By Liz Carey for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

For Montevideo Public School Superintendent Wade McKittrick, creating a medical academy in the Montevideo High School filled a need on two fronts for the rural Minnesota community - the students' and the community's.

Montevideo Medical Academy provides high-school students with medical training to give them a leg up when it comes to getting jobs. For rural hospitals and healthcare providers in the area, it provides a pipeline of talent from which to choose. And, McKittrick said, it provides an incentive to keep young people in the small town, which has just over 5,000 residents and is located in the western part of the state.

In its first year, the program had 25 students. Combined, those students earned 170 college credits, 55 certifications, and 304 hours of clinical experience. Now in its second year, the academy has maxed out at 32 students, with more on the waiting list to get in. Several of the students have decided to go further with their medical career and get a degree at Minnesota West Community College and return to the area to work.

The idea was spawned two years ago, McKittrick said. The healthcare industry in the area was having a hard time finding people to fill vacancies. "I got a phone call one day from an individual ... who just wanted to go, have coffee, and talk about this," McKittrick said. "They just started explaining the problem that they're seeing in their industry, and specifically around LPNs [licensed practical nurses] and CNAs [certified nursing assistants]."

"We left that day and I remember, as clear as a bell, thinking I don't know what the answer is, but I'm really interested in finding a solution," he recalled.

As he saw it, Montevideo's public schools needed a program that would train high school students to fill some of those positions, and do so without costing the district any money.

"When we set off, we knew that we wanted to have a lab within the school itself," he said. "We knew that that was going to be a cost, but we weren't exactly sure how much. And we knew that it meant at least six hospital beds were going to have to be purchased, as well as all of the medical training equipment around the CNA (certification), which meant a medication lab. And for CPR, we were going to have to have mannequins purchased."

On top of that, the school needed instructors, a curriculum, and internship partners, he said.

Reaching out to the community, the school district was able to get equipment, beds and other necessities donated by local businesses, Minnesota West Community College and CCM Health, the small hospital chain in Chippewa County. Along with about $25,000 grant in grant money, the school system was able to pull together the program without incurring any additional costs.

Now in its second year, the Montevideo Medical Academy gives its students the opportunity to earn 22 college credits as well as earn industry certifications to serve as CNAs, trained medication aides (TMA), pharmacy technicians, and to provide first aid/CPR. Students get job-shadowing opportunities at local healthcare employers, participate in hands-on instruction, tour healthcare facilities, and complete internships and externships in the area's healthcare facilities.

Kati Birhanzl, career coordinator for Montevideo Public Schools, said students are qualified to take jobs with local healthcare providers or have interacted with local employers enough that many are given a promise of jobs once they finish college.

Birhanzl said she and other counselors meet with every student who enters the program, not just to make sure they are a good fit for the program, but to make sure they understand the rigors of the program and the potential benefits.

"Every student that registered has to have a conversation with either myself or our social worker or school counselor about the rigor of the class," she said. "And they have conversations with the student that attendance can't be an issue in this class. We have really honest, open conversations with them and have just been very upfront with expectations."

McKittrick said that, from the start, the high-school program was an opportunity the school district wanted to ensure was open to everyone.

"When we were talking this through and looking at the workforce, we really wanted to make sure that we eliminated as many barriers as possible," McKittrick said. "We didn't want a grade point average to get in the way of kids being able to have these opportunities... We knew we were going to have to come behind them and support them in the classroom and in making themselves successful in this."

Teagan Epema, a Montevideo Medical Academy student, said the program has given her knowledge she intends to use in her career and experience in the nursing field.

"I wanted to do the medical academy because I was interested in going into nursing and wanted my CNA to get experience," she wrote in an email. "From the Medical Academy, I got my CNA, TMA, CPR, first aid, and I took medical terminology, which has helped me expand my knowledge. It definitely helped me get started."

And the program has been a success for the healthcare community as well, career coordinator Birhanzi said: "We hear from our hospital partner that their medical providers and nursing staff are happy when they have new employees that have had experience."

McKittrick said the program's success has led to success for the school as well. In recent months, McKittrick said he's been able to share the program with other healthcare providers and other schools around the country.

"When we created this, we did it with the mindset of this was not just to be Montevideo's program. We really wanted it to become a duplicated program that other schools and other communities that are going through the same things that our community is could use," he said.

"We're proud of the work that our folks have done around it and how our community has coalesced around it," McKittrick said "It's an opportunity to shape programs across the state in a way that can affect real health care in more than just Montevideo."


Liz Carey wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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Nearly a dozen changes could be made to the Kentucky Community and Technical College system, under Senate Joint Resolution 179, passed by lawmakers earlier this year.

The system's Acting Executive Vice President and Provost Phil Neal said the Board of Regents' recommendations are aimed at improving the process to obtaining two-year college degrees, and expanding options for students.

He said one major change includes collaboration between schools and the state Department of Education, to make it easier to offer dual and transfer credits.

"For example, on the transfer front," said Neal, "one of our recommendations that would be a change is that our eight public universities and our 16 KCTCS colleges, would all have a common course-numbering system for freshmen and sophomore level courses - and that just helps students more seamlessly transfer."

A former chief of staff is suing the system in a whistleblower lawsuit, alleging she faced retaliation for reporting waste and mismanagement.

Last week a Franklin County Circuit Court judge denied a request by the system that the case be dismissed.

A recent audit found a need to improve internal policies and procedures, but found no evidence of fraud or criminal behavior.

Neal said the state's Community and Technical College System has among the most affordable tuition rates in the state, and serves more than 66,000 students.

"We lead the country, number one, in the number of credentials conferred per capita," said Neal. "So the production of people with credentials is right up there at the top. Half of our 16 colleges have been recognized as some of the top performing community colleges in the country."

Americans' views on the importance of a college degree is shifting.

According to a Pew study released earlier this year, only one in four U.S. adults say it's extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree, in order to get a well-paying job in today's economy.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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Recent changes to Florida's education laws have removed information on consent, contraceptives and prenatal development from many health lessons at school.

Parents are concerned the Florida Department of Education's policies may leave some districts without vital instruction.

Stephana Ferrell, director of research and insight for the Florida Freedom to Read Project in Orange County, is worried about what she sees as gaps in her children's education, including access to comprehensive health information.

"It's unfortunate that parents have been opted out of these educational experiences," Ferrell stated. "But it's now time for us all to get informed about what our kids are missing and make the extra effort to ensure that our young citizens are armed with this information."

Advocacy groups, including PEN America and EveryLibrary, cautioned overcompliance with state laws may lead to the removal of books on topics like anatomy, teen pregnancy and sexual assault. In a joint letter, they urged Florida school superintendents and school board attorneys to exercise restraint and preserve the resources for students.

Ferrell described a clash between two views: one believing ignorance protects innocence, and another believing being informed is the best way to understand and avoid risks. She sided with the latter, saying education safeguards the community.

"We really are trying to encourage that information to remain available," Ferrell emphasized. "There are lots of nonfiction, well-written and age-appropriate materials that can be made available in the library, and have been made available in libraries in the past."

Florida school districts have struggled for years to determine which books should remain in libraries under laws signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The laws allow parents and others to challenge books deemed "inappropriate," though recent legislative changes limit the number of challenges. This fall, the Department of Education released a list of more than 700 books removed from, or discontinued in, schools statewide.


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New York's Board of Regents approved a Department of Education funding request for climate education.

The board is putting more than $536,000 aside for climate change education and materials.

New Jersey is the only state mandating climate change be taught in all subject areas. Connecticut teaches it as well, but primarily in science.

Emily Fano, director of climate resilience education programs with the National Wildlife Federation, described how climate change can be taught across multiple subject areas.

"There are so many ways climate can be integrated into math class, graphing greenhouse gas emissions for example," said Fano. "Social studies, you can talk about social movements like the youth climate movement that has grown by leaps and bounds all over the world."

She added that health classes could teach the health impacts of air pollution and poor air quality.

The funding allotment faces no opposition, and a Yale University report finds 81% of New York adults feel climate change should be taught in schools. This is higher than the national average of 75%.

If the funding's approved, climate change will be taught in New York schools starting in the 2026-2027 school year.

But, climate education has faced an uphill battle.

A bill establishing a course on climate change in elementary and secondary schools garnered widespread support. But, it failed in the state legislature.

Fano said along with a new climate education bill, more work must be done to make this a reality.

"We'll continue working with the state education department and our partners to make sure that our students are going to get the climate education they need and deserve," said Fano. "So, we will continue working on this issue regardless, but we really hope the Governor understands the urgency of this request."

While this funding request provides a framework for training current educators about how to teach climate change, Fano said she wants this training for people studying to be teachers.

An Education Week Research Center poll finds 18% of teachers don't address climate change because they feel out of their element discussing it.