AmplifiED

In this podcast, Matt Shaver, the policy director of EDAllies, discusses the bills they've been tracking during the legislative session. Matt explains an omnibus bill, which is a collection of policy and funding proposals from a variety of sources that a committee chair puts together. It is the legislature's job to create a recipe for the entire state. People can come to the legislature and testify for and against different topics that they believe should be included in the bill. An example they give is someone advocating for peanuts while someone else is allergic to them. Omnibus bills are important because they can have a big impact on the state.

Timestamps

0:03:00

Conversation Summary: Ed Allies Legislative Session Update with Policy Director Matt Shaver

0:04:29

Heading: Explaining the Omnibus Bill and Its Importance to the Legislative Process

0:06:41

Conversation Summary: Explaining the Process of Creating an Omnibus Bill

0:23:21

Conversation Recap: Hunger Free Schools Coalition and General Mills and Blue Cross/Blue Shield

0:26:09

Heading: Analysis of House and Senate Education Proposals in Minnesota

0:29:49

Heading: Analysis of Proposed Education Bill and its Impact on Teachers of Color

0:32:03

Topic: Lack of Confidence in Accessing Spaces Due to Historical Oppression

0:37:21

Heading: Examining the Impact of Licensure and Discipline Policies on Education Equity

0:39:33

"The Impact of Pre-K Dismissal Bans and Discipline Reforms on Student Outcomes"

0:55:12

Interview with Woody: Exploring the Impact of Education on His Life and Career

0:56:36

Heading: Exploring the Impact of Education on Life Trajectory and the Need for Student Involvement in Curriculum Development

1:03:00

Heading: The Importance of Internships for Young Folks and Adults Alike

1:05:58

Conversation with Legislative Intern on Navigating Spaces as a Person of Color

1:10:43

Conversation with [Name], Intern at [Organization], on Education and Future Plans

1:12:38

Heading: Reflections on Education Policy and Pro Bono Immigration Work

1:16:42

Heading: USRA Podcast Episode Recap: Amplifying Voices and Ideas with Euster

1:18:53

Episode Summary

At EdAllies, we partner with schools, families, and communities to ensure that all Minnesota students have access to a rigorous and engaging education. We advance policies that put underserved students first, remove barriers facing successful schools and programs, and foster an inclusive conversation about what's possible for students.

In the AmplifiEd podcast, we dig into the issues of the day, the opportunities and challenges facing students, educators, and families, and the ways policy, advocacy, and collaboration can ensure better outcomes for us all.

Follow us:

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Find Out More at EdAllies

In this episode of AmplifiED, we discuss with Matt Shaver, the policy director of EDAllies. Matt and hosts Margaret Sullivan and Josh Crosson discussed the current issues of the day, the opportunities and challenges facing students, educators and families, and the importance of policy advocacy and collaboration. They talked about the combative atmosphere of the current March Madness at the Capitol and the stress it places on everyone involved. They also discussed advocating for kids, the K-3 suspension band, and investing in education. Finally, they delved into the complexities of the special education funding formula in Minnesota, which has not been fixed since the 1970s.

Chapters:

(0:00:02) - Inside the Dome

(0:05:09) - Advocating for Kids

(0:12:58) - Non-Exclusionary Discipline

(0:23:01) - Investing in Education

(0:32:14) - Education Funding Formula

(0:42:55) - Exploring Teacher Licensure Standards and Barriers

(0:50:06) - Licensure Debate on Educators

At EdAllies, we partner with schools, families, and communities to ensure that all Minnesota students have access to a rigorous and engaging education. We advance policies that put underserved students first, remove barriers facing successful schools and programs, and foster an inclusive conversation about what's possible for students.

In the AmplifiEd podcast, we dig into the issues of the day, the opportunities and challenges facing students, educators, and families, and the ways policy, advocacy, and collaboration can ensure better outcomes for us all.

Follow us:

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Find Out More at EdAllies

Ed Allies is a Minnesota-based organization that partners with schools, families, and communities to ensure that all Minnesota students have access to a rigorous and engaging education. This podcast, Amplified, is a way for EdAllies to dig into the issues of the day, the opportunities and challenges facing students, educators, and families, and the ways policy, advocacy, and collaboration can ensure better outcomes for us all. In this episode, co-hosts Margaret Sullivan and Josh Crosson give a background on Ed Allies and what they do, including advocating for underserved students, removing barriers to successful schools and programs, and fostering an inclusive conversation.

Josh and Margaret both share a passion for making a difference in education. Josh was a Policy Director at Sanctuary, and they had a parent outreach session about suspensions and expulsions, emphasizing that parents are not alone in their experiences, as it is a systemic issue for kids of color in Minnesota schools. To make sure education is transformed for all kids, especially those from historically underserved communities, they suggests centering policies around kids of color, kids with disabilities, low income kids, and kids from underserved communities.

In this conversation, Margaret and Josh discuss the journey of understanding trauma and how it affects children. They discussed how when children cannot express their emotions, they often act them out, which can lead to suspensions and expulsions in school. One example given was of a student visiting the historic site of Fort Snelling, and feeling the emotions of being both enslaved and free, which caused him to kick his shoes. Initially, he was going to be suspended, but instead, the counselor talked to him to understand why he had acted out. This conversation highlighted the need to understand trauma and its effects on children, instead of punishing them for expressing their emotions.

Timestamps

0:00:01

Introducing Ed Allies and Our Mission

0:03:50

Conversation on Education Equity and Black History Month with Josh

0:06:13

Dedicating This Podcast to Our Ancestors in Honor of Black History Month

0:09:12

Reducing Suspensions and Expulsions in Minnesota: A Story of Trauma and Emotions at Fort Snelling

0:11:23

Discussion on Navigating Minnesota's Language and Culture

0:13:26

Conversation Summary: Ed Allies and the Quick History of the Organization

0:15:10

Conversation on Education Equity and Accessibility

0:16:54

Exploring the Role of Financial Access in Education and Race

0:18:35

Advocating for My Son in a Daycare Situation

0:22:17

A Conversation on Supporting Prospective Teachers of Color

0:26:14

Conversation on Racial Inequality and the Need for Change

0:28:23

Education Equity Policy Discussion

0:31:04

Solutions, Not Suspensions Coalition: Lunch Shaming and Suspension Ban

0:36:59

Banning PreK Expulsions in Minnesota: A Conversation with Leaders of the Coalition

0:38:41

A Conversation with Education Advocates

0:40:02

Staying Connected with Ed Allies

Highlights

We actually have a hearing on that coming up with a lot of the opposition there is saying suspensions and expulsions are just a tool in the toolbox. And I always say if suspensions and expulsions are a tool in the toolbox, that's like building a house with the carrot doesn't work and just makes a whole lot of mess. We have a lot of other policies that we're working on. I'm not going to go through those because this podcast is not that long, but you're going to hear from us throughout the future episodes about what else we're working on.

Yeah, we need a better title for it. Solutions, not suspensions, Coalition. We're a part of that. We're leaders within that coalition. But we were able to ban PreK expulsions, which Margaret was talking about, PreK schools, daycare centers, what have you. They are not allowed to expel your students. I could see people out there. Are we expelling three and four year olds? Yes. Conservative estimates are saying that pre K students are being expelled at three times the rate of K. Twelve students.

The other thing, kids need to be ready for college. Regardless of what kids are going to be doing after high school, they need to graduate high school ready and prepared for college. And then the last thing that we're going to be talking about through these podcasts is we got to give parents and students of color, students with disabilities the power back to control their own minds and their own bodies.. We have historically, as a state, as a country, taken away the power of black, brown and native people, of people with disabilities and said, we'll control you. We'll get to decide what schools you get to go to. We'll get to decide what hospitals you can go to. We get to decide where you can live. And education, our education system is not exempt, is not immune to the white supremacy that has developed over generations.

So put that money to work for our kids, recruit and retain black, brown and native teachers. Minnesota has the worst teacher diversity rate in the nation. Actually, no, that's a lie. We are behind North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. We have a lot more kids of color in our state. So we want more black, brown and native. Deal. There's no silver bullet in our education system. If there were, this podcast would be one episode, but there is a close one and that's recruiting diverse educators.

And we had a long conversation about the barriers that he's experienced or trying to be educator and stuff like that. And there are being these programs out there that are supposed to be for black educators. Then there's still even barriers and obstacles with that. And so I'd spoken to one of our other Cohort members, and they're a writer and they want to write children's books. And so it's just really like I just love the versatility. And so one of the things we're doing, for example, over the course of the next few months and we'll be meeting and we have different lessons and assignments to really reflect upon why we're in this work and what we want to see come out of this. So right now, one of the lessons is working on your story, your self story.

At EdAllies, we partner with schools, families, and communities to ensure that all Minnesota students have access to a rigorous and engaging education. We advance policies that put underserved students first, remove barriers facing successful schools and programs, and foster an inclusive conversation about what's possible for students.

In the AmplifiEd podcast, we dig into the issues of the day, the opportunities and challenges facing students, educators, and families, and the ways policy, advocacy, and collaboration can ensure better outcomes for us all.

Follow us:

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Find Out More at EdAllies

This is AmplifiEd, the EdAllies podcast. 

At EdAllies, we partner with schools, families, and communities to ensure that all Minnesota students have access to a rigorous and engaging education. We advance policies that put underserved students first, remove barriers facing successful schools and programs, and foster an inclusive conversation about what's possible for students.

In the AmplifiEd podcast, we dig into the issues of the day, the opportunities and challenges facing students, educators, and families, and the ways policy, advocacy, and collaboration can ensure better outcomes for us all.

Follow us:

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Find Out More at EdAllies