The Senate Education Committee last week heard legislation to give schools the flexibility to improve student outcomes by trying new, groundbreaking approaches to education, while continuing to meet Minnesota’s rigorous standards and testing requirements.

Senate File 4057, authored by Committee Chairwoman Carla Nelson (R-Rochester), creates a statewide Education Innovation Research Zone program to encourage school districts and charter schools to experiment with new, innovative education models. The legislation expands on a pilot program adopted by the Legislature in 2017.

“The pandemic has clearly demonstrated the need for innovation in education and our schools are ready to work differently,” said Sen. Nelson. “If there ever was a time when innovation in education was needed, that time is now.  Our schools are begging us for this bill. They want to be researching new models for the 21^st century, and we have an obligation to give them the tools to do so.”

Innovation Research Zones frees school districts and charter schools to explore emerging new practices that can include new models of curriculum and instruction, particularly for young learners and English language learners; personalized learning approaches; focuses on competency rather than classroom time; real world approaches; creative new models of evaluation; and more.

A number of notable education experts testified in support of the bill, including Bob Wedl, former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education and current co-chair of the Superintendents Innovation Discussion Group; Danyika Leonard, policy director of Education Evolving; and Krista Kaput, research director at EdAllies.