Are Minnesota kids poised to take a leap forward in reading skills? That’s what the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) says as it gets ready to implement the next stage of the READ Act.

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — Before every important test, teacher Nancy Barajas dims the lights, turns on a disco ball and blasts music from her playlist. Her sixth graders dance together as a “pre-celebration” to boost their confidence, then take their exam.

Minnesota’s local school boards have long held the power to decide how kids are taught about a variety of health education topics, including human development, nutrition, sex, child abuse prevention and other issues. That power, though, is about to shift.

Schools that locked up student smartphones during the day cut in-class phone use by roughly 80%, yet saw near-zero average gains in standardized test scores. High schools and middle schools are trending in opposite directions.

The National Study of Special Education Spending will be the first comprehensive, federally supported look into IDEA funding in two decades.

Minnesota special education spending has increased from $1.8 billion to $2.7 billion per year over the last five years.

Minnesota’s Class of 2025 posted the highest four-year graduation rate in state history, data from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) shows. It’s the second year in a row that schools statewide have reached record graduation marks.

Every parent knows that kids can get expensive. But school teachers tend to say the same thing, when you consider how often they purchase school supplies for their students out of their own take-home pay.

At the same time, students fear that using the technology to help with assignments will hinder their critical thinking skills, a Rand Corp. survey found.

More than 50 Minnesota school districts continue to use so-called seclusion rooms, according to data obtained by the Minnesota Disability Law Center. Districts use seclusion rooms for children with a disability and who are at risk of harming themselves or others.

Superintendents and state officials are launching statewide campaigns and communications technology to cut chronic absenteeism rates. Are they working?

One side of the political aisle gave an education funding proposal an A; the other side gave it in F. Tuesday’s final grade is an incomplete because no vote was taken, but will be in the future.