Early Care, Big Stakes: The Funding and Policy Fight Shaping Minnesota's Youngest Learners

The DC Ripple Effect: What Federal Education Changes Mean for Minnesota Kids

Dan Gordon, education policy expert at EducationCounsel, returns to amplifiED for a second time to help hosts Margaret Sullivan and Josh Crosson make sense of a federal landscape that's moving faster than anyone can keep up with. In this wide-ranging conversation, Dan breaks down where things stand since his last appearance: the shift from executive order chaos to the quieter but equally consequential work of implementation and enforcement. From anti-DEI investigations targeting school districts, to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and what that means for school funding in Minnesota, to the proposed 70% cut to federal education funding wrapped in the language of "local control"—Dan translates the noise into what actually matters for Minnesota students and families. The conversation also covers the courts, where Dan offers a critical reminder: lawsuits are roller coasters, and a good headline doesn't mean the fight is over. He walks through where birthright citizenship, transgender student protections, and Plyler v. Doe stand—and what Minnesotans should expect to hear from the Supreme Court this summer. The episode closes with a look at the FY2027 federal budget process, the looming midterm elections, and what a potential shift in Congressional power could mean heading into 2027.

Early Care, Big Stakes: The Funding and Policy Fight Shaping Minnesota's Youngest Learners

In this episode of amplifiED, hosts Margaret Sullivan and Josh Crosson sit down with Dr. Nicole Smerillo, Director of Data Research and Policy at Think Small, to take a closer look at Minnesota's early care and education sector — and the pressures threatening to unravel it. Dr. Smerillo paints a picture of a workforce that is shrinking fast. Licensed family childcare providers—the small business owners caring for children in their homes—have seen dramatic declines over the past decade. The reasons are layered: mounting regulations, razor-thin margins, and a job that asks providers to work far more than a standard week for wages that don't come close to reflecting the importance of the work. The conversation also covers the ripple effects of Operation Metro Surge on childcare providers, many of them Somali-run, women-of-color-led businesses, who saw children stop showing up, families withdraw in fear, and their own sense of safety shaken in spaces meant to nurture kids. The episode closes with a clear call to action: fund early care as the public good it is, pay providers a living wage, and demand that state legislators prioritize early childhood when federal funding is on the line.

amplifiED Live: EdAllies' 2026 Mid-Session Update

In this special live recording of amplifiED, hosts Margaret Sullivan and Josh Crosson are joined by EdAllies' Senior Policy Director Matt Shaver for a candid mid-session breakdown of what's happening at the Minnesota Capitol and what it means for students. With a tied House, a one-seat Senate majority, an election on the horizon, and a session backdrop that includes a school shooting, federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota schools, and mounting federal funding cuts, Matt unpacks where key education priorities stand with about a month left in session. The conversation covers protecting immigrant students' right to education, the 15-day attendance drop policy and why kids are being quietly unenrolled from schools, school safety funding in the wake of the Annunciation shooting, Read Act implementation, the growing fiscal threats to special education and school funding, and what's at stake on school discipline as hard-won protections for Minnesota's youngest learners face rollback attempts. We end with a look ahead for what’s in store for the rest of the session and calling out key issues we expect to be discussed before summer begins.

EdVoices Special Episode: The H-4 Student Experience

In a special edition of our podcast, 2025 EdVoices cohort member Alvi and her guest, Jay explore the experiences of H-4 visa dependents navigating their lives in the U.S., focusing on the challenges they face in education, work opportunities, and identity. The discussion highlights the emotional and legal complexities of aging out of H-4 status, the impact on college applications and financial aid, and the need for advocacy and awareness surrounding their unique circumstances. The episode closes with a call to action: for educators to better understand the students in their classrooms, and for community members to support the America's Children Act, legislation that would create a real pathway forward for H-4 dependent youth. This episode was produced by a member of the 2025 EdVoices cohort. Through our EdVoices program, EdAllies seeks to elevate diverse voices and foster a candid dialogue about education. While we provide our blog, podcast, and other communication channels as a platform for EdVoices and other guest contributors, the views and opinions they express are solely their own.

Locked In, Left Out: How Seclusion Fails Minnesota's Kids

The practice of seclusion is still happening in Minnesota schools. In this episode, hosts Margaret Sullivan and Josh Crosson sit down with Jessica Heiser, attorney at the Minnesota Disability Law Center, to talk about what seclusion—the use of solitary confinement on children—actually looks like for Minnesota students: a barren, locked room roughly the size of two yoga mats, with thick metal doors, fluorescent lighting, and drains in the floor. Josh, Margaret, and Jessica discuss the Minnesota Disability Law Center's new report, Children in Confinement, which documents nearly 90 of these rooms across the state and the data shows they are used disproportionately against students of color and those with disabilities. The discussion covers why seclusion persists—undertrained staff, compliance-based school culture, and a widespread misunderstanding of what seclusion even is. Jessica details why seclusion is neither voluntary nor therapeutic: it's a child, alone, locked in, with no adult support and no tools to self-regulate. The episode also covers the distinct differences between seclusion rooms and sensory rooms and why the latter is a positive and supportive experience, especially for younger students. The episode ends with an update on how there is a push in the Minnesota legislature to roll back the 2023 ban on the use of k-3 seclusions. Margaret, Josh, and Jess break down what's at stake and what parents, educators, and community members can do right now.