As the school year continues, we want to thank you for your ongoing dedication to children and families across Minnesota. Your leadership and commitment make a lasting difference every day.

We created a short video message featuring state program leaders from our Early Learning Services team. You’ll hear from the people who support programs such as Help Me Connect, Help Me Grow, Early Childhood Screening, ECFE, Early Childhood Special Education and Head Start.

Together, we believe that children are always learning. Our goal is to make sure you have the tools, connections and guidance you need to offer high-quality early learning experiences across the state.

Watch the Video

We’re excited to share a new Four-Tiered Leadership Support Model designed to help you get the right support at the right time.

This model offers several ways to connect, learn and problem-solve throughout the year:

1.   Quarterly Leadership Calls: Get updates on new policies, initiatives and statewide efforts.

2.   Targeted Technical Assistance (TA): Receive step-by-step guidance for complex tasks and applications.

3.   Open Office Hours: Join for quick answers to program questions.

4.   Communities of Practice (CoPs): Connect with peers for shared learning and collaboration.

You can now view the full schedule of leadership calls, TA sessions, and CoP meetings on the DCYF website.

As required under Minnesota statutes 2025, section 120B.117, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) collaborating with Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) has published a summary report of each of the programs they administer and any other programs receiving state appropriations that have or include an explicit purpose of increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the state’s teacher workforce to more closely reflect the diversity of students.

The report includes recommendations for state policy and funding to achieve the goal in Minnesota Statutes 2025, section 120B.117, subdivision 2 to increase by at least two percentage points per year the percentage of teachers who are of color or who are American Indian to have a teaching workforce that more closely reflects the state’s increasingly diverse student population and to ensure all students have equitable access to effective and diverse teachers by 2040.

Thanks to all who have renewed already. We believe we have resolved many of the issues surrounding CEC/CASE membership—but please reach out to us if you are still experiencing problems accessing your national membership(s).

Important: If you are part of a district with a central billing office, we need to have your billing contact in our system so that they receive notifications if you have chosen the invoice option for your membership (or for conference and event registration). We will drop those with outstanding dues payments later this month.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out; staff are all happy to assist!

The Special Education Data Reporting Application (SEDRA) will be unavailable from 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, through 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. This downtime is necessary for scheduled maintenance by Minnesota IT Services (MNIT).

Important Notes:

• The SEDRA Comparison report will start back up on Tuesday, Nov. 18, as the downtime will delay syncing of SEDRA data by one additional day.

• The outage affects all LEAs that use the SEDRA system.

Status:

We understand this may cause disruption and appreciate your patience as MNIT works to minimize the impact during this essential system upgrade.

Please direct any questions or concerns to: Special Education Funding and Data team.

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 12–1 p.m.

Learn what MASE has been working on in the past year—and what our priorities are for the year ahead in this one-hour webinar. This event is open to members and non-members at no cost. We do ask that you register to help us avoid Zoom-bombing.

Each year, MASE provides an opportunity to recognize outstanding members who are dedicated leaders and advocates for children and education communities across the state. We encourage you to consider nominating yourself or a colleague for recognition. Nominate someone who reflects the qualities of a leader committed to education and who is an exemplary representative of MASE. Please remember that anyone can nominate for MASE awards. Please feel free to share award nomination information with your staff and community. Information about each of the awards is linked below:

• Distinguished Service Award

• Legacy Award

• New Special Education Leader Award

• Special Education Administrator of the Year Award

MASE Award candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by someone else. 

Access the award nomination form here.

Nomination deadline is November 28, 2025.

Thursday, December 18, 2025 | 10–11 a.m.

In this virtual training, you will gain an understanding of how the Minnesota Legislature works and learn practical strategies to connect with your state legislators. Together, we’ll explore the importance of grassroots advocacy, discuss effective ways to build relationships with elected officials, and walk through how to craft a compelling elevator pitch to share the story of special education.

We do ask that you register to help us avoid Zoom-bombing.

Our next SLICE webinar will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18! The topic for this session is Data Collection. Join us at Noon for informal conversations with your colleagues from across the state. To avoid "Zoom bombing," we do ask that you register in advance — there's no cost. These sessions are open to members only. You'll receive the link to join in your confirmation e-mail.

You can register for additional SLICE sessions on the MASE website — check our Calendar.

Reminder: You must login to our website to see the registration button for SLICE events.

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Join Michelle Scimecca of Larson King LLP and Matthew Conley of Lattice Global Teachers for a practical walk-through of hiring international teachers. We will cover when to use H-1B visas and when to use J-1 visas, how the two pathways can complement each other, and what the latest federal signals mean for districts this hiring season. Expect clear guidance on timelines, budgeting, licensure, and risk management, with checklists you can take back to your team.

Legislation for a Pathway Preparation Grant was created and $400,000 in funding was appropriated by the Minnesota legislature for state fiscal year 2026. The purpose of the grant is to support Tier 1 and Tier 2 teachers seeking a Tier 3 or 4 license through completion of a teacher preparation program or the licensure via portfolio process.

PELSB is currently seeking reviewers for grant applications, which are due November 20, 2025. Learn about the duties and qualifications and complete an interest form by Wednesday, Nov. 12.

MSU-Moorhead currently has MDE School Psychology Pipeline funds to help defray costs for attending our graduate program and reduce barriers for people interested in a career in Minnesota—up to $27,000 in scholarships and support for the first two pre-internship years of coursework.

The program has both in-person (10-12 slots) and remote (4-6 slots) options in our NASP-approved program and encourage Grow Your Own applications—but because it is very competitive (especially for the remote spots) it is a good idea for the district and applicant to talk to us during the application process so we can get an idea of who is applying and what regional/MN needs they would be filling.

MSU-Moorhead has three upcoming virtual open houses for people to get some more information about our program, application (due Feb. 1), grants, etc., on Nov. 17, Dec. 8, and Jan. 14.

Contact: Lisa Stewart, Director of the School Psychology graduate program at MSU-Moorhead

Hosted by SWWC Service Cooperative

Join us this January for a hands-on, evidence-based training designed to help school teams move beyond awareness and build a safe, systematic, and sustainable K–12 threat assessment and management model.

Participants will learn CSTAG’s structured decision-making process, receive practical implementation tools, and leave with a district-specific plan aligned with legal and best-practice guidelines.

📅 January 22, 2026 | ⏰ 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Registration 8:00–8:30 a.m.)

📍 Redwood Area Community Center, Redwood Falls, MN

👤 Trainer: Mark Muscat, School Psychologist & Behavior Intervention Specialist

💡 Registration Deadline: January 15, 2026

Lunch, materials, and resources included.