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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — Kansas’ bell-to-bell cell phone ban has cleared both chambers of the Legislature and now sits on Governor Laura Kelly’s desk, putting the state one signature away from adopting one of the strongest school-day device restrictions in the…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — Missouri lawmakers advance major early literacy reforms in both chambers, focusing on prevention, intervention, and clearer expectations for third grade reading proficiency. Kansas — The Senate advances bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions for schools while lawmakers also hear testimony on a…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — A seven-year review of federal data shows enrollment declining in both Kansas and Missouri while staffing per student increases. We break down where growth is concentrated, where roles are shrinking, and what the numbers mean as further enrollment…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — Missouri’s literacy infrastructure is in place, but implementation is lagging. New state data shows just 34% of PreK-5 teachers have completed or enrolled in science-of-reading training, even as a rural coaching collaborative delivers striking early results. Kansas —…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top News – Federal update: Congress advances FY 2026 education and early childhood funding while states await key ESSA waiver decisions that could reshape accountability and implementation. Kansas Update – Committee activity heats up: Lawmakers dig into Blueprint for…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top News – State of the states; we break down what Missouri and Kansas governors signaled on education and workforce policy. Missouri Update – Early momentum builds around accountability, open enrollment, child care, and literacy, alongside a closer look…
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Update – December 2025
This Month’s highlights: Top News – Aligned released its 2026 policy priorities, outlining opportunities to strengthen literacy, school finance, data systems, and early learning. Kansas Preview – We review the State Board of Education’s newly adopted legislative priorities and take a first look at the slow pre-filing…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – Although the national test that measures academic achievement may have limitations, the data consistently shows that too many students are not proficient at reading, and progress remains slow. Missouri Update – House committee debates bill to…
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Reading crisis is real no matter the measure
Following our recent newsletter, some in the education community have raised concerns about our use of NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) data, suggesting that it overstates the number of students struggling with reading. NAEP has its limitations—it’s a national benchmark based on…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – This week, NAEP test results revealed a sobering look at student achievement in the United States. Missouri Update – Governor Mike Kehoe wants to rewrite the state education funding formula. Kansas Update – Aligned has been actively…
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Update – October 2024
This month’s highlights: Top News—With millions of dollars flowing into the Show-Me State to fight over ballot initiatives related to gaming, we provide a deeper dive into where the proceeds go in Missouri and Kansas. Missouri Update – DESE is still playing catch-up on…
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Weekly Legislative Update
This week’s highlights… Top News – This week, members of the Missouri State Board of Education received an update on the Read, Lead, Exceed Program, which is the state’s literacy initiative, including a preliminary review of K-3 foundational reading assessment data and a report…