Evidence and reflections on the educational consequences of our investment choices in time, resources, and finance.

The following are excerpts. Click on the PDF link below to download the complete document, filled with Bit'n Pieces for use in your school communications.

Education
Eight conditions that specifically affect the development of student and staff aspirations (re: Dr. Russell Quaglia at MESPA 52nd Institute): belonging, heroes, sense of accomplishment, fun and excitement, curiosity and creativity, spirit of adventure, leadership and responsibility, confidence to take action.

Communities
The following five action strategies for transforming communities and society have been identified through the research of the Search Institute (copyright 2004 Search Institute) and may be accessed at www.search-institute.org

1. Engage adults from all walks of life to develop sustained, strength-building relationships with children and adolescents, both within families and in neighborhoods.
2. Mobilize young people to use their power as asset builders and change agents. This means listening to their input and including them in decision making.
3. Activate sectors of the community—such as schools, congregations, businesses, and youth, human service, and health-care organizations—to create an asset-building culture and to contribute fully to young people's healthy development.
4. Invigorate programs to become more asset rich and to be available to and accessed by all children and youth.
5. Influence civic decisions by influencing decision makers and opinion leaders to leverage financial, media, and policy resources in support of this positive transformation of communities and society.

Minnesota Costs and Consequences
For the first time in 25 years Minnesota has dropped out of the top ten in per capita tax rankings. (Star Tribune, June 12, 2007)

Minnesota is now 12th in the nation in state and local taxes as well as in spending. (U.S. Census Bureau data)

When Minnesotan’s taxes and spending are measured as a percentage of personal income, the numbers nosedive to 23rd in taxes and 31st in state and local government spending. (Minnesota Center for Public Finance Research).

Throughout the last quarter century when Minnesota ranked higher in public investment, we were actually gaining on other states in income growth and quality-of-life rankings. (Dane Smith, president of Growth and Justice, a public policy research group)   

According to a number of groups, Minnesota’s tax decline has already been accompanied by declining graduation rates, slumping income growth, traffic congestion, increased poverty and fewer people with health insurance. (StarTribune, June 12, 2007)