This brief highlight trends from the the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trend (LTT) results, which exclusively sampled a nationally-representative group of 9-year-old students and was intended to measure achievement changes during the pandemic in mathematics and reading. To contextualize, we examine the trends in MAP test scores for Missouri's 4th graders (typically 9-year-old students).

UPDATED: This brief examines changes to enrollment in schools under the Archdiocese of St. Louis, describing research on enrollment changes over the last ten years from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and using data from the Private School Universe Survey (PSS) from the U.S. Department of Education over the last 20 years. We describe trends in St. Louis and other major archdioceses and conclude with highlights of the current strategic planning processes for the Archdiocese of St. Louis and other large archdioceses

This brief examines the state’s minimum teacher salary and the new proposed plan to increase the state’s minimum salary. Specifically, we examine the Governor’s proposal to increase from $25,000 to $38,000.

In this brief, we describe Missouri’s certification reciprocity policy, alternative pathways to certification, and potential “blocks” in the pipeline due to salary.

In this brief, we describe the changes to Missouri’s public school enrollment prior to and after the COVID-19-induced shutdown of 2020. We pay particular attention to the changes in enrollment by grade level and regionally, as well as putting Missouri’s changes in context with national statistics.

In this brief, we describe the parts of the state that will have students who are potentially eligible to use the new Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program. We pay particular attention to those parts of the state that are ineligible due to the program’s geographic and population limitations.

In this brief, we use data from the October 2021 SLU/YouGov Poll to present evidence outlining differences in voter opinion by demographic factors such as voter race and political affiliation.

In this brief, we analyze how total public school enrollment and average building enrollment in St. Louis compare across Missouri and nationally. We find that St. Louis has smaller per building enrollments than virtually any other city in Missouri or nationally.

In this brief, we share an overview of the landscape of school choice in Missouri, with a focus on charter schools. We hope this information will inform legislative debate and ground those discussions in data. We discuss charter school spread, funding, and Missouri voters’ opinions about school choice.

In this policy brief, we consider the gap in technology access for Missouri’s school districts brought to light by the recent coronavirus pandemic. We further describe how trends in Missouri’s internet access lag those of our neighboring states and the nation, specifically regions with similar rural populations, and why rectifying these gaps is vital to meet students’ educational needs.

In this policy brief, we describe the national landscape of recent higher education policy changes and how such decisions may impact the future of higher education admissions.

In this brief, we discuss the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic recession, as well as how federal fiscal aid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act helped mitigate similar budget cuts following the Great Recession. We note that districts with varying local wealth experienced heterogeneous school funding recoveries and discuss other policy implications in education.

In this policy brief, we summarize the issue of growing food insecurity among Missouri children, detailing the role of some of the federal programs that support them. As more families become food insecure in the wake of the pandemic, we also note evidence of the impact of hunger on critical student outcomes.

In this policy brief, we describe the results of the recent SLU/YouGov Poll and respondents’ opinions on charter schools, open enrollment policies, and private school choice.

In this policy brief, we describe the results of the recent SLU/YouGov Poll and respondents’ opinions on school finance and teacher salaries in light of the COVID-induced recession.

In this policy brief, we describe the results of the recent SLU/YouGov Poll and respondents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they rate their local schools and schools across the state.

In this policy brief, we describe the results of the recent SLU/YouGov Poll and respondents’ thoughts on how leaders have handled the pandemic. We also describe responses to questions on whether Missourians think school should return to in-person instruction.

In this policy brief, we describe Missouri’s School Improvement Program (MSIP) and how it impacts public schools in the state. We also describe the State Board of Education’s role in MSIP and how Misosuri’s state accountability system compares to the federal accountability program.

In this policy brief, we take a look at the results of the 2019 edition of the NAEP. Unlike previous years, Missouri saw its scores drop, specifically in 4th grade reading. We examine how different groups of students in Missouri performed, as well as how Missouri compared to neighboring states and the nation as whole.

In this policy brief, we take a dive into the ACT results for Missouri’s class of 2019 and how the decreased participation rate impacted scores in Missouri.