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How We Teach Literacy
This blog post is the first in a series exploring literacy within education policy and practice. Here, we introduce the major methods of teaching reading and the debates surrounding them. Understanding these approaches — what they are, how they work,…
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Op-ed: Why standardized testing still matters in Missouri
This opinion piece originally appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By Eric Syverson, Director of Policy & Research, Aligned. Across the nation, skepticism toward statewide assessment is rising. Teachers and families increasingly question whether traditional testing supports learning or just consumes valuable instructional…
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Update – September 2025
This month’s highlights: Top News – The U.S. Department of Education announced over $1.1 billion in redirected funding, with investments for HBCUs, TCUs, charter schools, and civics programs.Missouri Update – Working groups of the School Funding Modernization Task Force began meeting, including one that now features Aligned’s own Torree…
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Webinar: Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
On September 10, 2025, Aligned partnered with the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) to host a webinar introducing Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDSs) and their role in aligning education and workforce priorities. SLDSs help states connect data across systems, inform policy, and provide valuable…
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Honoring the Life and Legacy of David Oliver
It is with heartfelt sadness that we learned of the passing of our beloved co-founder and board member, David Oliver. David was a visionary leader, a dedicated volunteer, and a true Kansas City icon. He brought extraordinary wisdom, generosity, and expertise…
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Introducing the Aligned Data Matrix
Money matters. But money alone doesn’t guarantee better results. The Aligned Data Matrix is our education finance data hub that lets you compare funding and student outcomes across Missouri school districts, visualize patterns over time, and identify where investment and achievement diverge. Use it…
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Update – August 2025
This month’s highlights: Top Story — Testing & accountability at a crossroads: what the research says, why it matters now, and how systems should evolve. Missouri Update — Funding Formula Modernization Task Force hears Bellwether’s best-practice options; plus Missouri’s SRSA pilot launches, moving…
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Webinar: Property Taxes & Education Funding
On July 16, 2025, Aligned’s second webinar examined the vital link between property taxes and education funding in Kansas and Missouri. Property taxes remain the primary source of local school revenue, yet reliance on property wealth can create disparities between districts. The session…
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Webinar: Special Education Funding in Kansas & Missouri
On May 14, 2025, Aligned hosted the first webinar in its bi-monthly series, focusing on how Kansas and Missouri fund special education. The session provided an overview of how both states allocate resources for students with disabilities, the fiscal pressures facing school…
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Big Changes Ahead for Employer Child Care Tax Credits
Child care is no longer just a family issue. It is a workforce issue. Across the political spectrum, there is growing recognition that the lack of affordable, reliable care is holding back both parents and employers. In the U.S. mixed-delivery…
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Missouri to Pilot a New Way to Test Students
For years, educators have raised a problem with assessments: testing students only after instruction ends, when it’s too late to help them improve. Traditionally, states have used end-of-year exams to measure student performance against academic standards, but those tests do little to inform day-to-day…
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Investing Early: Missouri Districts Putting Pre-K Policy into Practice
Investing Early: Missouri Districts Putting Pre-K Policy into Practice shows what early childhood policy looks like when it’s implemented well — and what it unlocks for kids, families, and communities. The report highlights how Missouri’s pre-K investments (including foundation formula access,…