Education Commissioner Alice Seagren praised the work of Growth & Justice and its Smart Investments^SM in Minnesota’s Students research, in comments on Minnesota Public Radio’s Midday with Gary Eichten.

When asked about ways to determine cost-effectiveness, other than test scores, in education spending, Commissioner Seagren said:  “I think there has also been some very good work done. One organization that has done a lot of cost-benefit analysis has been the Growth & Justice organization. They have looked at particular strategies—from class size reduction, to instructional strategies, to after school programs—and they have actually brought in experts and said that some are not as cost-benefit rich as others, and they've asked those tough questions.” The Commissioner went on to say “…we can learn from that, and learn from our mistakes and learn from our successes and advance those things that, from a cost-benefit standpoint, are more successful.”

The Smart Investments^SM in Minnesota’s Students project has won strong praise as well from legislators on both sides of the aisle, business leaders, academic experts, local school officials, and a broad array of education stakeholders. It helped shape education debate in general at the Legislature and two specific bills, H.F.1188 and S.F. 954, incorporate the Smart Investments^SM in Minnesota’s Students principles in determining future investments in education.