Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Community members, educators and activists in north St. Louis are protesting the opening of Believe St. Louis Academy — a charter school supported by Opportunity Trust. They say opening charter schools reduces funding from St. Louis Public Schools and leads to further teacher layoffs.

The board says it was not given proper notice in the charter school’s application process.

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.

Some public comments have accused the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of raising "snowflakes."

As some states wrap up this year’s summer food aid program, Missouri is still distributing last year’s benefits. Officials say they must complete dispersal by the end of this year

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.

The state said this week it will not participate in a federal program that would provide $120 in benefits to each eligible child, citing administrative hurdles. The decision sparked anger from Missouri parents, who say that officials "basically just robbed us."

Missouri only started collecting data on seclusion and restraint this year, and many schools aren't reporting how often they use the practices. A Belton mom whose son was repeatedly secluded and restrained says schools are also using those methods in inappropriate ways.

A review from the National Council on Teacher Quality found many educator preparation programs across the country are not doing a good job teaching the science of reading.