ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A new Minnesota advocacy group is presenting its solutions for closing the persistent academic achievement gap between the state's white students and racial minorities.

The Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now, or MinnCAN, presented statistics on the achievement gap and the group's three policy proposals for closing it during a Monday news conference.

The group says Minnesota public schools have one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation, and it's getting worse.

MinnCAN is calling for the creation of new ways to get talented people into teaching, creating a trusted system for measuring teacher effectiveness and implementing a system for measuring pre-schools so parents can make good choices for their young children.

The group is supported by long list of business and philanthropic leaders.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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