E5: MN Education's Failing Grade

E8: The State of MN vs. The U.S.

Minnesota is in the midst of a crisis over enforcement of federal immigration laws.  What started as a difference in political philosophy between MN political leaders and the Federal Government quickly devolved to personal disdain between leaders, heightened rhetoric and actions, protests/riots, death and collateral damage. In this episode we discuss the origins of the crisis, related facts, options to de-escalate, and lessons MN citizens and leaders in other states must apply to avoid similar crises in the future.

E7: Re-acquiring Civility in a World of Rage (Solutions)

Part 2 of our discussion on civility provides solutions to rebut the 4-forces that continue to erode civility in America (i.e., failure to teach critical thinking, poor political leadership, obfuscation of the truth, and failure to parent children on the American system of government, and the import of purpose and accountability for decisions).  We focus on changes in leadership behaviors, accountability in media and education, limiting social media access for young people, and techniques to level-up parenting to prepare and protect children when society misbehaves writ large.

E6: The Case for Civility in a World of Rage

Civility is a foundation of relationships, leadership, and problem solving in politics, organizations, and with family/friends.  Unfortunately civility is at an all time low with 70% of Americans viewing society as uncivil.  It is critical that we as a society re-acquire civility, and that starts with understanding how we got here.  In this the first of two episodes on the topic we explore the import of civility, the current state of civility in our society, and the forces tearing-away civility.

E1: State of the State

Re-released:  Derek gives his take on the overall health and performance of the state of Minnesota across multiple dimensions in the first episode of this new apolitical podcast.

E5: MN Education's Failing Grade

The state of MN public education system is in crisis.  MN's national ranking has fallen from 5th best in 2018 to 19th in 2024.  Proficiency that declined during COVID has not recovered, and scores for nearly every demographic are stubbornly low and behind the best states.  In this pod we explore the cost, structure, and performance of the MN public school system. We then discuss how to radically and rapidly improve outcomes.