Educational choice is just one of the reasons Minnesota is a great place to raise our kids.
Though traditional public schools in our state are some of the best, many Minnesota parents often take advantage of other avenues to education such as open enrollment in a school outside their home district, plus charter schools, magnet schools, language-immersion programs, schools for gifted and talented kids, online schools, private schools and homeschooling. There’s even a school in Hopkins geared toward twice exceptional students (kids who are gifted but who also have exceptional or special needs).
And many of our schools boast strong STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), plus language instruction starting in kindergarten. IB (International Baccalaureate) programs abound in Minnesota as well.
And that’s all to say nothing of the countless out-of-school avenues we have for further learning in Minnesota — including music, dance, art, science, math, nature and sports — that make other states green with envy. (Check our extensive online Education Resource listings to see what I’m talking about!)
We were surprised to learn about a new trend taking hold on the East Coast, and now in Minnesota: There are now K-12 education counselors who help families find the right school for their kids, starting well before kindergarten. They cater to families just entering the system as well as those whose kids are having trouble in their current school and need some solutions, stat.
Another hot topic is early childhood music education. In the Twin Cities, the popularity of these programs — which are typically open to infants and older — has exploded.
Finally, another major movement in education is language immersion. And it’s not just taking off in the heart of the Twin Cities. In Forest Lake, more than 700 students are learning Spanish and Mandarin from within an elementary IB curriculum at Lakes International Language Academy. And it’s a tuition-free charter school, not a pricy private.
Many preschoolers attend traditional public schools, there is a choice of a free Mandarin program in the Hopkins district, including busing!
More important: Check to see if the school offers not just on-site before-and-after care, but also late-start, non-school-day, and even vacation care. Yes, that includes summer (with field trips)! As a two-working-parent family, this offers huge flexibility and, most of all, choices!
How are Minnesota’s schools working out for you so far? Comment below!
