Tag: Sen. Cwodzinski

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski Update: April 21, 2017

Week of April 16 – 23, 2017

Refining Educator Licensure, the Good and the Bad

A bill to revamp the state’s Board of Teaching and create a tiered educator licensing system was debated and passed off the floor of the Senate on Thursday, April 20. This language was also included in the E-12 education finance bill, but this version of it stands alone and separated from general funding measures.

While well-intentioned, this legislation seriously changes the alternative teacher preparation provider requirements, making it easier for an alternative program, such as Teach for America, to be established in Minnesota. I very supportive of getting young people into the teaching profession, however these changes could threaten teacher preparation quality. Concerns include elimination of student teaching requirement for alternative preparation candidates, mandatory teacher prep program approval with minimum educator standards, and removal of higher education partnership requirement. Additionally, there was nothing in the bill to make sure that young people stay in the profession once they are in it. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski Update: April 21, 2017”

It was a sad day for public education

The following column by Sen. Steve Cwodzinski was posted on the Eden Prairie News website April 19, 2017:

One of the saddest days of my teaching career was having to walk through the doors of Eden Prairie High School the day after the community defeated a referendum. The defeat told me that as a teacher, I wasn’t valued. That feeling permeated the classrooms of the school that week.

And, recently, that feeling has come back after seeing the lack of investments in the Senate education bill. While there were a lot of good items in the bill, such as language on suicide prevention and streamlining teacher licensure, I still chose to vote no.

Minnesota has historically valued public education — and the Legislature has put its money where its mouth is by making important investments that have helped our state achieve great things. Even our state constitution explicitly states that it is the duty of the Legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public education.

Continue reading “It was a sad day for public education”

Sen. Cwodzinski pens bill mandating high school civics courses

The following article by Sean Miner was posted on the Sun-Current website April 15, 2017:

Each Minnesota state legislator brings a unique set of experiences and proficiencies to St. Paul, and it’s not uncommon for a lawmaker to focus on what they know best.

In keeping with that, District 48 State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (DFL-Eden Prairie) introduced a bill very much in his wheelhouse. The measure, which came before the Education Policy Committee and sent back for revisions, would mandate that all state public schools students take a certain number of credits in classes that teach civics.

Before embarking on his freshman term in the Senate, Cwodzinski taught primarily American government courses at Eden Prairie High School for more than three decades. He gleaned from that experience how valuable civics courses can be for high school students – particularly juniors and seniors. Continue reading “Sen. Cwodzinski pens bill mandating high school civics courses”

Sen. Cwodzinski Commentary: School counselors are essential to the pursuit of happiness

The following commentary was posted on the Eden Prairie News website February 23, 2017:

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These three well-known words were written down by our county’s founders as examples of “unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration also states that governments are created to help protect these rights. I bring up this brief history lesson because lately I think we as a society have dropped the ball when it comes to allowing our children the pursuit of their own happiness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five children in the U.S. shows signs or symptoms of a mental health disorder. That means that in an average class, five of them could be struggling with some very grown-up issues – anxiety, depression or even substance abuse. Our kids are in crisis, and our schools simply aren’t equipped to handle all of their problems adequately. They’re not equipped because the average student-to-counselor ratio in Minnesota is 748 students to 1 counselor. That’s outrageous. Continue reading “Sen. Cwodzinski Commentary: School counselors are essential to the pursuit of happiness”