Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius told MPR the federal money will help "replicate high-performing charters and share those best practices across all schools." She also says the grant will help the state monitor the strengths and weaknesses of charter schools.

Nearly 4,000 charter school officials are expected to gather in Minneapolis this week to discuss the progress of the national movement -- which began 20 years ago when the nation's first charter school opened in St. Paul. Enrollment at charter schools in Minnesota has surged in the last decade, but the effectiveness is still being debated. MPR reports a new University of Minnesota study found students at Twin Cities area charter schools scored lower on math and reading tests than counterparts at traditional schools.

A new report from the St. Paul-based Center for School Change found enrollment in Minnesota charter schools has grown to just under 40,000 students. Meanwhile, enrollment at traditional public schools fell five percent in the same time period. Minnesota's first charter school opened 20 years ago in St. Paul.

The ACLU says the documents back up its claims that TiZA illegally funneled taxpayer money to its religious landlords and promoted Islam in the curriculum. The group also says it's looking into at least a dozen other charter schools with religious affiliations in Minnesota to see whether they might be blurring the lines between church and state.

In a follow-up to a study released in 2008, researchers from the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota claim "charters still lag behind their traditional counterparts academically and remain more highly segregated by race and income." But the director for the Center for School Change tells MinnPost there's more to the story.

State officials had moved to close the school, saying it wasn't meeting state standards. The order, however, is not final -- the state could still move to close the school. The Department of Education is reviewing the ruling.

A grassroots movement sparked by Occupy Wall Street to designate Nov 5. "Bank Transfer Day" has many Minnesotans doing just that.