To show support for our state’s bid in the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge—a grant program to give states federal dollars for pre-K reforms like the ones Minnesota just passed—community leaders across Minnesota have come together to express their shared commitment to early childhood education in this video and in signing a community letter of support.

 This video signals to the Race to the Top application reviewers that Minnesotans are serious about making sure all of our children enter kindergarten ready to learn. Now we ask you to reinforce that message and join the community leaders in the video by signing this petition in support of Minnesota’s application: 

Minnesota has much to be proud of. National rankings validate our unrivaled charitable giving and volunteering, our initiatives to foster sustainable communities and a strong sense of place, our unparalleled voting, and our thriving business sector. We also have a proud history of living up to our commitment to public education. Our public schools are some of the best in the country, but our achievement gap is a disservice to the next generation of Minnesotans and jeopardizes our collective future. We support Minnesota’s Race to the Top application for the Early Learning Challenge grant to help correct our academic disparities.

The conversation in Minnesota surrounding the achievement gap is changing. We are leveraging Minnesota’s legacy of educational innovation, from the first teacher-training school west of the Mississippi River (founded in Winona in 1858) to the nation’s first charter school (founded in St. Paul in 1992), to close the gap.

Despite our historically innovative policies, we face two Minnesotas. In one, children receive a great education at their local public schools and learn skills that will help them compete in the workforce and live out the American dream. In the other, children enter our schools behind and drop out of them with alarming regularity. Too often, they fail to learn even the most basic skills a 21st century-job requires.

Our population is changing rapidly. In the next 30 years, the number of African-American, Latino and Asian Minnesotans will double. By 2035, 44 percent of Hennepin County residents and 48 percent of Ramsey County residents will be people of color. In the suburbs, the non-white population will double by that time. As our achievement gap demonstrates, we need to have a different conversation about how to adopt proven strategies to close the gap.

The good news is we’re doing a lot of things right. We are embarking on changes to the way we engage, treat and teach our young learners. For example, in 2011, the Minnesota Legislature approved $4 million in scholarships for low-income families to access early childhood education opportunities. We also have a commitment from Governor Dayton to expand Parent Aware, Minnesota’s system to rate child care providers, statewide so that those scholarships are available more broadly. There is more we can do and Race to the Top funding will position us to reach more young children in more meaningful ways. We support the principle that all young learners should have access to high-quality early learning opportunities because it is one of the key elements in closing the achievement gap. When we prepare students to succeed in kindergarten, will allow them the opportunity to be high-performers throughout their education.

Prioritizing public education is a defining characteristic of our state and, rightly so, a source of tremendous pride. We are also increasingly rich in ethnicity, and, collectively, we are excited to chart the course for the future of Minnesota. That begins with education.