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Aligned is dedicated to strengthening education and workforce development in Kansas and Missouri. We bring together businesses, educators, and policymakers to craft practical solutions for reform.
Latest Policy Updates & Research
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Monthly Update — June 2026
What a new Texas study teaches us about teacher compensation We are back and excited to bring you evidence from one of the more ambitious teacher compensation strategies in the country, with early research suggesting that it may be paying…
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Weekly Update — 05/15/26
This originally appeared in Aligned’s weekly newsletter. Want future updates in your inbox? Sign up today. Also note that this will be our last weekly update; in June we will switch to monthly updates. New report shows academic recovery is still…
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Why CEP Is More Than a School Meals Debate in Kansas
A simple bill with a complicated question underneath Kansas HB 2402 looks simple on paper. It requires eligible school boards to consider whether to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, commonly called CEP, if more than 50% of students in one or more schools qualify for free meals via direct certification. The…
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Weekly Update — 05/08/26
This originally appeared in Aligned’s weekly newsletter. Want future updates in your inbox? Sign up today. Phone-free schools are not a shortcut to better learning Last week, we noted one emerging second-order effect on school cell phone bans: when phones are…
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Today at 1:00 p.m., the Kansas State Board of Education will discuss devices in schools, including teacher training, screen time policies, research on technology and student outcomes, and next steps for classrooms.
Passing a bill is only the beginning. Our work continues by watching how policies are implemented in classrooms.
Tune in today to follow this important first step in tracking Kansas’ cell phone policy and broader technology use in schools.Reminder:
Special Meeting Notice
Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will conduct a special meeting in the first floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, with the focus being on the issue of device use in schools on Monday, June 8, 2026, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will then conduct their regular scheduled meetings on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, and Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
View board meeting resources here: buff.ly/e1jSrdG
This month, we’re taking a closer look at what’s happening across education policy in Kansas and Missouri including school funding conversations, accountability updates, state board changes, and what new research says about teacher pay and retention.
Read the full June update and stay connected to the conversations shaping education from pre-K through career.
wearealigned.org/monthly-update-june-2026/
Education choice continues to be a major conversation across the country, including here in Kansas and Missouri.
In 2026, states continued to debate:
📌 Expanding access for students and families
📌 Increasing or adjusting program funding
📌 Strengthening accountability and transparency
📌 Deciding the future role of school choice
As Kansas and Missouri continue these conversations, it is important to keep students at the center of the discussion.
Funding Expands, Access Grows, and New Battles Emerge in 2026
www.edchoice.org
With most legislative sessions winding down in 2026, no new choice programs have been created, but the volume of legislation remains high.
Employer-supported child care is becoming a stronger tool for workforce retention.
The federal Employer-Provided Childcare Credit helps businesses offset certain costs when they support child care for employees. Kansas recently built on that idea by expanding its own employer child care tax credit through SB 82.
For businesses, this is another tool to help working parents stay in the workforce, strengthen recruitment and retention, and support local communities.
Child care is not just a family issue. It is a workforce issue.
