Profile of Learning Rest in Peace

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Profile of Learning - Rest
in Peace
1998 2003
MREdCo 1402 Concordia Ave St. Paul, MN 55104
651-646-0646 www.edwatch.org
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The Profile of Learning Show-What-You-Know
Graduation Standards were formally laid to rest
in a rally at the State Capitol on Thursday
evening, May 22, 2003. The Maple River
Education Coalition staged a celebration to mark
the repeal of the controversial education
requirements.  Supporters came with signs,
buttons, and t-shirts from past rallies. 
Those rallies at times drew up to 5,000 to the
Capitol steps.
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"It was a little grass-roots group that grew so
big.'' Said Renee Doyle, founder of the Maple
River Education Coalition
It was a group of concerned parents in the Maple
River School district gathering around a kitchen
tableand thenit became a nationwide movement.
What began as a flicker became a forest fire. The
light of truth penetrated the capitol year after
year. For five years, until finally, the Profile
of Learning breathed its last.
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It was worth it. Five years of continuous
volunteer effort. But it was not without
tremendous sacrifice of time, talent, and
resources.

• Timeline of Profile Elimination
• A 1998 rally brought 3,000 to the capitol to
  oppose the Profile.
• A 1999 rally, 5,000.
• In 2000, legislative attempts to provide some
  flexibility to local districts were met with
  federal threats to remove funding.
• In 2001, MREdCo established a St. Paul office,
  hired staff, rallied at the capitol, and held a
  national conference.
• 2002s Profile repeal bill failed by 1 vote.
• Finally, in 2003, after severe losses to Profile
  proponents in the fall election, the Profile was
  repealed 64 to 3 in the Senate and 125 to 9 in
  the House. Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the
  billinto law.

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2001 Rally at the Capitol
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Uncompromising Efforts Paid OffMany citizens
and advocacy groups will walk into the Capitol
during the next few months hoping to influence
the course of lawmaking few will emerge with the
clout of the Maple River Education Coalition. The
group's techniques and tenacity provide a primer
of sorts for aspiring citizen advocates.

Jim Ragsdale, Pioneer Press, Jan.
9, 2003
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Founding President Renee Doyle stands victorious
over the endless paperwork of the Profile of
Learning. They take their rightful place in the
paper shredder.
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Its a big stack of mandates! High Standards
take on new meaning as the shredding continues.
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Its the last of it.Shall we laugh or cry for
joy?! Its been a hard fight for Burnsville
activists as well.
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For Senator Michele Bachmann, fighting the
Profile meant replacing a 26-year, pro-Profile,
Republican incumbent Senator.
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Coalition Board Member Karen Effrem (left),
shares her thoughts on the Profile repeal.
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MREdCo Board Member, Michael Chapman, removes
academics from their allotted garbage can of the
past five years, and returns them to their
rightful place - in the classroom.
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Its time to stop playing politics with our kids.
"To call the Profile of Learning high standards
would be laughable if it weren't such a serious
issue as the education of our children." -John
Knapp, Chairman of the Mathematics Department at
Southwest High School, Minneapolis
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One down, two to go. Coalition board member
Michael Chapman held up a poster size visual of
the three-circles he has used in presentations
over the past five years. The interconnecting
circles identify restructuring in education,
workforce and the economy. Chapman dramatically
crossed out the education circle, stating, One
down, two to go, to illustrate the work opposing
School-to-Work that lies ahead.
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The fight has just begun. We have a road map to
get there, but the work is still before us, said
Julie Quist, Vice President of the Coalition.
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We Press On
MREdCo 1402 Concordia Ave St. Paul, MN 55104
651-646-0646 www.edwatch.org
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Profile of Learning - Rest
in Peace
1998 2003
MREdCo 1402 Concordia Ave St. Paul, MN 55104
651-646-0646 www.edwatch.org