May 14, 2015
Educational success has proven to be a reliable indicator of subsequent economic opportunity and prosperity. When the U.S. Department of Education released data on high school graduation rates in 2013, the Minnesota nonprofit, In Progress, noticed a troubling trend for its state. Graduation rates among Native American, African American, Hmong and Latino populations in Minnesota ranked at or near the bottom in the nation.
As an organization that creates digital art to enhance public discourse, In Progress decided to use its expertise to raise awareness about the educational divide in Minnesota. With the help of Voqal Fund, In Progress launched Mis/Education, an initiative devoted to creating a series of videos highlighting the experiences of students of color in Minnesota.
The Mis/Education initiative produced eighteen powerful stories designed to give underrepresented youth and families of color a voice in the conversation about what it means to be educated in Minnesota. In Progress intends to use the Mis/Education videos to provide insights on the struggles unique to students of color and to emphasize the urgent need for educational reform in the Minnesota public school system.