Commentary

We need more charter schools

Monday, 20 May 2013 13:08 Fred Easter

Nobody asked me, but it is unassailable that charter schools are doing an admirable job with our kids.

Prison calls: Put families before padded corporate profits

Thursday, 16 May 2013 13:43 Dr. Artika R. Tyner, Clinical Law Faculty, Community Justice Project

Martha Wright is an 87-year-old grandmother and a retired nurse. When her grandson, Ulandis Forte, went to prison in 1994, she was determined to keep in touch. Wright knew her grandson had made a mistake, but she did not want him to feel abandoned. More than grandmother's intuition, research also shows that prisoners who maintain family connections are much less likely to re-offend, breaking the crime cycle.

Accountability, incentives key to eliminate achievement gap

Thursday, 16 May 2013 13:36 Bruce P. Corrie, PhD, Guest commentary

Minnesota is on the threshold of making some groundbreaking changes in educational policy and funding this legislative session. We know that the increased funding for e-12 and higher education is a much needed investment to make our youth competitive in the global economy. We thank the Legislature for its focus on specific needs of the ALANA (African Latino Asian and Native American) students and efforts to close the achievement gap by developing a robust model from preschool to career pathways.

A child without dreams

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 11:59

Every day four children in America are killed by abuse or neglect. More than 750,000 children are abused or neglected each year. Even when children survive or after physical scars heal, the emotional damage left by child abuse and neglect can last a lifetime just as the post traumatic stress left by gun violence leaves deep scars in countless children.

The unlikely path to entrepreneurship

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 11:38 Dedrick Muhammad, Sr. Director of NAACP Economic Department

The path to a career in the early 21st century is anything but a straight line. The very idea that you will just have one career is becoming increasingly antiquated. We have to be creative in our plans for economic sustainability. This means building upon success and, even as you go for your dreams, having a practical means to meet the demands of your economic reality.

No second class families

Monday, 13 May 2013 15:12 Benjamin Todd Jealous

African Americans have spent much of our history fighting for equal treatment. Just two generations ago, our parents and our grandparents were banned from eating at certain restaurants, attending certain schools, and working in certain professions.