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 provide an overview of how federally mandated special education services translate to virtual educational environments and examine how Missouri districts communicated information regarding these services in their Fall 2020 reopening plans.

In this brief, we unpack the Missouri Growth Model used to calculate school and district growth scores. We explain how the model works and clarify what it does and does not tell us about school quality.

In this brief, we use data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) from 2009-2020 to determine the impact of four-day school weeks on teacher recruitment.

In this brief, we utilize statewide school-level data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) from 2016-2020 to examine free and reduced-price school meal programs.

In this brief, I describe the take-up of early childhood education funding from Missouri House Bill 1689. While public pre-K enrollment expanded in Missouri prior to the pandemic, many school districts have not leveraged this newly available state funding to support pre-K growth

The Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRiME) Center analyzed school district reopening plans in fall 2020 to understand how Missouri districts responded to English Language Learners.

This policy brief chronicles the birth, adoption, and expiration of MoPTA and the educational policy dynamics that prevented the stable adoption of the assessment. We summarize our complete analysis which finds that MoPTA serves as an illustrative study for how teacher education policy delivery is formed and implemented within a network of interdependent actors.

In this brief, we use data from a statewide sample of Missouri traditional and charter school districts’ 2020-21 reopening plans. We describe the characteristics of districts that planned to provide students with devices and internet access for distanced learning.

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.

Using school-level data from Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from 2005 through 2019, we explored between-school disparities in out-of-school suspensions based on school characteristics - racial composition, locality, and socioeconomic status - to track trends and see if schools have made improvements.

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.