sailboat lessons minnesota

SAIL AWAY SAILING SCHOOL THE HIGHEST RATED SAILING SCHOOL IN MINNESOTA

Virgin islands vacation course now open, join us for asa 103/104 – feb 1-8, 2024, it’s never too late to learn.

You’re just four sessions away from your American Sailing Association Certification

Start from the beginning, with no experience necessary

ASA 103 & 104

Take the next step, and perfect your skills for liveaboard cruising

Ready for the big leagues? Learn everything needed for off-shore, long-range crusing on a long-haul, 60 mile voyage across Lake Superior

Additional courses

All 100 level ASA courses are available, as well as ASA-200 courses, Instructor Qualification.

Looking to get started with no experience?

SIgn up for ASA-101 for an introductory, no-experience-necessary class.

Captain Joan Gilmore named 2020 oustanding instructor by asa

We set the standard in Adult Sailing Instruction

Adult Courses, from Beginner to Professional

Sail Away Sailing School, LLC takes pride in excellent customer service, conducting classes, cruises and coaching in Minnesota, the Great Lakes, and Caribbean. Lead instructor is Captain Joan GiImore, who holds a master’s degree in adult learning styles. She has conducted research and presents seminars on how adults learn. She has been an Instructor Evaluator for ASA since 2000, training Small Boat through Advanced Coastal Cruising instructors in the U.S., Japan and Caribbean. The former ASA Education Coordinator now serves on three non-profit sailing boards and writes articles for Sailing and other national magazines.

USCG Licensed Captains

Minimum 10 years’ experience for each insructor

WORLD WIDE EXPERIENCE

Experiences range from Minnesota, Florida Coast, Great Lakes, and Caribbean.

SAILBOAT OWNERS

All our Instructors own a sailboat themselves. Sailing is not a part time job for us. It is our way of life

SPECIALISTS IN INSTRUCTING ADULTS

In addition to all Instructors being experts in Adult Learning techniques, Captain Joan has her Masters Degree in Adult Learning

OUR INSTRUCTORS

Certified, with the experience to back it up.

JOAN GILMORE

100 Ton USCG Certified Captain

BYRON TOOLE

ASA Certified Instructor

USCG Certified Captain

TESTIMONIALS

Unsolicited feedback from our students

The 103/104 courses were challenging and educative. We really appreciated how you personalized the learning to make it relevant to each of your students, and adeptly administered to each of our personalities in an inclusive manner. Your sailing history and personal accounts complimented the course content and made it memorable and pertinent. Thank you for sharing your history, knowledge, and skill with us. We will confidently recommend your instruction to others.

Thank you again for wonderful classes! I enjoyed them and learned so much. You are a gifted teacher!

Patricia, Max and I are having a wonderful time learning to sail and we cannot thank you enough for your calm demeanor, thoughtfulness and expert instruction. We never realized how much fun sailing could be – we’re anxious to take the Basic Cruising ASA-103 course and very happy you’ll be our instructor. See you this Saturday. I hope we have some good wind behind our sails.

I want to thank you for such an incredible experience this past weekend. I have thoroughly enjoyed starting the journey of learning how to sail. You are a phenomenal teacher and the amount of patience you have is quite remarkable.

Thanks so much for leading us in the intensive Small Boat Instructor Training course this summer. It was indeed intense, and in a good way. It was much more than I expected, with a thorough review and expansion of sailing skills communicated in a personal style that is firm and challenging while at the same time builds confidence with warm and friendly encouragement. The amount of experience you have with students of all ages was plainly evident as you reviewed with us the approaches for teaching the range of students we will encounter, from grade school kids to seniors. But most of all, I appreciate how you embody the joy of sailing. Even with the exhausting schedule, each day I began and ended the day with more eagerness to get back out on the water and try more of what we were learning. Even now as the winter weather comes in, I can’t wait for the spring and the opportunity to get out again and to pass on what I have learned, both the skills and the enthusiasm, to new sailors.

ASA 201 Instructor Clinic

Our Latest Posts

Safety details for safe trailering.

by Joan Gillmore | March 3, 2022 | Article , Trailering | 0 Comments

Teaching Couples to Sail

by Admin | March 3, 2022 | Article , Women and Gender Dynamics | 0 Comments

Of Windlasses and Kingpins

by Admin | March 3, 2022 | Article , Crew Dynamics | 0 Comments

ASA Featured Instructor: Joan Gilmore

by Admin | March 3, 2022 | Article , General | 0 Comments

Smooth Sailing

Blind ambition: my adventure teaching a sight-challenged student, why can’t i rely on gps alone on extended cruising trips.

by Admin | March 3, 2022 | General | 0 Comments

Choosing Good Crew

by Admin | March 3, 2022 | Article , Chartering | 0 Comments

Being on Best Boat Behavior – for Crew and Skippers

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Twin Cities Sailing Club

A community dedicated to learning and teaching the art of sailing to adults in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Ahoy!   The 2024 Sailing Season Is Here

Spring new member applications are now closed. Summer applications will open on May 21st, with the drawing held on June 4th.

If you are interested in joining Twin Cities Sailing Club, please register here to get on our membership announcement list.

If you are a returning member, you are welcome to renew your membership without entering the lottery.

Questions can be emailed to [email protected].

Welcome to the Twin Cities Sailing Club,  a community sailing organization on Lake Harriet

The Twin Cities Sailing Club (TCSC) welcomes adults of all sailing abilities — from beginners to experienced sailors — and offers a great opportunity to sail regularly during the summer on beautiful Lake Harriet ( map ) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The club’s sailing season runs from early May to early October.  The club organizes twice-weekly sailing days throughout the season.   These take place at the Lake Harriet bandshell dock on Tuesdays at 5.30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9.00 a.m.

TCSC members have access to the club’s fleet of 17 boats .   They also can race and crew with the sailors of the Lake Harriet Yacht Club (LHYC) through our long-established affiliation with that club.  We also participate in other exciting sailing activities, from racing on Lake Minnetonka to cruising the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior.

What if I don’t know how to sail?

We provide opportunities for complete beginners and experienced sailors to learn and improve their skills.   The club provides a framework, instruction materials, and a skill-based path to proficiency.   New sailors enjoy sailing practice with experienced skippers and advance at their own pace toward skipper qualification.  The club welcomes brand-new sailors who bring motivation, enthusiasm and energy!

If you are a prospective member, be sure that our location, times and activities fit your interests and availability.

Watch the video below to learn more about club sailing.

If you are interested in structured sailing classes, you may want to investigate these options:

Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board Lessons

Minneapolis Sailing Center   on Bde Maka Ska How to say Lake Calhoun’s Dakota name

Lake Minnetonka Sailing School

Wayzata Community Sailing Center

Sail Away Sailing School

Youth Sailing Resources (on lake Nokomis)

(The Twin Cities Sailing Club does not endorse any of these options; they are provided merely as community resources.)

Adult Classes

Small group class offerings for adults. From introductory sailing to those interested in certification. If you want a complete learning experience - this is the course for you.

Adults Classes: Offered in our J22 keelboats, Adult Classes at WS are a small group experience scheduled in 3 hour class blocks. We structure them for both single adventures or developing yourself as a sailor and future boat owner. WS offers three levels of classes; separated by knowledge covered. Level 1 is a perfect first experience for anyone, while Level 3 is a growth class offering repeatable opportunities to build new skills and is made for those ready and hungry to keep learning. Registering for a level in our system will automatically open the next level of booking to you. Level 1 – $85 per person (Basics, rigging, steering, trimming) Level 2 – $100 per person (Points of sail, sailing to a point, departure and docking) Level 3 – $115 per person (Anchoring, navigation, POB, boat control) Certification: To earn a US Sailing Basic Keelboat certification, simply complete the series of skills on our handy logbook card on file at WS. Instructors will certify and sign off on sections as you complete them. Most students will be able to complete their logbooks by completing one Level 1, one Level 2, and three Level 3 lessons. Generally at least 15 hours or five lessons minimum are required to complete and learn the skills necessary to become certified. Once your logbook is completed, you’re ready to test! WS provides your testing and certification materials free of charge if you complete your logbook through our series of lessons. If you’re already an avid sailor simply looking for certification, please contact us directly and we’d be happy to discuss options. Cancellations due to weather and other factors: Adult lessons may need to be rescheduled in cases of inclement weather. If a class is cancelled due to weather or other circumstances, we will contact you immediately, and work to rebook you for another opening. All other absences will be subject to our refund and exchange policy outlined during checkout. Please provide at least two weeks notice, in writing, for cancellations or date changes to allow for others to fill your space on the boat!

Beginner - Advanced

Evenings, 5-8pm, what should i take before this course.

No experience required

What should I take after this course?

WYC Membership, Boat Ownership

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SailinG AND community​ ​

Get all the news, 2024 sailing camp registration is open register today, 2024 sailing school dates.

2022 Boat Safety Classes - watch for 2023 dates!

Thank you boat safety sponsors!

2023 save the dates - watch for more, making history.

• GLSS is finalizing a three-year, Facility And Operating Agreement with the YMCA, with plans for a long-term agreement to follow.
• The YMCA will be expanding access to sailing classes through their summer programming.
• Sailing School registration is live at GLYC.com and links to the YMCA.
• The YMCA will continue to offer swimming and fitness classes at GLSS - YMCA. 
• The YMCA will be exploring opportunities for new classes and programs at GLSS - YMCA.
• GLSS will have a representative on the YMCA Board of Directors and will continue as a 501c3 organization with our own board and whose mission is unchanged, ‘To Grow Sailing and Community on Gull Lake.’
•  GLSS – YMCA will continue to be the home of the Brainerd Lakes High School Sailing Team sponsored by GLSS.
• The Gull Lake Yacht Club’s MC Fleet #104 and associated regattas will continue to sail from the GLSS – YMCA. 

• Cruises & Instruction
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Now Taking Bookings For the 2023 Season!

Welcome to Sail Pepin.

Join us for a splendid Lake Pepin cruise and shoreside coastal ambiance!   Now in our 27th year, we sail from Pepin, Wisconsin and Lake City, Minnesota.  Relax ashore on Pepin’s charming waterfront.  Enjoy fine wine, craft beers, small plates and live music at many great area restaurants.

Our Gift Certificates are good through the entire 2023 season and beyond

BAREBOAT CHARTERING NOW AVAILABLE FOR QUALIFIED SAILORS. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

Our offerings include:.

• Fun family & group sailboat rides
• Couples' Special private reservation for two
• Sailing instruction
• Weddings & wedding parties
• Bachelor & Bachelorette parties
• Family & personal events
• Client & staff appreciation
• Bareboat Chartering

Sail Pepin In The News

Red wing republican eagle - august 1st, 2019.

Lifestyle story on Sail Pepin in the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

Book with Sail Pepin to receive 10% off your stay at the historic St James Hotel

We operate four daily scheduled Lake Pepin sailboat cruises from our Pepin and Lake City locations. These charming river towns are superb gateways to beautiful Lake Pepin, home to exceptional outdoor and cultural activities – all just 45-90 minutes from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Rochester, La Crosse, Winona and Eau Claire. We’ve been providing sailboat rides, sailing instruction and corporate and youth sailing teambuilding programs since 1997. We serve the sailing communities in Minneapolis/St. Paul, greater Minnesota and western Wisconsin by offering a wide variety of Lake Pepin sail boat charters, sail boat rentals and sailing programs.

              Holiday and Special Occasion gift certificates now available!                                                                  715-442-2250 or [email protected]  

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715-442-2250 [email protected]

2024 SAILING SCHOOL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Pelican lake yacht club and sailing school, learn through practice, a lifetime of adventure, welcome to plyc.

The Pelican Lake Yacht Club  (PLYC) supports safe and fun sailing on Pelican Lake. We hold numerous social events and activities throughout the year, and we operate the PLYC Club House and sailboat moorings. As well, we are associated closely with  the Pelican Lake Sailing School (PLSS) – a Minnesota non-profit organizaion that focuses on youth sailing. Adult lessons are also available.

Fee Summary

• Club Membership: $75 per family/household;  supports fun and safe sailing, access to the Club House & supports social activities.
• Racing Members: $310; includes per boat racing fee & Club Membership dues.
• Mooring/Members: $840; includes sailboat slip rental & Club Membership dues; add $85 (total $925) to become a racing member.

Basic Membership Fee

Membership & racing fee, membership & mooring fee, membership, mooring and racing fee, additional fees, racing fee-student, items online pay, plyc officers for 2024.

• Commodore - Evan Furr Commodore - Evan Furr
• Vice Commodore - Tom Frei Vice Commodore - Tom Frei
• Treasurer - Ryan Grindeland Treasurer - Ryan Grindeland
• Secretary - Teri Lantz Secretary - Teri Lantz
• Sailing School Chairman - Jeff Peltier Sailing School Chairman - Jeff Peltier
• Sailing School Director - Evan Furr Sailing School Director - Evan Furr
• Facility/Slip Chairman - Dick Chadinha Facility/Slip Chairman - Dick Chadinha
• Communications - Jeff Peltier Communications - Jeff Peltier
• PLYC Regatta Chairman - Tom Frei PLYC Regatta Chairman - Tom Frei
• MC Fleet Captain - David Schlossman MC Fleet Captain - David Schlossman
• Open Fleet Captain - Dan Sprouls Open Fleet Captain - Dan Sprouls
• Commodore Retired - Paul Horstmann Commodore Retired - Paul Horstmann
• Commodore Retired - Bob Leonard Commodore Retired - Bob Leonard

Support Our Youth Sailing Program

For more information about the Yacht Club  or Sailing School, contact us at   [email protected] Pelican Lake Sailing School, Inc. is a 501(c) non-profit and donations can be made online or sent to: Pelican Lake Sailing School, PO Box 7492, Fargo ND  58106.

Search for information, find activities, or browse board meetings and agendas.

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The historic agreement helping to address racial and economic equity across neighborhood parks.

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Indoor Swimming Lessons

We offer youth swim lessons for various ages and skill levels.

Pre-Level 1:  Pre-Level 1 is an introduction swimming lessons for 3 to 5 year olds. Water adjustment and skills involving movement in the water will be taught along with skills for basic forms of swimming and appropriate water safety skills.

Level 1:  Level 1 is designed for the non-swimmer ages 5 years and older. Participants orient themselves with the aquatics environment and create a strong foundation to aquatics and safety skills.

Level 2:  Level 2 is designed for students to expand on fundamental swimming and safety skills.

Level 3 : Level 3 is designed to increase swimming skills and practice non-swimming rescue skills.

Level 4:  Level 4 is designed to develop confidence in strokes and safety skills beyond the preceding levels.

Call 612-230-6495 or email [email protected] for more information.

Summer Swimming Lessons

• Lake Nokomis Park
• North Commons Park
• Northeast Park
• Theodore Wirth Regional Park
• Webber Park

Jr. Swim Club

The Jr. Swim Club will offer 6 training pods for youth to experience swim team, learning stroke technique, foundations of water safety, discipline, while gaining strength and endurance. Pods practice once a week for 6 weeks. Participants must be able to jump from side of pool, submerge, orientate, and stand in 3.5 ft. of water unassisted.

Scholarships are available to Minneapolis residents who qualify. Please call (612) 230-6495 or email [email protected]

Call 612-230-6476 or email [email protected] for more information.

Learn about Minneapolis lakes, the wildlife they support and the importance of water quality.

• Canoes, paddles and life jackets provided
• Firm limit of 12 people per canoe trip
• Please bring your own drinking water

Call 612-313-7725 for more information.

Log Rolling

Log rolling is a sport with strong historical roots in the Midwest, but is new and unique to many.

• Get your heart pumping, improve balance, agility, footwork, core strength, and build mental toughness and concentration
• Four-week sessions for youth and adults
• Taught by experienced and elite-level log rollers

Bde Maka Ska Thomas Beach Lake Nokomis Main Beach

Open Swim Club

• Lake Nokomis Main Beach

June 13 – August 24 Tuesday and Thursday: 5:30-7:30 pm Friday and Sunday: 9:30-11:30 am

• Cedar Lake Point Beach

June 19 – August 23 Monday and Wednesday: 5:30-7:30 pm

On a pragmatic level, participants should expect/ plan on parking being an issue, arriving ready to swim, limited Biffs for bathrooms, and exit the water and keep moving until you can be in a place that honors social distancing.

Check out our  Facebook page  for the most up-to-date information!

Cap Pickup Information:

Your swim cap is your ticket to swim! Please pick up your cap before your first swim at Lake Nokomis Main beach during the following times:

Saturday-Sunday: 1-7 pm June 3/4 and 10/11

Regular Season

Daily: 1-7 pm June 17-August 21

Open Water Swim Events

Sailing lessons.

Have fun learning the basics of sailing through our adult and youth sailing lessons.

• Learn tacking, gybing, knots, wind, boat rigging, and docking
• Skipper the boat and trim the sails of a Lido 14 foot sailboat equipped with both main and headsail
• Lesson includes four classes and each sailboat will have one coach with up to three students
• Life jackets provided
• Lessons held regardless of weather conditions
• Walk-on registrations permitted 20 minutes after the start of the first lesson if a registered sailor does not show

Location Lake Harriet

Youth rowing.

Learn to row for free on the Mississippi River in collaboration with the University of Minnesota women’s rowing team.

• Minneapolis residents ages 10-16
• Limited number of free registrations for a one-week rowing camp
• Hosted by current athletes and coaches
• Camps are NOT overnight and participants must have transportation to and from the site each day

You can practice on the boathouse rowing machines and train in the rowing tank before training in the water with the barge. Finish with the real thing: rowing an eight-person shell.

Camp Location East River Flats Park  – University of Minnesota Boathouse

Lifeguard Class

This course provides the essential training necessary to work as a professional lifeguard. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive certifications in Lifeguarding/CPR for the Professional Rescuer/First Aid/AED.

Participants must attend all portions of the course to be eligible for certification. All participants must complete the pre-course swim test, which includes a 300-yard continuous swim and simulated water rescue requiring a surface dive to a depth of 7-10 feet. The purpose of the pre-course test is to ensure that the participant demonstrates comfort in the water, along with enough speed, strength and endurance to perform a combination of basic skills that are required and built upon throughout the course. No refunds will be given to those who do not successfully complete course.

• Participants are eligible for Lifeguard Training Scholarship Program*
• 15+ years of age are eligible to register.
• Must successfully complete the pre-course swim skills.

* The Lifeguard Training Scholarship Program covers the full fee of the course . In order to qualify for the scholarship, the participant must agree to work for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board as a full-time lifeguard during the entire summer. The class will initially be paid in full by the participant at the cost of $200.00. The employee will sign a form that will tie them to the agreement to work 4 – 5 days per week/32 – 48 hours per week (less if inclement weather). Upon successful employment with the MPRB, the participant will receive a full reimbursement.

Phillips Aquatics Center 2323 11th Ave. S Minneapolis, MN 55404

Recreation Fee Assistance

Minneapolis residents who cannot afford instructional fees because of economic need may apply for fee assistance through the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board  Fee Assistance Program .

More Information

Email: [email protected]

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Park Board Announcements

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Short Video on Northern Breezes Sailing School

Based on Family & Friends Sailing Course in Pikes Bay Marina in Bayfield, Wisconsin - Apostle Islands!

Click for Short Video on Northern Breezes Sailing School

Short Video on Lake Superior Sailing Adventures

Northern Breezes Sailing School offers Lake Superior Adventures for beginners and experienced sailors! Sailing Adventures >

Click for Short Video on Lake Superior Sailing Adventures

Northern Breezes Sailing ASA Certified Sailing School, Sailing Adventures, safe, fun learning!

Asa certification courses.

Several Locations Northern Breezes is authorized by the American Sailing Association to train and certify students in all ASA courses.

View ASA Certification Courses

Sailing Adventures

Winter/Summer We host sailing excursions and educational trips to Key West, the Caribbean and the BVI. We also offer local friends and family sailing trips.

View Sailing Adventures

Real People Answer! If you need additional assistance or want to discuss the best options for you, feel free to contact the Northern Breezes office at 763-542-9707 or email us at [email protected].

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Northern Breezes Sailing Schools Duluth branch is located in the exciting twin ports of the Duluth Superior Harbor.

All of our instructors are licensed United States Coast Guard (USCG) Masters and American Sailing Association (ASA) certified sailing instructors. Classes are conducted on a fleet of well-maintained Hunter sailboats.

American Sailing Certifications Offered

ASA Veterans Sailing Education Program - Sign Up Now >>

At ASA we recognize the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who have served or are serving in our country's armed forces. As a token of our appreciation, and our way of saying thank you, we are inviting veterans and active military personnel to share our passion for sailing by offering a discount on our ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing course. Northern Breezes Sailing School – Duluth is offering a minimum of $50.00 or 10% off their ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing course.

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Sailing, rowing & paddling, learn to sail, sailing: come sail away.

Come Sail Away is an exceptional and affordable course for those with an urge to get out on the water. 

Sailing is a challenging sport. To help ensure the safety of everyone on board, a good sailor must have a healthy respect for Mother Nature, known as Seamanship, and must always be aware of the shifting winds and the changing waters.

Classes are designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for safe and enjoyable recreational sailing. Each class it taught by certified instructors who have a passion for being on the water. Classes will take place out of Phalen Lakeside Activity Center .

Sailing Topics:

• Useful knots in sailing
• Sailing terminology
• Rules of the road for sailors
• Sailing rescues for students & others
• Sailing to all points of the wind

Learn to Paddle, Row or Scull

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation partners with the organizations below to offer opportunities for our community to get on the water and learn rowing and paddlesports. Please reach out to them directly if you have questions or want to give their programs a try.

Rowing: Minnesota Boat Club

The Minnesota Boat Club has been promoting health and fitness through the sport of rowing since 1870. Generations of rowers have rowed on the Mississippi in downtown Saint Paul from the historic boathouse that is located on the shores of Raspberry Island underneath the Wabasha bridge. The boat club offers programs for a wide variety of competitive and recreational rowers and conducts high school and adult rowing classes. Visit their website for more information about the club or to try out rowing.

Minnesota Boat Club

Sprint Kayaking and Canoeing: Twin Cities Paddlesports       

Twin Cities Paddlesports is a club for beginner to advanced youth paddlers ages 10-18 interested in competition sprint kayaking and canoeing. Beginners will gain confidence on the water and develop skills through weekly practices and fun competitions between teammates. Experienced paddlers will have the opportunity to take their love for the sport to a new level under the guidance of coaches and participate in competitions with other clubs if they choose. Visit the Twin Cities Paddlesports website for more information.

Twin Cities Paddlesports

Lake Phalen Rowing

Lake Phalen Rowing is a not-for-profit community rowing organization located in St. Paul on the calm waters of Lake Phalen. We offer adult programs for competitive and recreational rowers. Adult Learn-to-Row classes are also offered. Youth (age 13-18) can participate in team boats immediately without any prior experience. We are an inclusive community that ignites a passion for rowing by encouraging the development of rowers, and celebrating team and individual success so every rower can experience the life-long benefits of rowing. We are a proud member of USRowing and all coaches are USRowing Certified.

Last Edited: November 30, 2023

For more information on Saint Paul Aquatics programs, call (651) 642-0253.

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Katherine kersten: extremist ideology has already hijacked minnesota's social studies classes.

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On Oct. 7, 2023, the world witnessed Hamas' brutal invasion of Israel — the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. In the days that followed, loud voices attempted to excuse or justify this heinous act, both in Minnesota and elsewhere.

They did so using the rhetoric of an extremist ideology that views historical tensions and conflicts through a one-dimensional, politicized lens. This ideology reduces the complex history of Israel and Palestine to a caricature, and portrays Israel as an illegitimate state — an oppressive "colonizer" — whose victims are entitled to forcibly throw off their oppressor. The vocabulary used to justify this violence includes terms and concepts such as "decolonization," "settler-colonialism," "dispossession" and "resistance."

Minnesotans will likely be surprised and disturbed to learn that our state's new K-12 social studies standards are littered with these buzzwords, which are at the heart of "decolonization" ideology.

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has portrayed the standards — which were formally adopted in January 2024 after a four-year process — as unifying. In reality, they will divide our young people by group identity, teach them to view social life as a zero-sum power struggle between oppressors (bad) and victims (good), and convert public schools into boot camps for political activism.

In the new standards, the connection between "decolonization" ideology and Israel is made explicit in the examples that, according to MDE, "clarify the meaning" of the grade-level benchmarks. MDE has not made these examples public, indicating it will provide them separately to explain how schools should implement the standards. However, Center of the American Experiment obtained the examples, which appeared in MDE's September 2021 working draft, through a public data request.

In connection with one standard, for instance, students are instructed to "describe how individuals and communities have fought" for "liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power." In another, they must "analyze the impact of colonialism" and in a third, they must "analyze dominant and non-dominant narratives." In all three cases, Israel-Palestine is highlighted as an example. Likewise, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is held up as an immigrant who has made "contributions" to "political ideas."

How did biased, ideologically freighted concepts of this kind — which appear designed to enlist young people behind a political agenda — become a centerpiece of what Minnesota students will soon learn in their social studies classrooms?

To answer, we must investigate who wrote the new standards and why. A political advocacy organization called "Education for Liberation Minnesota" and its offshoot, the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition (MESC), played a central role in drafting the standards. EdLib MN describes its mission as being "a force" in Minnesota to "contend with the status quo of colonial education that prioritizes Eurocentric curricula." On its website, EdLib MN states that in 2020, "the decision was made to pack" the MDE-appointed social studies revision committee with its members and allies, who "authored" the new ethnic studies standards.

EdLib MN created MESC in 2019 to spearhead a campaign to inject politicized, or "liberated," ethnic studies into K-12 classrooms across Minnesota. This campaign had two objectives: to rewrite the state's social studies standards and to push a comprehensive ethnic studies bill through the Minnesota Legislature, according to EdLib MN's website.

At "Ethnic Studies Day at the Capitol" in February 2023, MESC and EdLib MN portrayed their brand of ethnic studies as "an unequaled opportunity to bridge the ethnic and cultural divide" in our state's classrooms. But out of the public eye, Brian Lozenski — a leader of both organizations — forthrightly acknowledged ethnic studies' political agenda and its deep-seated anti-Israel animus.

"Ethnic Studies explores the colonial roots of the dispossession of Palestinian land and the creation of Zionism," wrote Lozenski in 2022 in a Convergence magazine article he co-authored with pro-Palestinian activists like Lara Kiswani, who directs the extremist California-based Arab Resource and Organizing Center . "Given the devastating impact of Israeli colonialism," "studying Israeli settler colonialism in comparison to U.S. settler colonialism" is "at the heart of the discipline of Ethnic Studies."

"But even the suggestion that Palestine might be mentioned is enough to bring forth well-funded organized attacks from pro-Israeli lobby groups," the authors continued. They denounced, by name, "Islamophobic and Zionist organizations" like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

At the State Capitol, EdLib MN and MESC lined up behind HF 1502, the "Ethnic Studies for All" bill, whose motives were equally suspect. In May 2023, the bill's provisions were largely folded into the final education omnibus bill and signed into law.

Brian Lozenski served as chief testifier for HF 1502. Its sponsor was Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, whom the Twin Cities-Democratic Socialists of America endorsed in 2022. This party's sympathies are well known. On Oct. 9, 2023, its leaders issued a statement blaming the Hamas invasion on Israel, condemning Israel's alleged "settler-colonial violence and dispossession," and vowing to "fight border fascism wherever it rears its hideous head."

Liberated ethnic studies has now successfully invaded our public schools via two fronts — MDE's new K-12 social studies standards and the 2023 omnibus legislation, which requires that ethnic studies ideology be embedded in every academic subject and grade.

The new law also officially entrenched MESC and EdLib MN as powerful players in our state's public education arena. The law created a permanent ethnic studies working group at MDE and charged it with designing a statewide ethnic studies framework, recommending teacher training and developing instructional resources. The group must be chosen "with input from the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition ." Its members — whom MDE announced on April 1 — include Brian Lozenski.

In the future, Minnesota students will be pressured to engage in political activism to demonstrate mastery of the social studies standards. MDE's "Statement of Need and Reasonableness" for the standards, issued in 2023, makes this clear.

"Students should use their learning in Social Studies as a launching pad for action," the statement declares. Among MDE's recommended actions for students is formulating "potential resolutions of present and controversial global problems."

It is disturbing, then, to learn that on Oct. 17, 2023, EdLib MN issued a public call to students to join a "Student Walkout for Gaza," in the form of a retweet from the national Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies, of which both MESC and Ed Lib MN are members .

EdLib MN's message included a link to an organizing tool kit for students from the Arab Resource and Organizing Center , whose director co-authored Brian Lozenski's Convergence article. The tool kit laid out a step-by-step guide, along with timetables, media talking points, and templates for protest signs and chants. One sign reads, "Decolonize Palestine," and features a masked woman hurling a rock, with a burning police car behind it.

Students at Edina High School took just such action on Oct. 25, walking out of school and chanting "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" — widely understood as a call to eliminate Israel.

Minnesotans should be aware that Israel isn't the only nation in the cross hairs of decolonization ideology. The new social studies standards also portray the U.S. as a suspect "colonial" power that students should "resist."

Minnesota has sleepwalked into an extremist hijacking of our public schools.

Katherine Kersten ( [email protected] ) is a senior policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment.

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