Podcast: COVID Legislation, How to Hire Teachers and MO Toll Roads
Susan Pendergrass, Patrick Ishmael and Jakob Puckett join Zach Lawhorn to discuss Missouri’s newly-signed COVID liability legislation, MO DESE’s application...
What Parents Want
The dust may be finally settling in public education, but not into a familiar pattern. EdChoice—a non-profit based in Indiana—has...
Let’s Look at Some Numbers
The Missouri Legislature is hard at work on the budget for the next fiscal year. One of the biggest components...
We Have the Money. Let’s Expand Education Options for All Students
In the latest round of federal stimulus, Missouri will receive about $2 billion in funding for public education. Of this,...
An Inconvenient Truth
The Missouri Legislature is considering allowing parents in larger communities (more than 30,000 residents) to access a portion of their...
Five New Year’s Resolutions for Missouri Lawmakers
A version of this commentary appeared in the Columbia Tribune. Missouri is considered one of the most “conservative” of the 50...
Where Are the Kindergartners?
A version of this commentary appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on December 8, 2020. According to enrollment counts taken...
It’s Time to Rethink How We Fund Public Education
It’s quite clear that we’re facing a series of fights over who gets the dwindling pot of public money in...
Fall 2020 Educational Resources for Missouri Parents
Read the latest from Susan Pendergrass Parents are angry and confused right now. Many are receiving mixed messages from school...
Not So Fast, Public School Districts
And so it begins. School districts are announcing their plans for how they will reopen, and the protests have begun. Parents in Rockwood, Missouri...
Teachers Should Do Their Homework on the CARES Act
A petition, signed by over 20,000 educators, has been circulating on Facebook and other social media websites. It claims that the...
Missouri Needs Education Leadership Now More Than Ever
The past spring, much of Missouri turned into an education desert of homework packets, learning “opportunities,” and optional enrichment suggestions...
Accountability for Algebra
Walking across the stage, shaking the principal’s hand and receiving a high school diploma is a dream for many students...
School Start-Date Flexibility: A Short-Term Win for Local Control
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has provided school districts an opportunity to take back some autonomy over...
Federal Stimulus Money in Missouri: What We Know So Far
With the federal government handing out trillions of dollars in “stimulus” money (I would call it relief funds), you might...
An Idea to Address Missouri’s COVID Learning Loss
Missouri schools closed their doors in March and will not likely re-open them until this fall. This approach risks serious...
Parental Support in a Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is exposing the true condition of education across the United States. Many schools and districts have quickly...
What the Heck Is Happening Out There?
In the midst of a pandemic, it’s hard to say exactly what’s going on. But here is a bit of...
Is This the New Normal?
Oh, for the halcyon days when parents had to sue to get their children access to virtual education in Missouri....
How Missouri Can Serve Its Low-Income Gifted Students
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education states that “Missouri school districts are expected to provide programs of instruction suitable...
