Center of the American Experiment Archives

Not One Student Proficient in Math in 10 Minneapolis, St. Paul Public Schools: Report

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

At least 10 elementary and high schools in the Minneapolis Public School District and St. Paul Public School District in Minnesota, did not have a single student meet grade level expectations in math during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a Wednesday report by the Center of the American Experiment, an organization focused on state public policy.

State wide, 19 school districts did not have one student test proficient in math on the 2022 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, a standardized test used to determine what students have learned, according to a Center of the American Experiment report. Of elementary schools in the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts, seven did not have a single student meeting grade level expectations in math.

Report: Walz’s Carbon-Free Future Would Cost Customers $3,800 Extra per Year

September 16, 2022September 15, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Gov. Tim Walz’s vision for a carbon-free Minnesota could have a devastating impact on family budgets, according to a new report released this week.

The report was authored by the Center of the American Experiment’s Isaac Orr, Mitch Rolling, and John Phelan, who used economic modeling software to predict the impacts of Gov. Walz’s proposal to create a 100% carbon-free electric grid by 2040.

Report: Minnesota Has Second-Most Expensive Electricity Prices in the Midwest

April 28, 2022April 27, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Minnesota’s electricity prices are lower than just one state in the Midwest, according to data reported by the Center of the American Experiment.

Second only to Michigan, Minnesota’s electricity prices increased 22% from 2011 to 2021, reaching 11.12 cents per kilowatt-hour. This makes Minnesota’s electricity prices the 14th highest in the country — compared to 2001, when Minnesota held the position for 14th lowest in the country.

Raise Our Standards Tour Duluth Stop Attracts Protesters

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021 Hayley Feland

The Center for the American Experiment’s (CAE) Raise Our Standards Tour made it to Duluth after four venues declined to host the event, where attendees were met by protesters. According to the Duluth News Tribune, the event drew about 30 attendees and 40 protesters. Before the event started, “protesters gathered along Minnesota Avenue with flags and signs promoting racial justice.”

New Poll Says Minnesotans Don’t Trust Governor to Handle Crime

June 21, 2021June 20, 2021 Hayley Feland

A poll conducted by the American Experiment shows that a majority of Minnesota residents don’t trust Governor Tim Walz to take care of crime. According to the findings of the Thinking Minnesota poll, 55% of Minnesotans do not approve of Governor Walz’s response to the riots that have been taking place in Minneapolis. This is almost opposite of the results of the June 2020 Thinking Minnesota poll, where 59% of Minnesotans approved of Governor Walz’s handling of the riots.

Conservative Research Fellow Challenges Walz to Consider ‘Dissenting’ Voices on Climate Change

January 21, 2020January 20, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

A conservative policy fellow with the Center of the American Experiment applied for Gov. Tim Walz’s “Advisory Council on Climate Change,” which promised to “represent different perspectives and experiences.”

Conservatives Challenge Gov. Walz’s Clean Car Mandates

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A conservative think tank is urging the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to withdraw its consideration of clean car mandates issued by Gov. Tim Walz earlier this year.

Proposed Licensing Requirements Would Require Minnesota Teachers to Reflect on ‘Biases and Microaggressions’

November 29, 2019November 28, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Aspiring educators could be required to “regularly reflect on the impact of biases and microaggressions” in order to be a licensed teacher in Minnesota.

Washington Post Goes Out of Its Way to Smear Minnesota Conservative Journalist

August 22, 2019May 21, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Katherine Kersten, a popular conservative writer and senior policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, was lied about and smeared in the pages of The Washington Post this week.

Minnesota Teachers’ Union Makes It Easier for Members to Resign

June 30, 2019June 29, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Education Minnesota, the state’s most powerful teachers’ union, recently announced that it has expanded its “dues revocation window” from seven days to 30 days. “The revocation window is the period of time when a current member may revoke their authorization to have union dues deducted from their paycheck,” Education…

University of Minnesota Clinicians Defend ‘Gender Affirming Hormones’ for Children

June 29, 2019June 28, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A group of “medical professionals” from the University of Minnesota recently published an op-ed in The Star Tribune in defense of the new pediatric Gender Health Program at Children’s Minnesota. Kathleen Miller, Marla Eisenberg, Amy Gower, and G. Nic Rider all work in various capacities at the University of Minnesota’s…

Minnesota Teens Are Working Less, But Older Residents Are Working More

May 30, 2019May 29, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota teens are working less, while older Minnesotans are working more. That’s an alarming trend, according to Center of the American Experiment economist John Phelan. Phelan notes in a recent article that the labor force participation rate for Minnesotans aged 16 to 19 fell 19.1 percentage points between 1999…

Shocking Report Finds Minnesota Taxpayers Foot the Bill While State Employees Are Placed on Leave for Crimes and Misconduct

May 7, 2019May 6, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A shocking new report found that state employees who are under investigation for crimes and misconduct are paid millions in taxpayers dollars while they are on administrative or investigative leave. KARE 11, who uncovered the scandal, is dubbing the controversy “stay away pay,” since state employees are effectively paid…

Polling Continues to Show Strong Opposition to 20-Cent Gas Tax Increase

May 4, 2019May 3, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Veteran political reporter Tom Hauser was chastised in December by at least one state representative when he correctly pointed out that all but one recent poll showed opposition to a gas tax increase. Hauser said at the time that “nearly ever poll,” with the exception of one Star Tribune…

REPORT: 50 Percent Renewable Energy Mandate Would Cost Minnesota $80 Billion by 2050

March 20, 2019March 19, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A shocking new report from the Center of the American Experiment found that a 50 percent renewable energy mandate would cost $80.2 billion in Minnesota alone by the year 2050. Minnesota’s current renewable energy mandate, or REM, requires that 25 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by…

Minnesota’s Premier Think Tank Ramps Up Efforts to Expose ‘Bad Ideas’ at Minnesota Capitol

February 4, 2019February 3, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Center of the American Experiment, Minnesota’s leading think tank, has launched a new Capitol Watch project to monitor the radical bills and the people behind them at the Minnesota State Capitol. Since the start of the 2019 session, the Minnesota House and Senate have already introduced a combined 1,482…

Poll Shows Minnesotans Have Concerns About Met Council, $15 Minimum Wage

January 27, 2019January 26, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Center of the American Experiment surveyed Minnesotans on a number of timely political issues in the latest edition of Thinking Minnesota, including the state’s $1.5 billion budget surplus, $15 minimum wage ordinances, and the Metropolitan Council. As The Minnesota Sun has reported, both St. Paul and Minneapolis have passed…

Pioneer Press Tries And Fails to Smear Center of American Experiment for ‘Conservative’ Economics

December 7, 2018December 7, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

The Center of the American Experiment released its annual “The State of Minnesota’s Economy” report Tuesday, written by University of London and London School of Economics grad John Phelan. But The Pioneer Press wasn’t pleased with Phelan’s application of “data that has become popular with conservative economists,” that being GDP…

Minnesota’s Economy is ‘Unimpressive’ and Heading in the Wrong Direction, Report Finds

December 6, 2018December 5, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) would probably disagree, but the state of Minnesota’s economy “continues to be unimpressive” and presents cause for “concern about the future,” according to the Center of the American Experiment. Minnesota’s leading think tank released its annual “The State of Minnesota’s Economy” report Tuesday, and found that…

New Poll Shows Minnesotans Agree With Jeff Johnson on Issues of Immigration, Taxes, and Health Care

September 24, 2018September 23, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

A new poll released by the Center of the American Experiment shows Democrat Tim Walz with an eight-point lead in Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, though a plurality of respondents want to see the state move in a “more conservative” direction. According to the poll, 43 percent of likely voters plan to…

Tim Walz Has Change of Heart on Gas Tax After Poll Shows Minnesotans Disagree With Him

September 23, 2018September 22, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota Democrat gubernatorial nominee Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) is walking back a promise to raise the gas tax in the state after a new poll shows that a majority of Minnesotans disagree with the proposal. According to a recent KSTP and Survey USA poll of likely Minnesota voters, 52 percent…

Poll Shows Democrats Don’t Believe Keith Ellison Accuser

September 21, 2018September 20, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

A new poll shows that Democrat Keith Ellison holds a small lead over Republican Doug Wardlow in Minnesota’s attorney general race. According to a Star Tribune and MPR News poll, Ellison carries the support of 41 percent of voters, while Wardlow trails close behind with 36 percent. Like many races…

Google Video Leaked to Breitbart Confirms Tech Giant Wants to Destroy Trump Agenda

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

A new video leaked exclusively to Breitbart News Wednesday shows high-ranking Google executives plotting to use their tech resources to thwart the Trump agenda during an hour-long weekly rap session. The video, recorded during a 2016 “all hands” meeting at Google’s headquarters, features co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Vice…

Democratic Strongholds of St. Paul and Minneapolis Are Home to Half of the State’s Lowest Performing Schools

September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

The Democratic strongholds of St. Paul and Minneapolis are home to half of the state’s lowest performing schools, according to the Minnesota Report Card. The Pioneer Press recently reported that the Twin Cities contain 24 of the 47 lowest-performing schools in the state, which are set to receive support from…

FEATURE: How An Unelected Board of Officials is Deliberately Sabotaging Minnesota Commuters

September 4, 2018November 15, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

It’s two hours before class starts, but Haley is already on the road. “I haven’t missed work or class because I always try to leave two hours before I start, just to make sure I get there on time,” she said. In one week, Haley estimates that she wastes up…

Hennepin County Board Votes in Favor of Using Taxpayer Dollars to Help Illegal Immigrants Find Attorneys

September 4, 2018September 3, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

The Hennepin County Board recently voted in favor of using taxpayer dollars to help illegal immigrants facing deportation obtain legal support. According to The Star Tribune, the Board approved a $275,000 fund to help illegal immigrants who can’t afford an attorney. “I’m really glad to see the county taking this…