The practice of seclusion in special education has come under scrutiny by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Seclusion is where dysregulated students, those who may struggle with controlling emotional responses, are brought to a small room and isolated from the rest of the class. Some special education professionals say seclusion rooms are a vitally important safety tool however the MDE wants the practice to stop.

Teachers in K-12 schools reported the highest rate of burnout of all sectors in a 2022 Gallup poll. More than four in ten teachers said they felt burned out at work “always or “very often.” The result for teachers was eight points higher than a similar 2020 poll but only increased by two points on average for other sectors.

Kindergarten is often a child’s first experience in a classroom, a wondrous time of discovery and imagination. Classrooms buzz with youthful creativity. The doorways and walls are adorned with handprint artwork and paper chains. Young voices echo in the hallways with songs about counting and the alphabet.

Police officers permanently assigned to schools are called School Resource Officers (SROs) and they often walk a thin line between being a trusted confidant, protector, and criminal investigator.

A report released by the University of Minnesota Law School in January 2024 provides new data on college attendance for Minnesota high school graduates. The findings of the report highlight the connection between property tax-based funding for local school districts and how academically successful their students are.