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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – Governor Mike Kehoe credits mentorship in inauguration day speech. Missouri Update – Aligned and other child advocates met with Speaker Jon Patterson to discuss a proposal to create a community childcare exchange. Kansas Update – Governor Laura Kelly addresses childhood investment in…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – Missouri releases playbook to curb teacher shortages. Missouri Update – Newly installed legislative leaders prioritize children Kansas Update – Members of the Kansas Legislature set their sights on a shorter session. Additional Highlights –…
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Update – December 2024
This week’s highlights: Top News – Aligned will continue to focus on early care and education solutions, open enrollment and college access, and school finance reform. Yesterday, we presented our priorities for 2025 to lawmakers and partners in a webinar detailing our…
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Update – November 2024
This month’s highlights: Top News – The implications of dismantling the Department of Education. Missouri Update – DESE releases school performance scores, which show some gains. Kansas Update – Blue Ribbon Task Force on screen time recommends a bell-to-bell cellphone ban. Additional Highlights – Aligned traveled…
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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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Aligned Case Study
In this case study, we showcase the success of the Visiting Scholars Certification Pathway. In 2018, Aligned worked with the Missouri General Assembly to pass legislation establishing and expanding the Visiting Scholar Certificate. This certificate is available to individuals with…
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Aligned Case Study
For over four decades, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission (formerly Shawnee Mission Hospital) in Merriam, Kansas, has stood out by offering onsite childcare, a unique benefit that began in 1979 to attract and retain top healthcare talent. Candy Seltman was recruited to…
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Update – August 2024
This month’s highlights: Top News – The number of college closures has surged dramatically, with at least 30 institutions shutting down in 2023 and a rate of one per week in 2024, starkly higher than the previous highest annual closure rate…
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Weekly Legislative Update
This week’s highlights: Top News: Earlier today, the Missouri House gave the final approval to the state’s operating budget for FY25, and earlier this week, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed SB 727 into law. Together, these actions will result in the biggest boost to education funding…
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Weekly Legislative Update
This week’s highlights: Top News: A report published by the 74 examines the ongoing challenges in education, particularly the complex relationship between school spending, equity, and student outcomes. Missouri Update: The House sent IP reform back to the Senate, and the…
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Weekly Legislative Update
This week’s highlights: Top News: The Missouri House passed a massive education bill that doubles state investment in early childhood education and provides more flexibility and incentives to address teacher recruitment and retention challenges. This bill aligns with Aligned’s top…
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Weekly Legislative Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – A generation questions the value of college. Missouri Update – House experiments with a short and sweet week. Kansas Update – Legislature works well past midnight to pass bills before Spring Break adjournment. Additional Highlights – Grandmother of Aligned board…
Resources Hub
Access nonpartisan research and news about the policies shaping education in Kansas and Missouri.