Minnesota Can Lead the Charge Against Bullying

Reposted from Star Tribune, Jim Davnie (MN House) and Scott Dibble (MN Senate)

M. Myder, Tribune Media Services

The state has waited too long, but the pieces are in place for progress. For Minnesota to be successful, we need all of our children to be successful. This includes those of all heights, weights, races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders and abilities. We cannot differentiate the members of the football team and the members of the marching band when it comes to how we treat our kids.

While Minnesota has done much to try to raise achievement, including establishing academic standards, requiring high-stakes standardized tests, increasing scrutiny over teachers and principals, and other initiatives, we have little success to show for all that work. But we now have the opportunity to position the state as a leader in the next generation of education reform by focusing on building strong, safe and supportive school climates for all students. READ MORE

With Impunity has received the MSP Magazine 2012 Best Local Documentary and MN Women’s Press named it one of the 2012 Changemakers. The program will be rebroadcast in April as part of Sexual Violence Awareness Month.

2012 Changemaker: With Impunity

Reposted from Minnesota Women’s Press

“Potentially a breakthrough shift in the way abuse and violence against women is discussed by looking through the lens of men,” is how the “With Impunity” documentary has been described.

Ellen Pence and Michael Paymar thought progress had stalled after working together for 30 years on gender-based violence. They had written books, created curriculum, and lectured and led trainings nationally and internationally. They could point to a lot of successes-changes in laws, in law enforcement and in criminal justice. READ MORE