Jodi Fortino
Education ReporterMore than ever, education lies at the intersection of equity, housing, funding, and other diverse issues facing Kansas City’s students, families and teachers. As KCUR’s education reporter, I’ll break down the policies driving these issues in schools and report what’s happening in our region's classrooms. You can reach me at jodifortino@kcur.org.
I'm a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
-
Missouri's education department has released new performance data finding chronic absenteeism remains a problem for many schools. Attendance rates have dropped in Missouri by 10% since 2019, and they're especially low for Black students.
-
Karla Eslinger, a Republican state senator from Wasola, will succeed current commissioner Margie Vandeven in the state's top education job in June 2024.
-
Genesis reopened after losing its charter earlier this year, but the near-miss raised larger questions about what success and accountability looks like for charters that serve students with high needs.
-
East High School’s soccer team made history by winning the school’s first state title in soccer. Now, it’s getting ready to send a player to compete against top soccer players from around the country in South Carolina.
-
On the first Monday of each month, the Johnson County Museum dims lights and limits capacity to make the space more welcoming for kids with sensory-processing challenges.
-
The Human Rights Campaign gave Kansas City high marks on its municipal equality index, but another group said the city is one of the worst places for LGBTQ+ people to live.
-
Kansas City Public Schools hopes passing a bond measure in 2025 would help address $400 million in deferred maintenance and modernize its learning environments.
-
Ahead of the Nov. 7 election, conservative candidates for school board seats across Kansas have repeatedly asserted that scores on the state standardized test show schools are failing. But experts say that's not necessarily true — and scores are just one part of the picture.
-
In Missouri, just under 25% of its Head Start centers are within a walkable distance from a public transit spot — making the early childhood program less accessible to families without reliable transportation.
-
Diversity initiatives, book bans and teaching about race divided races for some Johnson County school boards down ideological lines.