Education

Voters can name whoever they want for the June 20 election, but two candidates are explicitly seeking the role — Spark Bookhart, who trains parents to influence public education through the Parent Power Lab, and Robert Sagastume, a senior student adviser with the Hispanic Development Fund. 

Last year, the Missouri legislature reduced the number of college credit hours required to be a substitute teacher from 60 — typical to earn an associate degree — to 36. Substitute teachers can also become certified without college credit hours by taking a 20-hour training course. 

Amid a legislative session marked by infighting, most education bills stalled. But a few of the ideas for changing education may soon be signed into law.

Several Kansas City schools, and the communities they serve, are also making plans for school closures as the 2022-23 academic year wraps up.

The SMJP is producing a documentary series titled “Untold Stories of Slavery and Resistance” about their slavery research, with plans to release the first episode the week of May 8 on YouTube.

A commission created to study William Jewell College’s historical ties to slavery recommends renaming Jewell Hall, its oldest building, to honor the enslaved people who built it.  The commission’s recommendations, finalized earlier this month, not only include renaming Jewell Hall, but also updating the college’s history to address slavery, bringing more Black faculty and writers […]

The scores sum up the annual performance reports that DESE puts out most years as part of its Missouri School Improvement Program to evaluate districts and identify areas for improvement. 

An examination of its public statements and partnerships shows a foundation that has aligned itself with conservative figures, awarded grants to schools that exclude LGBTQ students and families, and funded science teacher training that promotes a literal interpretation of the Biblical creation story in opposition to scientific consensus on evolution.