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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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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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Weekly Update — 04/24/26
This originally appeared in Aligned’s weekly newsletter. Want future updates in your inbox? Sign up today. Missouri’s assessment pilot and the case for balanced accountability Missouri’s new assessment pilot has given life to an age-old debate in education policy. As we wrote last August,…
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Weekly Update — 04/10/26
Many of Aligned’s priority bills become law This originally appeared in Aligned’s weekly newsletter. Want future updates in your inbox? Sign up today. As lawmakers returned to Topeka for the final days of session, several of Aligned’s priority bills ranging across…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — Kansas and Missouri begin shaping how Workforce Pell Grants will work in practice, with legislation in both states outlining program approval and implementation. Kansas — Lawmakers finalize the FY 2027 state budget and wrap up major education bills in conference committees ahead…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — Kansas lawmakers advance SB 517, a sweeping literacy bill focused on strengthening implementation, accountability, and early intervention as the state pushes toward a 90% third-grade reading goal. Kansas — Cell phone ban signed into law. And several education bills await…
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Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights: Top story — Missouri’s School Funding Modernization Task Force confronts a core structural question: how to update local effort calculations tied to 2004 property values while ensuring assessment practices are consistent across counties. We break down the tradeoffs and what…
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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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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – KCPS seeks its first bond approval since 1967, but it’s just one of dozens of districts asking voters to fund facilities, teacher pay, and school safety upgrades. Missouri Update – Aligned co-sponsors reception celebrating women in…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – Enrollment decline lurks behind many conversations in education, fueling concern across the spectrum from early childhood through higher education Missouri Update – the Missouri House Budget Committee approved HB 2, allocating $8.2 billion for elementary and secondary education – we breakdown the funding…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – President Trump has signed an executive order directing the closure of the U.S. Department of Education, marking a historic shift in federal education policy. Missouri Update – House budget chair cuts $106 million in child care funds from…
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Press Release: Georgetown Edunomics
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, MARCH 18, 2025 – Aligned, a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of business leaders who educate and influence policymakers to drive educational transformation efforts, announces the unique opportunity for school and business leaders to earn a certificate in education finance…
Resources Hub
Access nonpartisan research and news about the policies shaping education in Kansas and Missouri.