Tag: education

  In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with unemployment claims in Minnesota hovering at around 20% of the labor force, it might seem strange to talk about a workforce shortage. But just last winter (that seems so long ago, doesn’t it?) that’s exactly what we were talking about. As a follow-up to last year’s ...

And in related news, this from The New York Times… EXCERPT: “When I talk to undergraduate students about their postgraduate plans … the answer inevitably reveals a common assumption: Big cities are where highly educated people must go to succeed economically and socially….But these preconceptions are not only incorrect, they are also unduly limiting the ...

Changing the story on careers in rural Minnesota For decades, the narrative speaking to rural high school students has been that to succeed, they must leave. But what if we could do something about that? August 2019 By Kelly Asche, Research Associate For a printable version, click here. As the demand for workers increases in ...

What is “Letters to the New Governor”? A compilation of essays giving insights and recommendations by experts from around the state writing on issues of importance to Greater Minnesota. They comment on the ideas and motivations behind some of our most difficult policy questions facing our state, including the region’s changing demographics, the rural economy, the ...

  Our newest publication is “Letters to the New Governor,” a collection of essays by experts around the state writing on an overview of the issues in Greater Minnesota. Some of the authors include Tim Penny and Charlie Weaver on why the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota need each other, Gary Wertish and Kevin Paap ...

  Reed Anfinson, owner of the Swift County Monitor and Grant County Herald newspapers and a CRPD board member, joins us this week to talk about the fact that the new governor of Minnesota is from Greater Minnesota, something that hasn’t happened in 30 years. Gov. Walz’s job now, says Reed, will be to balance ...

  Last week Diana Anderson, president of the Southwest Initiative Foundation in Hutchinson, talked with us about the work they’re doing to close the opportunity gap for low-income families in southwest Minnesota. She joins us again this week to talk about their Grow Our Own summit coming up Nov. 8 in Marshall. At the summit ...

  Diana Anderson, president of the Southwest Initiative Foundation in Hutchinson, joins us this week to talk about a new initiative on their part to build opportunities for youth in the region, particularly for the 11,000 children who live in poverty there. 

EXCERPT: “Open enrollment has increased across Greater Minnesota over the last decade, according to research by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. The percentage of students choosing to open enroll in rural Minnesota districts increased from 9 percent in 2006-2007 to 15 percent in 2016-2017. For non-metro districts that are regional centers, open enrollment increased ...

We talk some more with Thomas Hoff from the Southwest-West Central Service Cooperative in Marshall about LYFT Pathways, a program that is re-introducing kids to technical careers like manufacturing and health care by teaming up with businesses in southwestern and south central Minnesota. Nowadays, two-year vs four-year degree isn’t the issue, Hoff says, but what ...