Despite the emphasis, student achievement in Minnesota has been lagging for much of the past decade. While students in all states have struggled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruptions of classroom instruction, test scores in Minnesota have fallen more sharply here than in the rest of the country.
“There are many factors that contribute to student academic achievement, and test scores are one important measure to help us understand how our students are doing,” said Anna Arkin of the Department of Education, in a statement. “The Walz-Flanagan administration has made historic investments in education to improve academic outcomes — including signing the largest education budget in state history and ensuring every student receives breakfast and lunch at school.”
The DFL’s 2023 education law boosted school funding and indexed the funding formula to inflation. It also increased special education subsidies, put $300 million toward early childhood education programs, and provided permanent funding for thousands of pre-K slots.
Minnesota recently ranked 19th among the states in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s long running education quality rankings, a drop from sixth place less than a decade ago. National benchmarks showed that in 2022, Minnesota fourth graders’ reading proficiency fell below the national average for the first time in history.
