What will it take to close the achievement gap in Minnesota?

Students get on a school bus in St. Paul.
Students get on a school bus on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.
Jeff Horwich for MPR News

Minnesota has some of the worst educational disparities in the nation. As a group, students of color score lower on standardized tests and are less likely to graduate from high school than their white peers.

As part of the Progressive Education Network National Conference in Minneapolis earlier this month, MPR News’ Angela Davis hosted a conversation about the narratives around those disparities and what it will take to close the achievement gap.

Guests:

Alan Page is a former Minnesota Supreme Court justice and NFL player. He and his late wife co-founded the Page Education Foundation, which supports and inspires young people of color throughout Minnesota.

Kamie Page is a second-grade teacher who lives in Minneapolis. She’s written several children’s books with her father, Alan Page.

Andrea Jenkins is a Minneapolis City Councilwoman and transgender activist. She is the first openly transgender black woman elected to office in the United States.

Marika Pfefferkorn is the co-founder of the Twin Cities Innovation Alliance and executive director of the Midwest Center for School Transformation.

Use the audio player above to listen to the segment.


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