Why Minnesota governor vetoed Teach For America funding
Gov. Mark Dayton ( By MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel)
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton just vetoed a line item inserted into the state’s higher education legislation that would have given $1.5 million to Teach For America over two years. This is what he said in an explanatory letter to the legislature:
Teach for America (TFA) is a well-established, national program with revenues totaling $270 million for fiscal Year 2011 (its most recent annual report). With total expenses of $219 million, TFA’s net assets increased by over $50 million and now total over $350 million. With those financial resources available, it is not clear why a $1.5 million grant from the State of Minnesota is required to continue or expand the organization’s work here.
That’s a good question, and it should be put to the states that support the program; there are or soon will be about 15, the Star Tribune reported.
Dayton was a teacher and social worker before he entered politics, so it may be that he has some insight into why so many teachers and education activists object to Teach For
Physical education should be a ‘core’ subject: Institute of Medicine
A new report by the prestigious Institute of Medicine says that the U.S. Education Department should designate physical education as a core subject, just like math and English, to help confront a “pandemic” of physical inactivity that has contributed to a critical national health challenge.
The report, titled “Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School,” says that even though quality physical education has been shown to be beneficial to students, it has become increasingly difficult for schools to provide it. The authors cite as obstacles budget cuts — which have resulted in teacher layoffs and a lack of equipment and other resources — as well as policy pressures that have led schools to increase classroom time for standardized test preparation.
Nearly half (44 percent) of school administrators report cutting significant amounts of time from physical education, arts, and recess to increase time in reading and mathematics since passage of the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2001. These challenges have been cited as the reasons why the percentage of schools offering physical education daily or at least 3 days each week declined dramatically in U.S.