For the fourth consecutive year, open enrollment (allowing students to enroll in any public school in the state, regardless of where they live) has died in the Senate after passing through the House. This is a policy that Missouri needs. My colleague, Susan Pendergrass, outlines here what an ideal open enrollment policy would look like. But why has it been so difficult to pass open enrollment? Apparently many legislators (particularly those in rural areas) are fearful that students would leave their school districts given the opportunity. It’s true that there are students who would change thei ..read more

Susan Pendergrass, David Stokes, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the end of the 2024 Missouri Legislative Session. Listen on Apple Podcasts  Listen on SoundCloud Produced by Show-Me Opportunity The post Mostly Unproductive Chaos: The 2024 Missouri Session appeared first on Show Me Institute ..read more

For almost a year there have been dire discussions of a coming “fiscal cliff” in public education spending. What is this doomsday fiscal cliff you might ask, and why is it going to happen? Simply stated, it is the expiration of federal stimulus funds that were sent to states during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic emergency has ended and, therefore, at some point, so will the emergency spending. Or, as described by the chairman of the Missouri Board of Education in a recent article, “you have a lot of federal authority deleted.” Huh? So, naturally, the drumbeat has begun for big asks of law ..read more

Many families may be beginning to wonder if their children’s school gets out earlier or later than everyone else’s. With summer break on the horizon (some schools are actually already on break), let’s look at summer breaks for Missouri public school districts by the numbers. *Statistics are based on a self-compiled compilation of calendars. If snows/sick days have shifted the last day of school, they are not accounted for. **Kairos Academies, Clarksburg C-2, Clarkton C-4, Crocker R-II, Eldon R-I, La Salle Charter School, Mark Twain R-VIII, New York R-IV, Premier Charter School, The Biome, Tho ..read more

The Missouri legislative session is over. What did the House and Senate accomplish? How did Missourians fare? Get the scoop from the experts at the Show-Me Institute at our Insider’s Hour! Join us at one of two open discussions with Brenda Talent, James Shuls, and Elias Tsapelas from the Show-Me Institute. Two chances to get the scoop:  Both Wednesday, May 22 Lunch Event MAC West 1777 Des Peres Road St. Louis, MO 63131 Doors open: 11:30 a.m. Discussion and Q&A: 12-1:00 p.m. Ticket Price: $15.00 (includes lunch and beverages) Lunch Event Tickets Here Evening Event Cafe Napoli 7754 Fors ..read more

Before Governor Parson signed Senate Bill (SB) 727 into law, opinion columns across Missouri were filled with statements of opposition. Among a laundry list of things in the bill is an expansion of the MOScholars program. MOScholars provides funding for students to attend non-public schools via donations from taxpayers. The donors in turn receive a credit toward their taxes. For the most part, SB 727 opposition focused on this part of the bill David Rosman provided a typical example of this criticism in an editorial for the Columbia Missourian: “Conservative religious leaders and politicians s ..read more

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Andy Rotherham about how we should evaluate schools in a post-pandemic world, the importance of accountability, and more. Andrew J. Rotherham is a co-founder and External Relations leader at Bellwether, a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. Rotherham also works in Bellwether’s Policy and Evaluation practice area and serves on the Virginia Board of Education. He occupies a unique place in the U.S. education sector working a ..read more

On May 8, 2024, Show-Me Institute hosted a virtual event where EdChoice’s Marty Lueken and Reason Foundation’s Christian Barnard discussed and demoed their K-12 School Choice Calculator. The calculator was built to provide legislators, legislative staff, and stakeholders with an easy way to learn about the potential fiscal effects of funding educational opportunities in their state. You can access the K-12 School Choice Calculator here: https://www.schoolchoicecalculator.com/ The post Watch: K-12 School Choice Calculator Webinar with EdChoice and Reason Foundation appeared first on Show Me In ..read more

Ignasi Grau Callizo is the General Director of International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education (OIDEL). Grau holds a double bachelor in Law and Business Administration and a master’s degree in Political Science. Listen on Apple Podcasts  Listen on SoundCloud Produced by Show-Me Opportunity The post The United Nations and School Choice with Ignasi Grau Callizo and James Shuls appeared first on Show Me Institute ..read more

Several years ago, I was invited to give a guest lecture to a group of STEM educators seeking a doctoral degree. My task was to share with them ways in which my work in education policy overlapped with their world. My key point that night was that we need to change how we pay teachers. It was a point I have been making since the release of my 2012 report, “The Salary Straitjacket: The Pitfalls of Paying All Teachers the Same.” Now, if Senate Bill (SB) 727 is signed by the governor, one of those recommendations from that paper may finally come to pass. Teachers in nearly every school district a ..read more