MPR News with Angela Davis

Principals share a look inside Minnesota schools

A woman hands laptops to a people in a car.
Instructional coach Shelly Clausen (center) delivers laptops to students as principal Greg Nelson talks with a parent in March at North High School in North St. Paul. A new semester of distance and hybrid learning is underway for the more than 300 public school districts across the state.
Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News file

Each of Minnesota’s school districts has an unprecedented task this year — taking into account the state's laws around COVID-19 and the needs of students and families to find a way forward.

Principals are put in the position of making decisions for their school communities, while also making themselves available for feedback and questions from parents and staff. Whether there are issues around internet connectivity, staff support or racial trauma, school leaders have to grapple with it.

MPR News host Angela Davis gets a look into three different schools with the help of three principals.

Guests:

  • Julius Eromosele is the new principal of Hopkins North Junior High.

  • Sherri Schendzielos is an assistant principal Coon Rapids High School. She’s a member of the “Good Trouble” coalition, a group of school administrators working against racial bias in Minnesota schools.

  • Melissa Tate is the principal of Falls Elementary School in International Falls.