Today American Experiment had our annual day at the Minnesota State Fair. Our theme this year was the need for school choice, about which we have a major campaign in progress. We are highlighting the dismal failure of Minnesota’s public schools, where only around half our students can read at grade level.
We have compiled the numbers for every school district in the state, and assigned grades based on the percentage of kids who can read at grade level in the third grade. In education circles, this is a well-recognized benchmark. So, using a conventional grading system, it takes 60% to pass. School districts where fewer than 60% of third graders can read, fail. By that measure, 85% of Minnesota’s school districts get an F.
At our State Fair booth, we used a giant map of Minnesota, with all school districts and their third grade reading percentages marked:
Our booth was open from 8:30 until 5; I was there from 10:15 until 4. We had many good conversations with Minnesotans, especially concerned parents, about the state of public education in Minnesota: enormous amounts of money producing poor results.
The State Fair is a great way to connect with thousands of Minnesotans, many of whom might not otherwise come into contact with us. We have a wheel that you can spin to win free merchandise, all of it American Experiment branded. From 8:30 until 5:00, the wheel never stopped spinning. Last year we gave away 1,950 items of branded merchandise; I think we broke that record this year:
I like to say that American Experiment was America’s first populist think tank, and others around the country are now following our lead.
I have written before about the Minnesota State Fair, one of the country’s iconic festivals. Today I didn’t spend much time outside of our booth–I didn’t make it to the heavily politicized seed art exhibit, for example–but this may give you some idea of the sheer magnitude of the event:
Going to the State Fair is kind of like fishing. There is no such thing as a bad day at the Fair.
