While in Texas recently Gov. Tim Walz talked up Minnesota’s education system, making a series of points that painted the state as a national model. He highlighted the state’s record-level graduation rates (but left off the fact that high school math and reading proficiency are at all-time lows), noted “better achievement” (but didn’t mention that students are still below COVID levels and more than half still aren’t meeting grade-level standards in math and reading), and drew attention to Minnesota’s universal pre-kindergarten program.
The Minnesota Reformer was quick to call out this last claim — Minnesota does not have universal pre-K.
Minnesota lawmakers in recent years have taken steps to open up more free, voluntary pre-kindergarten seats, but it’s far from enough to cover all pre-K students.
The Legislature last year agreed to fund another 5,200 seats by fiscal year 2026 in the state’s voluntary pre-k program that provides free school for 4-year-olds. Minnesota will soon have a total of 12,360 slots available statewide.
The state has two preschool programs — voluntary prekindergarten and school readiness plus. Children from low-income families can also enroll in Head Start — which is mostly federally funded. Head Start programs serve about 12,500 students in the state. Parents can also apply for early learning scholarships.
The National Institute for Early Education Research last year released a report that found during the 2022-2023 school year, Minnesota served 11% of 4-year-olds and 1% of 3-year-olds in state-funded preschool.
By overstating in some areas and omitting important contextual details in other areas, Gov. Walz risks creating public perceptions that the state is meeting educational needs it has yet to address.
To tackle the state’s education shortcomings, meaningful systemic changes will be necessary. Otherwise, rhetoric from state leaders will continue to outpace reality, and Minnesota’s education system risks remaining little more than a talking point.
