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21st Century Education
Innovation and Breakthrough  

The rapid spread of chartering in 1991 from Minnesota to the nation occurred in part due to leadership of the Washington D. C. Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), and David Osborne, author of the best-selling book, Reinventing Government. 
Osborne is now Director of PPI's project on Reinventing America's Schools. So when they released a study this month on education reform, it deserved attention.    
 
 
 
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Today I return to my alma mater, St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minnesota, for a Homecoming panel discussion that trumpets a key theme: civility. I am joined by two other St. Olaf alumni who served with me in the Minnesota legislature: former Republican Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum and current DFL Senator John Marty. Together (with me best-described as center left), we represent the broad spectrum of political philosophy. The event is part of a new public affairs program at St. Olaf, "The Institute for Freedom and Community," and the topic, moderated by the Star Tribune's Lori Sturdevant, is "The Role of Government in a Free, Fair, and Prosperous Minnesota."   
 
With its Lutheran heritage, St. Olaf College has always focused on public service. And with the U.S. visit this week of a global moral leader, Pope Francis, uniting all of us in our humanness, there couldn't be a better time to talk about major public issues from a range of perspectives in a civil way.   
 
In my view, we've lost our way in government, with finger-pointing "trumping" real governing. As the Pope asked yesterday, "Have we forgotten how to count our blessings?" I ask today: Have we forgotten how blessed we are with our system of democracy in Minnesota and our nation? Have we forgotten that compromise is a strength-and not defeat?
 
The joy of public service is uniting lawmakers in common solutions that serve others-not in shouting our "rightness" louder than another. We need more of these conversations. 

Warmly,
 
Ember Reichgott Junge
612-750-1262 cell