St. Louis’s Improving Crime Data
If you were to guess that St. Louis was the most dangerous city in Missouri, you would be correct. You...
Missouri Families Need the “Unsafe School Choice Option”
A version of the following commentary appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. When asked why they want school choice, families often...
The MOScholars Program: Why and How to Participate
On July 10, 2025, Keith Kehrer and Derek Rose, lawyers from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, joined Show-Me Institute Director of...
School Choice Case Study: Charter Schools in Los Angeles
A 2024 study published in Education Finance and Policy finds that enrollment in one of five popular charter high schools...
What Could New Executive Orders on Nuclear Mean for Missouri?
In a recent op-ed, I discussed how national security may once again be a catalyst for the development and deployment...
What’s in a NAEP Score?
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called the Nation’s Report Card, is the gold standard for measuring academic...
Understanding the One Big Beautiful Bill with Elias Tsapelas
Susan Pendergrass is joined by Elias Tsapelas, director of state budget and fiscal policy at the Show-Me Institute, to break...
Schools After the Storm with Noah Devine
Susan Pendergrass speaks with Noah Devine, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public Schools Association, about how charter schools in St. Louis are responding after the recent tornado damaged multiple campuses.
Missouri Finally Dials in Telemedicine Reform
Following years of unanswered calls, lawmakers finally delivered much-needed reform to the state’s telemedicine laws in the waning days of...
Why Missouri Needs Universal Open Enrollment
Missouri parents deserve real choices when it comes to their children’s education. Open enrollment—the ability for students to attend a...
Why the New Property Tax Rules in Missouri Are Bad, Part 2
This is the second in a series of blog posts about why the new property tax legislation passed as part...
Mission Impossible and Nuclear Energy: President Trump’s New Executive Orders
A version of the following commentary appeared in the Springfield News-Leader. While I will avoid any spoilers, the new movie,...
The Lost Decade of Education Reform with Steven F. Wilson
In this episode, Susan Pendergrass is joined by Steven F. Wilson, senior fellow at the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy...
Grading for Equity in San Francisco, and What It Means for Missouri
Under intense public pressure, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) recently walked back from a controversial “Grading for Equity”...
Missouri Moves Away from Three-Cueing
Missouri has joined more than a dozen states in improving reading instruction by passing legislation—Senate Bill (SB) 68—that restricts the...
Why the New Property Tax Rules in Missouri Are Bad, Part 1
This is the first in a series of blog posts about why the new property tax legislation passed in the...
The Wrong Direction on Tax Policy
A version of this commentary appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Taxes are going down, right? That’s a good thing, right?...
The Miseducation of Kansas City Councilman Wes Rogers
At the June 3, 2025, hearing before the Missouri Senate Fiscal Oversight Committee about Senate Bill (SB) 3, The Show-Me...
The Power of Markets
This chart is produced by Mark Perry at the American Enterprise Institute, and this version is an update he released...
Licensing Compact Exception Is Removed in Missouri
Missouri recently eliminated the “compact exception” for occupational licensing reciprocity. Show-Me Institute analysts have flagged this loophole numerous times, and...
