Tallying the Costs of Development Subsidies
Cities across Missouri are struggling to provide basic public services. At the same time, they’re giving hundreds of millions of...
It Depends on What You Mean by “Accredited”
Parents: Read the fine print. A recent blog post on chronic student absenteeism was written under the assumption that a...
A Retirement House of Cards
In a recent blog post about the state of affairs in a couple of Missouri state pension funds, we pointed...
Innovation Brings Hope for Teacher Pensions
The city teacher retirement plans in Missouri are in trouble. There’s a solid chance that the Kansas City Public Schools...
Do Kentucky Teachers Even Know Why They’re Protesting?
Kentucky public school teachers are right to be worried about their retirement benefits. According to the Kentucky Teacher Retirement System’s...
School Options and the Rise and Fall of Cities
It’s a problem that plagues many U.S. cities: How can we make sure that all families have access to a...
Who Is to Blame for Underfunded Schools?
Education funding is an ever present issue in state budgets and Missouri is no exception. My colleagues have written about...
Without Consequences for Failing Schools, Students Lose
A high-school diploma is supposed to mean something. A student who earns one should be ready to attend college or...
Education Savings Accounts and Available Seats in Private Schools
Missouri has a lot of private schools—more than 600. Most of these schools, like their public school counterparts, are operating...
Is This What Full Accreditation Looks Like?
On Tuesday morning, the Missouri Board of Education voted unanimously to grant full accreditation to the St. Louis Public School...
City of Saint Louis Joins Charter School Fight
Saint Louis charter schools received good news earlier this month: the City of Saint Louis is taking their side in...
2016 Friedman Day Policy Panel
James Shuls, Ph.D., moderated this panel discussion about school choice in Missouri. The panel included Melissa Brickey, Executive Director of...
Privatization: Still a Good Thing in Education
About two years ago, I wrote a piece titled “Privatization in Education—Not as Scary as Some Think,” in which I...
Deathblow to St. Louis Charter Schools?
Saint Louis Public Schools are suing the state for 42 million dollars, claiming this money was improperly sent to charter...
How Much Do Saint Louis Area Schools Really Spend?
If you’ve been listening to Saint Louis Public Radio’s coverage of school finance in the region, you might have some...
#Dropthesuit, Explained
If you follow the key players in the Saint Louis Charter School community on social media, you’ve probably seen the...
Are Charter Schools Improving Integration in Saint Louis?
Saint Louis Public School district (SLPS) made news this week when it announced that it was suing the Missouri Board...
Race-Based School Choice Policies May Be in Violation of the Equal Protection Clause
Sometimes we realize what we thought was a good idea at the time was really a terrible idea. No, I’m...
Attention Teachers: Professionals Do Not Have a Salary Schedule
When you think of “professionals,” how do you think of them being paid? Do you expect them to have a...
Three Tips for Managing St. Louis Public Schools’ Enrollment Decline
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that enrollment in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) is down by nearly 1,500 students. This...
