MREA Executive Director Fred Nolan testified today to the Minnesota House Education Finance Committee on the value of Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) and how its delivering results for Greater Minnesota schools. Kathy Belsheim, superintendent of Ogilvie Public Schools, joined MREA in outlining the outcomes seen in the district and specifically in reducing the achievement gap. 
AIW provides reflective professional development for teachers and schools to increase rigor and relevance in teaching diverse students. Learn more about AIW .
A survey of participants on their participation in Authentic Intellectual Work found:
- 93.5% agreed or strongly agreed “I have raised my expectations for my students.”
- 100% agreed or strongly agreed “I have improved my professional skills as a teacher.”
- 93.5% agreed or strongly agreed “My students have improved their skills in my content area and in higher order thinking skills.”
This partnership with Ogilvie Schools is part of a three-year project that brought Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) reflective professional development to the faculty of five smaller high schools in Northern Minnesota. It included an an introduction to scoring, regular coaching of teacher learning teams, and regional sharing among the schools. In the first two years, the bulk of the funding came from the Blandin and Northwest Minnesota Foundation. In the third year, the schools are providing the majority of the funding.
The chart below shows changes in reading proficiency of 10th graders on the MCA II:
Participating schools developed the local and regional capacity to sustain this educational transformation with the guidance, coaching, and support of the Center for Authentic Intellectual Work, the Minnesota Rural Education Association, and the NW Service Cooperative. Continuing the project in 2014-15 are Bagley, Kelliher and Laporte. Clearbrook-Gonvick and Fisher began the project but dropped due to financial issues and a change in leadership. Learn more about the project and outcomes.