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Since 2003, the Kauffman Scholars program invested $140 million to help Kansas City-area students in under-resourced areas pursue an education and a successful career.
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Schools are still struggling to raise attendance rates and student performance to where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, school districts are preparing for a new law in Kansas that allows students to transfer to schools outside the district where they live.
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Kansas public school leaders in some high-demand districts say they’re already hearing from families who want to switch schools to take advantage of a new open enrollment law. But the new law won’t be simple, and they’re not ready to just throw open their doors.
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Municipalities on the Kansas side of the metro weathered some complicated and contentious conversations in 2023, like affordable housing and diversity in education. We'll take a look back at some of the big political stories out of Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
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After two years of controversial efforts to remove books from school shelves, one Missouri librarian says colleagues are leaving the profession because it has become too painful. Plus: A Kansas toy shop recommends board games for the holidays.
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Brian Kirk lost his position on a volunteer library board over his support for LGBTQ+ rights. Progressive residents of St. Joseph say the incident has revealed discrimination in the city.
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Saint Louis University is running a prison education program that provides some Missouri inmates and prison staff with the opportunity to earn degrees. An inmate who hopes to return to Kansas City upon his release says the program gave him a new perspective on life.
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Three Kansas City schools were surprised with $10,000 each last week from the local nonprofit BeGreat Together. The grant is intended to help teachers at historically underfunded public schools enhance the classroom experience.
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Kansas City’s Genesis School taught at-risk students for years, then it nearly lost its charter. The near-miss raised larger questions about what success and accountability looks like in Missouri. Plus: a USDA program gives a second chance to food that stores won’t sell — but is perfectly good to eat.
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In a matter of months, the union representing maintenance, custodial and cafeteria workers at Kansas City Public Schools went from a cordial relationship with the district to filing seven class-action grievances. What's caused the tension?
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Some of the very first homes in Kansas were built by members of the Wichita Tribe with cut bundles of native bluestem grass. A new generation of students at Haskell Indian Nations University are learning the skill, and reconnecting with a Great Plains tradition.
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Since the 2018-19 school year, the Hazelwood School District has increased its rate of investigating student residency eightfold, deploying a team of employees who can use intrusive tactics.