Opportunity for All Kids (OAK) is Minnesota’s premier statewide advocate for school choice.
Despite incredible funding, too many Minnesota public schools are failing to teach students reading, writing, and arithmetic, while also poorly forming Minnesota’s youth with divisive agendas and often unhealthy school cultures. Parents who want a better education for their children often lack the resources to obtain one or have very limited educational options. At the same time, Education Minnesota and the local teachers’ unions have an iron grip on education policy in the state, preventing any deviation from the current system.
The reality is, Minnesota’s public education system has largely failed. As of 2023, proficiency tests show that less than half of all public school students are reading at grade level. Across the state, the percentage of 10th-grade students of all races reading at grade level is only 52%. Meanwhile, only 36% of 11th-grade students of all races are at grade level for math.
While the education system claims that the COVID lockdowns are to blame, the sad truth is that the downward achievement trends started long before COVID.
In South Washington County Schools (Woodbury) and Lakeville Area Schools, two of the larger school districts in the state, nearly 40% of 10th-grade students are not reading at grade level.
Anoka-Hennepin Public School District reports even worse numbers, with barely half of 10th-grade students reading at grade level.
Meanwhile in St. Cloud Public School District, only 40% of 10th-grade students are reading at grade level.
Even worse, less than 40% of all 10th-grade students in St. Paul Public Schools are reading at grade level.
The education system is simply not preparing Minnesota’s youth for college or employment.
That’s where OAK plays a significant role. OAK’s mission is to ensure that every child in Minnesota has access to an education that will help them thrive. We are working tirelessly at both the grassroots level and the State Capitol to expand education choice for children and families through education savings accounts (ESAs).
To stay in the loop on what’s happening with education in Minnesota, please sign-up for our email newsletter. If you’d like to get more involved, please let us know here! It will take all of us to see the changes Minnesota families and students desperately need.
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Image Credit: Flickr-United Way of the Lower Mainland, CC BY-NC 2.0
