by Amy Shelton Last week we published a first-of-its-kind analysis of variation in Missouri charter and magnet schools. Charter schools are privately-managed, publicly-funded (tuition free) schools of choice that typically must accept all students who apply and administer a lottery if applications exceed available seats. Magnet schools are district-run schools of choice and may have selective admissions requirements, such as test scores or auditions. In this blog, we highlight three key areas of difference between Missouri charter and magnet schools in terms of their curriculum, pedagogy, and ..read more

The results of the August SLU/YouGov Poll were released today highlighting key assessments of Missouri public opinion on education and political issues. LGBTQ+ issues were one of the focuses for both areas. In this blog, we highlight three takeaways about Missouri public opinion regarding the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools and policies affecting LGBTQ+ students. 1. Voters do not support banning books with stories about gay, lesbian, or transgendered youth. The August 2023 SLU/YouGov Poll found that only 33% of Missouri voters favor banning “books with stories about gay or lesbian youth ..read more

The results of the August SLU/YouGov Poll were released today highlighting key assessments of Missouri public opinion on education and political issues. A few of the education foci included teacher salaries, teacher shortages, and views on the teaching profession as a career - all areas connected to the teacher pipeline. In this blog, we discuss three things the recent findings on Missouri public opinion teach us about the teacher pipeline.  1. Voters support increasing teacher pay across the board. Missouri teacher salaries are some of the lowest in the nation. Missourians have continuou ..read more

By Duncan Carson First-year Missouri educators earned just over $34,000 on average for the 2021-22 school year, ranking second-lowest in the nation for average starting teacher pay. Missouri’s 2021-22 average teacher salary was also among the lowest in the country, and less than average teacher pay in all eight border states. These low teacher salaries may hinder districts’ recruitment efforts. According to our 2021 analysis of the relationship between teacher salaries, four-day school week implementation, and teacher recruitment in Missouri, higher salaries helped districts recruit quality t ..read more

  Photo by tigerlily713 By: Meg gorton The state of Missouri opened the door to the 4DSW model in 2009 and the Lathrop district was the first to adopt the model in 2010. Since then, the schools utilizing this model were primarily small, rural districts. With the Independence School District adopting a 4-day school week for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, and the St. Joseph School District now considering this change, this conversation over a 4-day school week (4DSW) has been a rising point of discourse in the Missouri legislature. Senator Doug Beck has backed legislation that would r ..read more

  Image by David Mark from Pixabay New Faces In Education, Many Recurring Proposals In Legislation By: Stacey Preis, Ph.D. Missouri’s 2023 legislative session kicks off in just a few short weeks and the landscape will be shifting. Several new members will be sworn into the General Assembly, and the Senate Education Committee and House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will both get new chairs. Senator Cindy O’Laughlin was elected Majority Floor Leader in November, and Representative Chuck Basye reached the end of his term limit. Which bills are heard in committee and voted out ..read more

  Photo by Norma Mortenson By: Ashley Donaldson Burle PRiME recently published the 2022 Beating the Odds Report: Student Growth in Missouri’s Highest Poverty Schools which highlights the schools that are “beating the odds” across the state by moving the needle on student learning in high poverty schools. We define “high poverty” schools as schools where the student body eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (FRL) is at least 59%. We rank the top schools “beating the odds” in student growth in three categories—elementary schools, eleMiddle schools and middle schools—for both English L ..read more

  Photo by Max Fischer By: Ashley Donaldson Burle PRiME recently published the 2022 Beating the Odds Report: Student Growth in Missouri’s Highest Poverty Schools which highlights the schools that are “beating the odds” across the state by moving the needle on student learning in high poverty schools. We define “high poverty” schools as schools where the student body eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (FRL) is at least 59%. We rank the top schools “beating the odds” in student growth in three categories—elementary schools, eleMiddle schools and middle schools—for both English Langu ..read more

  Photo by Andy Barbour By: ashley donaldson burle The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the 2022 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) results this week. MAP assessments are yearly standards-based tests that measure specific skills defined by the state of Missouri. Students in grades 3-8 take MAP assessments in both English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics each year, while students in grades 5 and 8 are also assessed in science. In high school, MAP assessments are administered as end-of-course (EOC) assessments. Notably, MAP tests were not administ ..read more

  Photo by RODNAE Productions By: AMY SHELTON & MEg Gorton This past week, PRiME published a policy brief looking at the decline in the elementary age population (five-to-nine year olds) in St. Louis City, school closures, and access to public elementary school options by neighborhood. After mapping the percent change in the five-to-nine population and the relative concentration of district and charter schools across St. Louis City, we find: The elementary age population in St. Louis City declined 12% over 10 years. Between the 2010-14 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2015-1 ..read more