Tag Archives: MDE

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Training Opportunity: Affordable Care Act

This post was written by the State Library Services (9/20/13, 11:15 am)

Preparing for the Affordable Care Act

In a new partnership with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, State Library Services is pleased to announce Affordable Care Act training sessions for library staff. The Department of Commerce recognizes the central role that libraries play in helping to connect Minnesotans to essential information, and wants to make sure that all Minnesotans understand their rights and options under the Affordable Care Act. State Library Services’ goal is to ensure that library staff are prepared to help library patrons navigate the new healthcare insurance landscape.

Designed as train-the-trainer sessions, the training will be offered via conference calls and include ample time for questions and answers. The training will help prepare library staff to work with patrons who are shopping for health insurance through MNsure or the private market. Alyssa Von Ruden who is a Health Policy Advisor at the Minnesota Department of Commerce will lead the sessions. Alyssa is an expert in the Affordable Care Act as it relates to insurance change in Minnesota.

Sessions will be held on Thursday, September 26 (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) and Monday, September 30 (3p.m. – 4p.m.). To participate, call 1-888-742-5095; when prompted, enter the Conference Code: 787 494 7876. To support library staff over the longer term, State Library Services will be scheduling monthly conference calls with the Department of Commerce that will give library staff a chance to get up-to-date information to address emerging issues.

Upcoming sessions will be announced through State Library Services’ listserv. If you have questions about this training opportunity or would like to to sign up for State Library Services’ listserv please contact Jennifer Nelson at 651-582-8791 or Jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us.

MN Dept. of Commerce. Retrieved from the web.
Retrieved from the website.
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Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

2013: Where Have the Media Specialists Gone?

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Some rights reserved by Taber Andrew
Some rights reserved by Taber Andrew

This is the third year I have been pulling the Minnesota Department of Education data and studying the slow decline of school library media specialists in our twelve county region. I have no answers for fixing this problem, but sharing the data is my attempt to engage people in helping me think of solutions. If there is inadequate media specialist staffing in high schools, are students going to be prepared with the skills they need to be successful in college? Will middle schoolers be prepared to do high school work, and when students have no library program at school, are they simply going to the public library for assistance? Are the public libraries funded or staffed to absorb this work on a large scale? Everyone is stretched for resources, so we all need to do our part. So, without further ado, here is data for Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties. Please use the comment field in this post as needed.

  • 53 individual schools (28 percent) in Central MN have no licensed media specialist (compared to 48 last year)
  • 25 schools (47 percent) percent of the 53 schools are middle, secondary or high schools
  • 28 elementary schools have no media specialist, yet we are hell bent on demonstrating reading proficiency by 3rd grade!
  • Fourteen of our school districts have no media specialist in any school in the district at all (compared to nine last year)
  • The great news is that 32 percent of our schools have a full time media specialist. Let’s applaud those school administrators for understanding the value of maintaining a professionally staffed media center.

CMLE will use this data in its advocacy work, in targeting its programming, and in working statewide to bring attention to this growing problem. We all need to think about how we can change this trend so that all students have the benefit of a well-maintained, relevant, and properly staffed school media center.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Excellence in Our Schools!

CMLE member schools receive state-wide recognition!

Information in this post has been provided by Keith Hovis, MDE (keith.hovis@state.mn.us)

CMLElogoFY11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 18, 2013

Minnesota Department of Education Recognizes 16 Schools for 

Excellence in Behavioral Prevention Efforts

ROSEVILLE – Today the Minnesota Department of Education recognized 16 schools for their successful efforts to create positive learning environments for students. Using a program called Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), the schools designated as Sustaining Exemplar Schools, have been identified as leaders in establishing a comprehensive, set of practices to support positive behavior, improve school climate and increase student achievement.

“PBIS helps schools set clear expectations for students, teachers and families and to find new ways to address behavior issues,” said Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. “Each of these 16 schools showcases the benefits of creating respectful and supportive school climates and the positive impact on student achievement. By recognizing their success, we can help them to share their best practices with schools across Minnesota.”

The 16 schools being recognized are:

  • Chaska Middle School, Eastern Carver County Public Schools
  • King Elementary, Deer River Public School District
  • Maple Lake Elementary School, Maple Lake Public School District
  • Sheridan Arts Magnet School, Minneapolis Public School District
  • Sunnyside Elementary School, Mounds View Public School District
  • Valentine Hills Elementary, Mounds View Public School District
  • North Elementary, Princeton Public School District
  • Princeton Middle School, Princeton Public School District
  • South Elementary, Princeton Public School District
  • Apollo High School, St. Cloud Public School District
  • Oak Hill Community School, St. Cloud Public School District
  • Lincoln Elementary School, St. Cloud Public School District
  • St. Michael-Albertville Middle School East, St. Michael-Albertville School District
  • St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West, St. Michael-Albertville School District
  • United South Central K-12 School, United South Central School District
  • Matoska International School, White Bear Lake School District

Since its launch in 2005, PBIS has spread across the state and is currently being implemented by 423 Minnesota Schools, or 21 percent of the state’s nearly 2,000 schools. To establish a PBIS program, 80 percent of a school’s teachers and staff need to agree to implement a more positive approach to discipline. Participating schools then receive intensive training, support and coaching from teams at the Minnesota Department of Education, as well as instruction in how to monitor and track results. Data from participating schools show clear evidence of the program’s success, specifically in reduced number of behavioral incidents, fewer student suspensions and increased levels of student engagement.

To be identified as a Sustaining Exemplar School, staff needed to submit an application that documented their work with PBIS, including, professional outcomes, a plan for sustaining the program and how they are giving back and sharing their practices with other schools throughout the state. Schools must also have been implementing PBIS for at least three years.