Minnesota Department of Education rolls out new school ratings

Minnesota’s schools have a new report card. MPR’s Peter Cox reports: “For Minnesota’s educators, parents and education watchdogs, there’s a whole new set of numbers to work through as the state on Thursday rolls out its newly refined school and district accountability data. … Education Department officials hope the new system — dubbed North Star — helps struggling schools much better than the Multiple Measurement Ratings it replaces. … ‘The old system was really a proficiency-based system only solely on one test and one moment in time,’ said Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. … School accountability measures often draw the ire of someone. Parents complain they’re too complicated or convoluted. Some politicians say they don’t hold schools accountable enough. Educators complain they use broad brushes to make big determinations.”

[cms_ad:Middle]A pretty comprehensive summary of the whole Keith Ellison abuse-allegation matter. The New York Times’ Julie Turkewitz and Farah Stockman write: “When Keith Ellison became the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006, it made him an instant national star: a charismatic young black leader who was now a symbol of the Democratic Party’s commitment to diversity and equal rights. … Back home in Minneapolis, Mr. Ellison was revered in a close-knit circle of progressive activists. He began a romantic relationship with one of them, an environmental organizer named Karen Monahan, who later moved in with him in 2015. …Now, as Mr. Ellison runs for attorney general in Minnesota, Ms. Monahan has accused her former boyfriend of emotional abuse and says he once shouted profanities at her, while trying to drag her off a bed. … Mr. Ellison denies abusing Ms. Monahan and said in a statement after the allegations emerged that he cares ‘deeply for her well-being.’ Democratic Party leaders in Minnesota have asked a lawyer to look into Ms. Monahan’s allegations, but continue to support Mr. Ellison’s bid to become attorney general.”

Meanwhile, over in Senate campaign news, City Pages’ Hannah Jones writes: “Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), who died of brain cancer on Saturday, was many things in life. Many of them were worthy of criticism. His conservative politics, for example, were outwardly civil but still fell far short of moderate. … One thing that almost universally fell beyond reproach are the years he spent as a tortured prisoner of war in Vietnam. … Unless you’re Republican state Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point), in which case, it’s fair game for a bit of light humor.”

Not good. MPR’s Marianne Combs reports: “The annual Renaissance Festival’s fanciful world of jousters, jesters and jokesters is well underway. … But its longtime entertainment director is not attending. … Instead, Carr Hagerman will face a pretrial court hearing Thursday in Scott County District Court on criminal sexual misconduct charges alleging he raped a freelance photographer on festival grounds in Shakopee last year. … Hagerman, 60, who worked for the festival for four decades, has denied the charges. … Those charges and a lawsuit initiated by two female former employees led eight other women to come forward to MPR News to recount what they said were years of abuse and harassment when they worked at the festival, now in its 47th year.”

In other news…

FYI: “Serious injuries prompt recall of Minnesota-made weightlifting equipment” [Star Tribune]

Remember this one? “Southeastern Minn. couple enter pleas in ‘sex room’ case” [Duluth News Tribune]

Huh: “Franconia Sculpture Park CEO and co-founder John Hock abruptly exits” [Star Tribune]

Set phasers to FUN: “Minn. man crafts X-wing starfighter” [Fargo Forum]

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