Blog | Show-Me Institute | Where Liberty Comes First

17 Nov

Is the Purpose of Education to Prepare Students for Jobs?

Posted by James V. Shuls Education, School Choice

What is the purpose of public education? If you agree with Missouri Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, you’d say the purpose […]

16 Nov

The Fireman’s Union Never Stops Never Stopping

Posted by David Stokes Labor, Public Pensions

In the comedy film “Popstar,” Andy Samberg plays a naïve popstar who can’t accept the reality of his recent musical […]

15 Nov

The School Choice Wave, Fire District Recalls and Saving Federalism

Posted by Elias Tsapelas Accountability, Budget and Spending, Business Climate, Economy, Education, Education Finance, Municipal Policy, Performance, School Choice, State and Local Government

Zach Lawhorn is joined by David Stokes, James Shuls, and Elias Tsapelas to discuss midterm election outcomes, the school choice […]

14 Nov

How Commute Times Impact School Choice with Josh Cowen

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Education, Education Finance, Performance, School Choice

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Joshua Cowen. Joshua Cowen is a Professor of Education Policy at Michigan State University. His current […]

08 Nov

How Policies Make Interest Groups with Michael Hartney

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Accountability, Education, Education Finance, Performance, School Choice

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Michael Hartney about his new book, How Policies Make Interest Groups. Order Michael’s new book here […]

04 Nov

A Cut Below: Lessons from the History of Barber Licensure

Posted by Avery Frank Economy, Regulation

As someone who disdains unnecessary government regulation and also desperately needs a haircut, I conveniently stumbled upon Daniel Smith’s “The […]

01 Nov

As Student Enrollment Drops, the Number of Teachers Rises

Posted by James V. Shuls Education

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to the findings of Missouri’s blue ribbon commission. In my last post, […]

31 Oct

Fright Night in Missouri Comes Early

Posted by Avery Frank Accountability, Education, Performance, Uncategorized

Reviewing the recent release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is an ideal way to get into the […]

27 Oct

FDA Hears the Need for Deregulation

Posted by Maria Rivero Economy, Regulation

This past August, the FDA approved the sale of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Previously, a prescription for a hearing aid […]

26 Oct

Chesterfield and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Large TIF

Posted by David Stokes Corporate Welfare, Subsidies

Chesterfield does not have a municipal property tax. There’s nothing wrong with that. It funds its local government primarily with […]

26 Oct

This Is Not How You Design a Survey, DESE

Posted by James V. Shuls Education, Education Finance

Suppose your boss comes to you one day and asks you to take a survey. He or she asks you, […]

25 Oct

The Obvious Question

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Education, Performance

My dad used to ask me: If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it too? The 2022 […]

25 Oct

Houston, We Have a Problem

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Education, Performance

The 2022 scores on the Nation’s Report Card (or NAEP), a test administered every other year by the U.S. Department […]

24 Oct

The Silver Lining on the Blue Ribbon Commission Report

Posted by Avery Frank Education, Education Finance

I vividly remember the days when I would ask for a new video game or pair of basketball shoes, and […]

21 Oct

Resource Deployment Isn’t the Solution

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Education, Education Finance

“We have a problem with resource deployment.” Ya think? This quote from a member of the Missouri Teacher Recruitment and […]

20 Oct

WSJ Takes Aim at Illinois, Ignores Missouri

Posted by Avery Frank Education, Performance

The Wall Street Journal recently published an editorial that expressed legitimate shock about the relationship between teacher ratings and rates […]

18 Oct

St. Louis County Needs a Land Bank Like I Need a Hole in My Head

Posted by David Stokes Municipal Policy, State and Local Government

In truly unwelcome news for people who care about good government, a coalition has been put together to create a […]

17 Oct

Special Session Recap, KC’s Westside and Food Truck News

Posted by Avery Frank Business Climate, Corporate Welfare, Economy, Special Taxing Districts, State and Local Government, Tax Credits, Taxes

David Stokes, Patrick Ishmael and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the special session, a property tax scheme in […]

15 Oct

Laclede County Should Reduce Its Commercial Property Tax Surcharge

Posted by David Stokes Economy, Taxes

A version of this commentary appeared in the Laclede County Record. This November, Laclede County residents will vote on reducing […]

12 Oct

Laclede County Voters Asked to Consider Tax Reduction

Posted by David Stokes Budget and Spending, Economy, Municipal Policy, State and Local Government, Taxes

This November, Laclede County residents will vote on reducing an obscure tax that places the county at a competitive disadvantage […]