DESE

Karla Eslinger, who served the past four years as a Missouri state senator, passed on a second term. She began her tenure as commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in June.

Some Missouri day care centers have been forced to shutter as state subsidy payments remain backlogged due to glitches in a new system.

The Senate gave initial approval to a 153-page education package with 20 of the chamber’s 34 members in support.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education found little to no learning loss after switch to four-day school week.

Missouri’s state board of education decided to provide schools with optional guidelines on social-emotional learning to help them cope with worsening student behavior. Commissioners are concerned about potential political pushback to the learning standards, which have been criticized by conservatives.

Margie Vandeven became the Missouri Commissioner of Education in January 2015, but was briefly ousted by Gov. Eric Greitens before being reinstated. Vandeven led the education department through the coronavirus pandemic and oversaw a transition to a new standardized testing regime.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has offered little guidance ahead of controversial law affecting student athletes set to take effect on August 28.

Schools in Missouri are still rebounding from the pandemic's impact on student learning. State education leaders say they're also grappling with student mental health issues, chronic absenteeism and teacher shortages.

The Missouri State Board of Education voted to allow Riverview Gardens School District and Normandy Schools Collaborative to have two locally elected members on their governing boards.

Missouri has laid out multiple options for keeping kids safe while still letting them learn in person.