, or they can even bring someone to translate for them.”
“In Ramsey County, because of the large Hmong American population there, the polls in Ramsey County are federally required to provide interpreters and translated materials,” ThaoMee added.
Their nonpartisan campaign, Get Out the Vote for Asian Minnesotans, aims to get people registered and well-informed.
“Throughout Covid, there was a lot of anti-hate around the AAPI community and we are still feeling the impact of that to this day,” said Amanda Xiong, a community organizer with a group known as CAPI USA. “Even if folks are afraid to go to the polls, due to that, we try our best to then educate them around absentee ballots, voting early.”
“And so yes, there is a huge increase in terms of voter turnout, but then why is it still 70% feel as though they don’t belong?”
In 2021, the FBI reported a 168% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.
In Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, the groups knocked on at least 700 doors in one session alone while keeping safety top of mind.
“We make sure that there’s a car following all the door knockers,” ThaoMee said. “We put everyone on text chain … and we are putting a lot of precautionary measures in place for the day of voting.”
After the election, the CAAL plans to conduct surveys and send the results to county election officials. They’ve done this before and say it led to policy changes this year at the legislature including measures to ensure people have easier access to interpreters.
