It’s been nearly five years since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning for children. New data known as the Nation’s Report Card shows that across the nation, fourth and eighth graders in 2024 still performed below pre-pandemic levels.

That’s also true for Minnesota. Across the state, students’ test scores did not significantly change from two years prior. The last time the test was conducted in 2022, students around the country showed steep learning losses from the pandemic. Many experts had hoped to see students rebounding from some of those losses in 2024.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which provides data for the Nation’s Report Card, is mandated by Congress and is the largest nationally-representative test of student learning. The assessments in math and reading are given every two years to a broad sample of students in fourth and eighth grade.

For more on these results and what they might mean for Minnesota’s students, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Julio Caésar, executive director or research, evaluation and assessment for Bloomington Public Schools.

The Trump administration is holding back money the federal government gives out as grants and loans while it reviews spending. There’s confusion about what this will mean for education, health care, and more. A public policy expert joined the show with some insight.

Avian flu has been devastating to many poultry farms and it's now affecting dairy herds around the country. We talked with a veterinarian who said the response has been lacking so far.

We met two people working to document 50 years of Hmong experiences in Minnesota. Their book project may be the first of its kind.

The James Beard nominations are once again spotlighting Minnesota’s food scene. We talked with a nominee for Best Chef Midwest.

Our Minnesota Music Minute is “Siren Song” by Barbara Jean and our Song of the Day is “Settle Up Settle Down” by Orange Goodness.

The James Beard Awards are the Oscar’s of the restaurant industry, and in Minnesota, 11 chefs and restaurants were recently named as semi-finalists. The semifinalist list includes some famous names like Yia Vang, Diane Moua and Gavin Kaysen.

Abraham Gessesse may not be a household name, but he is the chef owner of the St. Paul restaurant Hyacinth and he’s been nominated in the Best Chef Midwest category for the first time. He joined MPR News host Nina Host to talk about what it means to be a semifinalist.

2025 marks 50 years since Hmong people started immigrating to Minnesota. Today, the state is home to a vibrant community of at least 95,000 Hmong Minnesotans.

Through the Minnesota Historical Society and the state Legislature, the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul and the Hmong Studies Journal received a grant of nearly $25,000 to publish a special issue of the journal that will commemorate 50 years of Hmong people residing and contributing to life in Minnesota.

It may be the first scholarly book collection to be solely dedicated to the range of Hmong experiences in Minnesota.

Txongpao Lee is the executive director of the Hmong Cultural Center. Mark Pfeifer is the director of programs at the Hmong Cultural Center and the co-editor of the Hmong Studies Journal. Lee and Pfeifer joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the importance of marking 50 years of Hmong people in Minnesota with a book.

On Tuesday at 4 p.m., some federal funding and grants provided to the state of Minnesota will be paused due to an executive order from President Donald Trump. Minnesota gets billions of dollars from the federal government, with a large portion of it going toward issues under health and human services, education and transportation, though not all of that funding is at risk. NPR is reporting that this funding freeze could be as short as a day. State agencies are trying to figure out exactly what this order means.

This announcement from the Trump administration is just one of many that has unclear consequences and leaves a lot of questions on how it will impact Minnesotans.

To help bring some context to the first week of the Trump presidency, Larry Jacobs, a political scientist and professor at the University of Minnesota joined Minnesota Now.

On Saturday agriculture regulators will begin testing milk produced in Minnesota for H5N1 – the virus commonly known as avian influenza or bird flu. The disease has forced poultry farmers to kill about 9 million birds in Minnesota since 2022. Earlier in January, a turkey grower in Dakota County lost nearly 80,000 birds. The situation is also driving up the price of eggs.  

In spring 2024, the disease showed up in cows. Minnesota had its first case in dairy cattle in June 2024 and saw nine total outbreaks that year. No humans in the state have gotten sick with H5N1, but there have been 67 confirmed cases in humans elsewhere in the country.   

Public health and veterinary experts say this problem is not going away. They’re pointing out what they say are missteps in the response so far.

Carol Cardona, a professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota joined Minnesota Now with her perspective and concerns about the virus.

Minnesota-based Target and other major companies are scaling back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have been criticized by the White House. We talk about why some of these companies are turning away from DEI and its impact.

Minnesota lawmakers are hitting a reset after a Supreme Court ruling. But will that break the stalemate in the House? MPR News correspondent Peter Cox breaks it down for us.

Plus, a bishop from the Rochester area has become one of the most listened to Catholic leaders living in the U.S. We learn more about his rise in popularity, and what it means for the future of Catholicism.

And we hear from a 74-year-old ultra marathon runner from the Duluth-area vying to become the oldest person to complete the Arrowhead 135.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Getting Older” by Gary Louris and our Song of the Day was “Don’t Leave” by Peter Wolf Crier.

Minneapolis-based Target is the latest of several large corporations — like McDonalds, Walmart and Meta — that have recently said they are rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion goals or DEI. Many of those initiatives were created or expanded under pressure to respond to racial inequality after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Conservative activists have objected to these efforts saying it gives unfair advantages. And on President Donald Trump’s first day in office a week ago, he signed an executive order removing DEI programs from the federal government.

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya is the CEO of the Minneapolis-based marketing firm Rae Mackenzie Group and founder of the People of Color Career Fair. She joined Minnesota Now with perspective on this turn away from DEI.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA will be performing the half-time show at Super Bowl 59. And a lot of people will be more excited to see them than the two teams playing on the field.

The Philadelphia Eagles are facing the Kansas City Chiefs in a repeat of Super Bowl 57 in 2023. If the Chiefs win, it will be for the third time in a row.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined the program to look ahead to the big game in New Orleans and other Minnesota sports news.

Early Monday morning nearly 200 athletes embarked from International Falls on the Arrowhead Ultra 135, one of the most grueling winter endurance races in the world. Racers bike, run and ski the equivalent of more than five marathons on a snow covered trail across northern Minnesota, carrying survival gear with them.

Among the racers is Michael Koppy, 74, from the Duluth area, who’s vying to become the oldest person ever to finish the Arrowhead on foot.

MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker recently caught up with Koppy, who started running ultras about 25 years ago, when he turned 50.