Education
Missouri education board approves emergency rule freeing up money to expand child care
Missouri’s Board of Education changed a rule on Tuesday that had prevented many child care providers from accessing the $26 million in grant funding allocated by lawmakers this year. The grant money was set aside for community-based child care providers to expand access to pre-kindergarten but included certification requirements that shrank the pool of eligible […]
Karla Eslinger announced as Missouri’s next commissioner of education
State Sen. Karla Eslinger will be Missouri’s next commissioner of education beginning in June, the State Board of Education announced during its meeting Tuesday. Board President Charlie Shields told reporters Eslinger was the only candidate the board considered. The board has met in closed session twice since the last public meeting — in which current […]
Around the country, some states are mandating cursive writing in public schools
In 2016, California Democratic state Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva sat with then-California Gov. Jerry Brown at an event where he signed baseball-type cards featuring the image of his dog, Colusa. But many of the recipients of the cards couldn’t read his cursive signature, Quirk-Silva recalled, much to the Democratic governor’s dismay. “The governor asked me what […]
Kansas City Public Schools face grievances from maintenance and cafeteria workers’ union
In a matter of months, the union representing maintenance, custodial and cafeteria workers at Kansas City Public Schools went from a cordial relationship with the district to filing seven class-action grievances. The grievances include allegations that the district hasn’t delivered all raises laid out in the latest labor contract, has disciplined workers for using leave […]
Funding lag creates barrier for Missouri private school tax credit program
When students returned to classrooms around Missouri in August, only 601 had secured a scholarship through the MOScholars program as a returning recipient — half as many as were in the program in May. There were also 247 first-time participants. Three months into the school year, MOScholars has ballooned to 829 returning students and 675 […]
U.S. Department of Ed announces Dec. 31 rollout for new FAFSA
College financial aid applicants can expect the release of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, on Dec. 31, according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday. Schools and applicants in Virginia and elsewhere have been waiting eagerly for the announcement after the agency said on March 21 that it […]
Attempt to kill Biden student debt relief plan tied to income fails in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday night failed to garner enough votes to block a new Biden administration rule on an income-driven repayment plan for federal student loans. The resolution did not pass, 49-50. Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia was the sole Democrat who joined Republicans in backing the resolution. Sen. Tim […]
Kansas City Public Schools won’t arm officers in elementary schools after community feedback
Applause broke out at a Kansas City Public Schools advisory committee meeting on Wednesday when an employee announced the district was moving away from a proposal to add armed officers to elementary schools. In the end, district administrators heard too much opposition to putting more guns on school grounds — even in the holsters of […]
Missouri treasurer refuses Morningstar data request, accusing company of anti-Israel bias
Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek is refusing to turn over information about a state-sponsored education savings plan to an investment company he accuses of having questionable ties to China and an anti-Israel bias. Malek expressed his concerns about Morningstar in a letter to the company refusing its request for information about MOST 529, the Missouri-sponsored […]
Controversial PragerU videos gain educational foothold in a handful of states
In July, Florida became the first state to allow schools to incorporate instructional videos with a conservative viewpoint from vendor PragerU into their classroom materials. Oklahoma and Montana rapidly followed. New Hampshire in September approved the use of online PragerU videos to satisfy financial literacy requirements in public schools. PragerU and one state education board […]
Borrowers weigh personal, professional options as student loan payments resume
Justin Brown, a father of a 2-year-old who lives with his wife in the St. Louis area, has $20,000 in student loan debt. Before the pause on loan payments at the start of the pandemic in 2020, he paid $300 a month. But now that Brown has a family, his financial responsibilities have grown — […]
Missouri education leaders say social-emotional learning guidelines an ‘ongoing discussion’
Missouri education leaders knew establishing social-emotional learning guidelines for public schools would draw controversy, with some celebrating the idea and others decrying it as government overreach. So when the Missouri State Board of Education decided earlier this month to change course and pursue social-emotional learning as an optional framework instead of a statewide standard, the […]