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Browsing by Author "Craig, William J"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    CURA Reporter [K–12 Achievement Gap Is a National Problem]
    (Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2019-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Craig, William J; Scott, Tom
    Minnesota is understandably concerned about the statewide gap in achievement between White students and students of color, especially Black students. In fact, every state has such a gap. While Minnesota’s gap is large compared to most states, it is often the result of White students performing at levels above the average while Black students score at or near the national average for their races. Some states, such as Massachusetts and New Jersey, have been able to get both Black and White students performing above average; they may provide insights into what Minnesota can do to help close the gap. The data used in this report are from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program of the U.S. Department of Education. NAEP (pronounced “Nape”) conducts biannual testing of math and reading proficiency of 4th and 8th graders in each state. Sufficient numbers of students in each state are tested to represent that state and allow comparisons across states. NAEP also provides comparisons across racial and ethnic groups nationally and across states. In this brief report, we focus on the test score achievement gap between Black and White students partly because this issue has commanded the most public attention and partly because Black students (including both African Americans and African immigrants) are the largest group of Minnesota students of color—nearly 100,000 students, and 11% of the state’s public school K–12 students.
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    Impact of UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees Program
    (Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays (JOIE), 2021-04-04) Craig, William J
    Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) grants have been awarded by the University of Minnesota Retirees Association (UMRA) since 2009. PDGR has helped retirees continue their intellectual work and yielded significant benefits to both academia and society. This article is based on surveys of 38 individuals who received grants from 2014-2020. It documents the wide range of projects they undertook and the impact those projects had on those individuals and society. Projects ranged from history and art to medical and environmental topics. Results have improved individual lives, societal understanding, environmental quality, the reputation of the University of Minnesota, and the personal satisfaction of the retired grantee. Individual projects are briefly described, along with their results and impacts.
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    Minnesota’s Changing Consumer Economy
    (Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2019-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Schwartau, Bruce W; Craig, William J
    Minnesota’s economy recovered well from the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Based on an analysis of 2015 Minnesota Department of Revenue (MDOR) sales tax receipts from retail and consumer service businesses, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota show consumer spending at prerecession levels. Or nearly so. Today, retail sales are shifting from Main Street to Internet, catalog, and phone sales. For every $10 of taxable sales, at least $1 goes to retailers based outside Minnesota. In 2015, those external sales reached $3 billion, more than any Minnesota county, save Hennepin. During that period, Minnesota lost more than 5,000 retail businesses. Fortunately, surviving businesses are healthier than ever. Sales recovery has been particularly strong in sectors selling upscale, discretionary goods. Individual trade centers across the state show similar patterns. This study is based on current data from 47 cities in greater Minnesota, the same cities included in a 2011 Reporter article. In most of these cities, retail and consumer sales increased. Despite losing retailers they show growth in total retail sales. Notable exceptions exist as cities compete for consumers and some cities actually lose sales.
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    Tracing the History of a Civil War Ancestor
    (Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays (JOIE), 2022-01-12) Craig, William J
    For Christmas 1952, my grandmother wrote a brief paragraph about her father, George E. Swift. She said he joined the Minnesota 3rd Regiment as a drummer boy at age 13 and ultimately became part of Sherman’s March to the Sea. After the war, he returned to Minnesota and became a druggist. This article documents the research involved in tracing, correcting, and expanding her 1952 story. George joined the Minnesota 3rd at Fort Snelling in 1861, but only informally. After the 3rd was captured in Murfreesboro, Kentucky, he jumped at the opportunity to formally join the Ohio 69th Regiment in Nashville. With that outfit, he was involved in many of the major campaigns of the war, ultimately joining them in the victorious Grand Review of the Armies in Washington, DC, in May 1865. He returned to Minneapolis, supported himself as a musician, then married, passed the pharmacy examination, and owned drugstores in Minneapolis and Robbinsdale. He helped found the all-veteran Morgan Drum Corps that led Minnesota delegations at events in Gettysburg and Washington, DC. He contributed to the community throughout his life, as documented in local newspaper stories. This article follows the flow of George Swift's life, while a wealth of footnotes document sources and provide additional notes about that life.