Full Breakdown
Minnesota Teacher Licensing Standards Require Bias Self-Assessment
5/11/2026, 11:26:37 PM
New Licensing Standard Mandates Teacher Bias Self-Assessment
Under Minnesota’s revised “Standards of Effective Practice” for public-school teacher licensure, candidates must demonstrate how their personal biases, perceptions, and academic training may affect their teaching and outline tools for mitigating behaviors that could perpetuate oppressive systems. The standards also obligate teachers to understand how prejudice, discrimination, and racism operate at interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional levels, and to apply culturally responsive strategies to address the impacts of systemic trauma on student learning.
Background and Official Requirements
The Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board issued the revisions. The guidebook directs teachers to “highlight how the education system has created inequitable opportunities for Indigenous students and students historically denied access, underserved, or underrepresented on the basis of race, class, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, socioeconomic status, or country of origin.” It also requires understanding of “the diverse impacts of individual and systemic trauma,” including “racism, and micro and macro aggressions,” and the use of “culturally responsive strategies and resources to address these impacts.”
Key Figures
Key figures include Governor Tim Walz, who oversees the policy; Sen. Mark Koran, who publicly opposes it; the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, which issued the guidebook; and Education Minnesota, the state teachers’ union that was contacted for comment.
Opposition from State Senator Mark Koran
Sen. Mark Koran called the standards “horribly disgusting” and “crazy,” saying they force teachers to assume the role of “oppressors.” He argued the policy lowers academic standards, reflects a “wild political ideology,” and contributes to declining student performance. Koran claimed half of Minnesota’s children cannot read, write, or do math at grade level, that 50 percent lack basic proficiency, yet still receive high-school diplomas, while graduation rates remain high.
Conflicting Reports and Missing Official Responses
Fox News Digital sought comments from Governor Walz, the licensing board, and Education Minnesota, but the article notes no responses were received. The absence of official rebuttals leaves a gap in the public record regarding the administration’s defense of the standards.
Verbatim Quotes
- “He's tied to the radicals, he's tied to the teachers’ unions, all the public unions of a really wild, radical agenda.” — Mark Koran, State Senator
- “It is racism. It is instilling the systemic racism that doesn't exist today.” — Mark Koran, State Senator
What’s Next
The standards remain in effect while Minnesota faces national scrutiny over the policy and its impact on education outcomes. Stakeholders anticipate further dialogue among lawmakers, the licensing board, and educators as the state evaluates effects on teacher recruitment and student performance.
