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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), together with the Region 10 Comprehensive Center (R10CC), conducted a survey of educators in Minnesota public schools to better understand which schools are implementing competency-based education (CBE) practices and to learn more about their goals, successes, and challenges. These insights will help others develop policies and practices that support learner-centered approaches in our schools. The research found that: (1) Minnesota is home to a motivated community of practitioners and a variety of school types implementing practices aligned with competency-based education (CBE); (2) Respondents reported implementing the majority of identified CBE practices in a variety of grade levels and contexts; (3) The implementation of CBE practices lacks coherence between and within schools and districts; (4) There is a lack of alignment between some CBE practices and existing systems and structures; and (5) Barriers to effective implementation are mostly internal. Respondents cited teacher capacity and attitudes as the most common challenges they've had to overcome when implementing CBE practices.

The Collaborative Minnesota Partnerships to Advance Student Success (COMPASS), a statewide education system designed to support schools' and districts' efforts to accelerate student learning, offers professional development opportunities with various levels of support. Through COMPASS school districts and charter schools are provided a variety of resources, evidence-based practices, and facilitated guidance to support schools in areas of Literacy, Math, and School Climate and Mental Health using the Minnesota Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MnMTSS) continuous improvement framework. As part of the federally-funded Region 10 Comprehensive Center (R10CC), the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota has collaborated with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to develop a wealth of written resources to support implementation of MnMTSS across Minnesota schools and districts. This brief summarizes what was learned from three Minnesota school districts who participated in COMPASS cohort learning experiences. The report introduces each district and describes how their teams engaged in the cohort courses, how their participation impacted local MnMTSS development and implementation, and what lessons they learned along the way.

This report describes and synthesizes implementation determinants and strategies to promote uptake and sustained implementation of comprehensive school mental health and trauma-sensitive practices in schools. The present synthesis of studies and reports emphasizes use of relevant and efficient practices with empirical support at the state, district, and school levels to promote comprehensive school mental health and trauma-sensitive practices.

Youth mental health concerns are on the rise and can have serious implications for student well-being and success (Clayborne et al., 2019). Consequently, more educators and mental health professionals are identifying mental health as an important student need (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021). This report summarizes the key principles underlying comprehensive school mental health and trauma sensitive schools. The present synthesis of studies and reports emphasizes core features, key principles, and associated core components. [This report was co-produced by the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative and originally prepared for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).]

Wisconsin's Circles of Reflection (CoR) addresses early learning challenges and opportunities for American Indian or Alaskan Native (AI/AN) children and families. Developed by the National Comprehensive Center's Native Education Collaborative, CoR engages state, tribal, and local education agencies in cycles of issue discovery, stakeholder engagement, and implementation planning to provide high quality, motivating educational experiences that improve Native students' academic attainment. Recognizing historical inequities, Wisconsin's Act 31 requires K-12 educators to build knowledge on Tribes in the state so that they can accurately teach about these Nations and their sovereignty. Despite Act 31, challenges still exist. Non-Indigenous educators, policy makers, and leaders have difficulty entering authentic partnerships to improve Native student education due to insufficient knowledge and capacity concerning tribal history, culture, and sovereignty. CoR provides a way to address these issues by honoring the expertise and sovereignty of Native educators while deepening DPI's understanding of critical aspects of Native student education. The project's ultimate goal is to develop a more collaborative relationship between the Nations, the educators instructing their students, and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), leading to concrete improvements for students. This report examines how CoR's multi-jurisdictional approach can be part of long-term, structural changes in how Wisconsin engages with Wisconsin's 12 Tribal Nations to address systemic gaps and historic inequities.

A major purpose of this ongoing project was to develop a shared understanding and language among divisions of the Minnesota Department of Education regarding the Multi Tiered System of Support Framework (MTSS) (e.g., School Climate; Teaching and Learning; Special Education; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) to more efficiently and consistently support local educational agencies (LEAs) and provide districts with tools, resources, and technical assistance to support implementation. The project developed a unifying framework for guiding continuous improvement, connecting silos, and enhancing collaboration. This report describes the project outcomes.

This policy brief examines one type of "leak" in the Wisconsin educator pipeline, a leak in the number of recent graduates from one of the state's 40+ educator preparation programs (EPPs) electing to work in Illinois or Minnesota public schools. While this group is numerically small, with just 38 Wisconsin 2017-18 EPP completers working in Illinois in 2018-19 and another 287 working in Minnesota, these subgroups combined represent almost 7% of all Wisconsin EPP completers from 2017-18. Additionally, nearly one-fifth (19.8%) of Wisconsin EPP completers were not working in Wisconsin public schools the following year. Available data only allow us to look at losses for a single cohort of Wisconsin EPP completers (from 2017-18); however, the trends uncovered warrant a deeper exploration of potential patterns from other years that could constitute a "leak" in the WI educator pipeline. [For the brief summary, see ED627843.]

This policy brief is one in a series which examines selected topics related to Wisconsin's educator workforce. This brief presents a descriptive profile of Wisconsin's principal and assistant principal labor force over the past 20 years in terms of key attributes such as counts of both types of administrators, selected demographic characteristics (including gender, race/ethnicity, age, and years of experience), and distribution across locale type (urban, suburban, town, rural) and region of the state. Specific questions this brief addresses are as follows: (1) How has the number of principals and assistant principals working in Wisconsin public schools changed over the past two decades, and how does this compare to trends in student enrollment; (2) How has the distribution of Wisconsin principals and assistant principals by locale type and region of the state (including the state's largest districts) changed over the past two decades; and (3) How have selected characteristics of Wisconsin's principals and assistant principals changed over time? [For "Selected Characteristics of Teachers in Wisconsin Public Schools, 1999-00 to 2020-21," see ED624420.]

This policy brief is one in a series which examines selected topics related to Wisconsin's educator workforce. The goal of this brief is to present a descriptive profile of Wisconsin's teacher labor force over the past 20 years in terms of key attributes such as overall numbers of teachers, what they teach, and where they teach, and selected demographic characteristics (including gender, race/ethnicity, age, and years of experience). Specific questions this brief addresses are as follows: (1) How has the number of teaching staff in Wisconsin public schools changed over the past two decades, and how does this compare to trends in student enrollment; (2) How has the distribution of Wisconsin teachers across area of teaching assignment, geographic locale type (including the state's largest districts), and region of the state changed over the past two decades; and (3) How have selected characteristics of Wisconsin's teaching force (gender, race/ethnicity, age, years of experience, and highest degree held) changed over time? [For "Selected Characteristics of Principals and Assistant Principals in Wisconsin Public Schools, 1999-00 to 2019-20," see ED624419.]

This policy brief, produced by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as part of the Region 10 Comprehensive Center, is one in a series examining selected topics related to Wisconsin's educator workforce. The goal of this brief is to summarize key trends in the use of emergency credentials within Wisconsin's public schools in recent years, which is a topic of interest for at least two reasons. A first reason is that increased reliance by Wisconsin school districts on emergency credentials as a strategy for filling vacant positions would serve as a meaningful indicator that widely-reported shortages of educators are worsening. A second policy implication associated with emergency credentials is a potential equity issue. To the extent that emergency credentials are being used by some districts and schools more than others, particularly for teaching positions and by districts and schools with higher shares of traditionally marginalized students, state and local policymakers should question whether additional supports and resources may be necessary to ensure that all students have access to highly-qualified educators.

This summary report highlights the key findings across all three iterations of the Minnesota Safe Learning Survey. Consistently, all three respondent groups, across all three survey distributions reported concerns about mental health, a message heard far beyond this survey. As time pressed on and educators, students, and families adapted and became quite flexible, moving in and out of various modes of learning, sometimes in masks, sometimes in quarantine, they reported that learning got better as did approaches to communication and relationship building. [The following people collaborated on this report: Heather Mueller, Wendy Hatch, Denise Specht, Deborah Henton, Jon Millerhagen, and Kirk Schneidawind. For "Minnesota Safe Learning Survey: Winter 2021 Survey of Minnesota Educators, Families, and Students" (ED615428). For "Minnesota Safe Learning Survey: Spring 2021 Survey of Minnesota Educators, Families, and Students" (ED615427). The Fall 2021 report is not available on the publisher's website at this time.]

The Minnesota Multi-tiered System of Support (MnMTSS) Roadmap describes a process for districts to evaluate their current levels of implementation, plan for continuous improvement towards optimum operation, and monitor systemic fidelity and implementation progress. The MnMTSS Roadmap includes self-evaluation tools which measure the implementation of the MnMTSS Framework components and subcomponents. Districts integrate improvement efforts into one improvement plan, based on results of the self-evaluation. Progress on this plan is monitored at least annually.

Seeking to understand the experiences of educators, families, and students in K-12 public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC)--working with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)--has developed the Safe Learning Survey that is being conducted at three intervals: Winter (February), Spring (May-June), and Fall (October-November), 2021. To date, two public reports have been published sharing the results of the Safe Learning Surveys conducted in the Winter (February) and Spring (May-June) of 2021. These reports provide a comprehensive description of the findings for each survey: (1) Winter 2021 Minnesota Safe Learning Survey (ED615428); and (2) Spring 2021 Minnesota Safe Learning Survey (ED615427). The purpose of this companion brief is to provide additional information disaggregated (i.e., broken down) by district geography and student race/ethnicity on five key themes and potential areas for policy and practice improvement: learning, connectedness, engagement, technology, and racism and racial microaggressions. Such disaggregation of data is an important step in understanding how to provide equitable supports that are tailored to the needs of particular communities. [The following people collaborated on this report: Heather Muller, Wendy Hatch, Denise Specht, Deborah Henton, Jon Millerhagen, and Kirk Schneidawind.]

As the 2020-2021 school year began, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC)--working with Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and housed at the University of Minnesota's (UMN) Center for Applied Research & Educational Improvement (CAREI), the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC), and Education Analytics (EA)-- determined that surveys of educators, students, and families over the course of the school year would be prudent to capture the experiences of these key groups, learn from this unprecedented time, and plan for the future. This survey, the Safe Learning Survey, was developed to get a true picture of how those being most impacted by the MDE's Safe Learning Plan are experiencing it. The survey is being deployed at three intervals, Winter (February), Spring (May-June), and Fall (October) 2021, with statewide reports following the conclusion of each survey window. The second Safe Learning Survey, the subject of this report, was conducted from May 5, 2021 to June 18, 2021. Over 10,500 respondents, including 2,844 educators, 1,685 students, and 6,004 family members completed the survey this spring. Although the survey was sent statewide via school and district leaders, somewhat uneven and concentrated responses, both geographically and by respondent type, were observed. Additionally, the response rate for this second survey was approximately half the size of that for the first survey from the winter of 2021. It is the continued hope of the WMCC that data from the Minnesota Safe Learning Surveys will continue to provide insights as to how educators, students, and families are feeling about school during this unprecedented time in history. [For the first report, "Minnesota Safe Learning Survey: Winter 2021 Survey of Minnesota Educators, Families, and Students," see ED615428. This report was co-produced by the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development.]

Much of history demonstrates the detriment schools inflicted on students of color, Indigenous students, and their families. Schools once operated to destroy the culture and communities of Indigenous students, remove the accents of Latinx children to make them more American-- teaching them to be "clean" and acceptable, and ensure Black students were uneducated and remained in the fields. However currently Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) students now represent the majority of the public school population. This alone should trigger schools to reflect on and, in many cases, reevaluate how they are instructing students, academically and socially. Even more so, the historical relationship of schools and BIPOC students should prompt leaders to move from centering whiteness and exclusivity to culturally responsive schooling. Minnesota ranks near the bottom of all U.S. states in shrinking the achievement gaps between students of color and white students. It also has a history of disproportionate discipline practices towards Black and brown students. This brief offers a framework to enact this change through Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL). The four major components of CRSL are: (1) critical self-awareness; (2) culturally responsive curricula and teacher preparation; (3) culturally responsive and inclusive school environments; and (4) engaging students and partners in community context.

The Wisconsin-Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC)--housed at the University of Minnesota's (UMN) Center for Applied Research & Educational Improvement (CAREI), the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC), and Education Analytics (EA)--works directly with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) on specific projects to benefit students and educators across the state of Minnesota. In the spring of 2020, the WMCC gathered information about districts' and individuals' experiences with distance learning by conducting focus groups with a variety of stakeholders (a total of 25 sessions with 153 participants) and completing a systematic review of a sample of over 250 district distance learning plans from across the state. Information from these sources, as well as a wealth of information from educators collected through the University of Minnesota's Spring 2020 Minnesota PK-12 Distance Learning Survey, was used to inform the WMCC's decision to develop a statewide survey to gather longitudinal feedback regarding the state's Safe Learning Plan amid the continued navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The WMCC developed the Minnesota Safe Learning Survey to examine educators', students' (grades 6-12), and families' educational experiences during the first half of the 2020-21 academic year. The purpose of this survey was to get a true picture of how those being most impacted by the Safe Learning Plan are experiencing it. The survey will be deployed at three intervals, February, May, and October 2021, with statewide reports following the conclusion of each survey window. This is the first of three reports that will be produced. This information will inform future MDE planning and support that the WMCC and the UMN's College of Education and Human Development may be able to provide MDE, policymakers, districts, and schools. Over 23,000 respondents, including 9,333 educators, 2,988 students, and 11,651 family members completed the survey between February 8 and February 26, 2021. Although the survey was sent statewide via school and district leaders, somewhat uneven and concentrated responses, both geographically and by respondent type, were observed. It is the hope of the WMCC that data from the Minnesota Safe Learning Surveys will continue to provide insights as to how educators, students, and families are feeling about school during this unprecedented time in history. [This report was co-produced by the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development.]

Leaders across the state of Minnesota and nation proclaim to want to diversify the educator workforce. However, the reality nationwide is that less than 20% of teachers who teach a student population that is at least 51% students of color are teachers of color (Ingersoll et al., 2018). What follows are a number of research briefs organized around a theory of action for diversifying the educator workforce. Each of the components of this theory of action is supported by a brief that overviews the literature and evidenced based practices. These briefs are intended to help leaders at the local, state, and national levels not only confirm the necessity, the 'Why', of diversifying the educator workforce, but also to begin to gain a better understanding of the 'How'.

This series of rapid briefs is being developed by the Wisconsin-Minnesota Comprehensive Center - Region 10 (WMCC10). The purpose of these briefs is to provide succinct and timely guidance on best practices for schools and school-based early learning programs regarding the assessment of student learning, with the goal of informing instructional planning and decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief synthesizes guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and existing guidance offered by professional educational associations, assessment/test vendors, state departments of education, and educational organizations. This brief is intended for instructional and school/program leaders (including but not limited to principals, curriculum directors, instructional coaches, assessment coordinators, early learning coordinators, and special education administrators).

During the 2020-21 school year, Wisconsin districts applied to the Department of Public Instruction for waivers to respond to the evolving public health pandemic. This analysis, which focuses on districts utilizing Hours of Instruction and Length of School Day flexibilities, was designed to take stock of what was learned during this unusual year and to uncover possible new innovations. In June of 2021, the text of 110 waiver applications was analyzed for key themes. While some districts submitted waivers preemptively in anticipation of a need, others sought flexibility in response to urgent circumstances. As a result, original waiver language may not have reflected the strategies ultimately used. To better understand district experiences, districts were surveyed and interviewed during July of 2021. WMCC also did a brief web scan of innovative ideas from across the country to provide additional context for this analysis.

This document summarizes a review of research, evaluation, resources, and stakeholder knowledge related to the topic of remote support for English Learners. Databases used for conducting this review included Google Scholar, ERIC, and JSTOR. Search terms used include but are not limited to "remote learning support English learners"; "English language learners" AND "remote education". However, searches within these databases returned limited applicable resources. Many of the peer-reviewed articles found within these search parameters returned results mostly applicable to adult learners. It seems as though much of this research for K-12 learners will be forthcoming. Thus, for purposes of this review, resources were included from trusted organizations. These resources were found through Google searches using phrases such as "EL students remote learning support" and "EL student support COVID-19". These resources provide information pertinent to the current COVID-19 situation, information which is seemingly not yet widely available in peer-reviewed journals. Findings have been separated into two tables: one includes links to online resources and one includes peer-reviewed articles. Despite the difference in resource type, findings across resources share common themes to consider.

This document summarizes a review of research, evaluation, resources, and stakeholder knowledge related to the topic of "Remote Learning Support for Students with Disabilities." Databases used for conducting this review included: Google Scholar, EBSCO general Academic Search, EBSCO ERIC, and 'Disability in the Modern World.' Literature from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals were reviewed (noted with an asterisk), along with conference papers, reports, and resources from education research centers and institutions. The search was limited to studies and sources published from 2000-2020. Sources were also vetted for readability. Search terms used include but are not limited to: "Remote Learning Support for Students with Disabilities" or "Remote learning support." The search for resources about "Remote Learning Support for Students with Disabilities" turned up many research papers and also a handful of resources from research and education centers. The knowledge database describes these resources in two tables, one for research papers and one for technical assistance and education centers. Overall, findings indicate that challenges involved with remote learning for students with disabilities are not new and that over the last five years, many resources have been developed. A handful of themes, listed in this review, emerged from the knowledge base.

The Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) has conducted a review of relevant literature on and existing efforts to promote youth participation in decision making, particularly in the context of education. The purpose of this review is to support capacity building efforts within the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI) and the School of Education at UW-Madison (UW SOE) towards family engagement and youth participatory decision making in K12 schools. This review resulted in two 'knowledge bases': (1) a review of the research, evidence, and theoretical work about youth participatory decision making; and (2) a review of existing efforts towards youth participatory decision-making. The "literature review" knowledge base lists research papers from within the last 15 years. It includes examples of youth participatory decision making that have been studied and also frameworks defining and operationalizing different forms of youth engagement efforts. The "review of existing efforts" knowledge base describes youth participatory decision making programs that have education as a main focus. Entries are organized into geographic categories: international; US: national and regional; state efforts outside of Wisconsin; Wisconsin efforts at WI DPI; WI efforts outside WI DPI; and local efforts, including at WI school districts.

This document summarizes a review of research, evaluation, resources, and stakeholder knowledge related to the topic of interventions for struggling adolescent readers. Databases used for conducting this review included Google Scholar and ERIC. Literature from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals was reviewed, along with national reading and literacy organizations' websites and white papers from state departments of education and national education organizations. The search primarily was limited to studies and sources published from 2000-2020. Search terms used include but are not limited to: "struggling adolescent readers", "struggling" AND "intervention" AND "adolescent readers", "struggling" AND "adolescent" AND "intervention" AND "policy", etc.

This document was created in response to a request from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to the Wisconsin Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC) Region 10 to provide information on high-quality, qualitative studies about K-2 explicit, systematic phonics instruction. This document is intended to supplement the review document: "Explicit, Systematic Phonics Instruction." This document contains additional resources and theories that may be useful in creating a comprehensive K-2 reading program. It is meant for internal use by the Department of Public Instruction to inform professional development provided to Wisconsin districts, schools and appropriate stakeholders. [For the original review, see ED612073.]

This document was created in response to a request from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to the Wisconsin Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC) Region 10 to provide information on high-quality, qualitative studies about explicit, systematic phonics instruction in grades K-2. It is meant for internal use by the Department of Public Instruction to inform professional development provided to Wisconsin districts, schools, and appropriate stakeholders. The review, with the exception of one research brief from the International Literacy Association, utilizes only material from peer-reviewed journals. Using peer-reviewed articles helps ensure that the articles use rigorous methodology, answer meaningful research questions, and draw valid conclusions. Sources and databases used include Google Scholar; ERIC; "Journal of Early Childhood Literacy;" "Journal of Literacy Research;" "Language Arts;" and the International Literacy Association. [For a supplement to this review, see ED612072.]

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced school districts and state education agencies (SEAs) across the country to pivot abruptly to universal K12 remote learning. In Wisconsin, Emergency Order #1 required all public and private schools in the state to close as of March 18th, 2020 and remain closed through the end of the school year. The effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 while also maintaining continuity of learning for students meant districts and schools had to quickly, in the span of 8-10 days, develop and implement remote learning plans. The purpose of this initial scan was to take a systematic snapshot of the development of remote learning plans in school districts in Wisconsin during the Spring of 2020. The primary intent is to identify promising practices that emerged within the context of COVID-19 to share these practices with school districts (LEAs) and to inform how the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) might target assistance and resources moving forward. An additional purpose of this scan was to recognize promising practices that ensure equitable and high-quality learning opportunities for students in future remote learning circumstances. The scan is not intended to be used to identify and call out specific districts, but instead as a formative learning tool to improve plans and SEA support structures.

This document summarizes a review of research, evaluation, resources, and stakeholder knowledge related to the topic of translation services for schools and districts. Databases used for conducting this review included Google Scholar and ERIC. Literature from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals was reviewed (noted with an asterisk), along with reports on translation services from reputable institutions. This review also includes information on specific translation services as well as information from trustworthy organizations on best practices for communicating with multilingual families. The search also resulted in translation and communication guidelines and plans for various states and districts. Overall, findings of this review suggest that translation services, when used appropriately and when accompanied with professional development and support, can help schools effectively communicate with all families.

In addition to providing context to why the teaching workforce is 80% white, this brief presents ways that practitioners and leaders can successfully keep teachers of color in the classroom. The five key values that frame the research in this brief are: (1) location; (2) use; (3) maintenance; (4) modification; and (5) time. Each section provides research-driven recommendations.

As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates existing racial inequities, the spotlight shines on Minnesota's gaps in income, health care, housing, and college completion rates. Most notably, COVID-19 is significantly impacting K-12 education. Forced to evacuate school buildings and shift to teaching and learning online, this is a necessary time to reflect on and reevaluate K-12 education. In 2018, researchers examined the state of teaching in the United States. Covering approximately three decades of teaching, the researchers highlight seven notable trends in the United States teaching workforce that are examined in this report. The current state of teaching in Minnesota is also examined in this report. The authors draw parallels in the themes identified by the state of teaching in the United States and Minnesota.

According to the 2019 Biannual Teacher Supply and Demand Report, approximately 25% of teachers in Minnesota left the teaching profession for personal reasons. A trend of teacher instability-- particularly amongst teachers of color--is high and is shown to be influenced by working conditions. A lack of teacher classroom autonomy, administrative support, and faculty influence in decision making negatively impacted attrition rates of teachers of color. The research of the workplace environment for teachers of color is still growing and further honing in on more specific and nuanced ways of understanding how they navigate school spaces. This brief is meant to assist schools and educational spaces with beginning to alter their workplace environments to become more inclusive, safe, and inviting for teachers of color in efforts not simply to recruit and retain them, but to systemically embed and normalize their contributions, value, and place in schools.

This summary of the policy brief "Leaks in the Educator Pipeline: Wisconsin Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Completers Working in Illinois and Minnesota Public Schools" examines one type of "leak" in the Wisconsin educator pipeline. The source of these "leaks" are recent graduates from one of the state's 40+ educator preparation programs (EPPs) electing to work in Illinois or Minnesota public schools. The policy brief represents an attempt to quantify how many prospective educators Wisconsin "loses" in a given year to two of its neighboring states. [For the full brief, see ED627857.]

Exclusive photoproduction cross sections have been measured for the process $\gamma p \rightarrow p\pi^0(e^+e^-(\gamma))$ with the Dalitz decay final state using tagged photon energies in the range of $E_{\gamma} = 1.275-5.425$ GeV. The complete angular distribution of the final state $\pi^0$, for the entire photon energy range up to large values of $t$ and $u$, has been measured for the first time. The data obtained show that the cross section $d\sigma/dt$, at mid to large angles, decreases with energy as $s^{-6.89\pm 0.26} $. This is in agreement with the perturbative QCD quark counting rule prediction of $s^{-7} $. Paradoxically, the size of angular distribution of measured cross sections is greatly underestimated by the QCD based Generalized Parton Distribution mechanism at highest available invariant energy $s=11$ GeV$^2$. At the same time, the Regge exchange based models for $\pi^0$ photoproduction are more consistent with experimental data., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures