teachers

Riley Long, a high school teacher in the Blue Valley School District, is taking his passion for educating outside of the classroom to help others learn how to be better trans allies.

A new poll from St. Louis University and YouGov found support for increased funding for some education initiatives but growing discontent with public schools in Missouri.

To help solve Missouri's shortage of school staff, Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation last week that allows educators to work full-time for a district without losing their retirement benefits. The law also affects positions like bus drivers and janitors.

Some Missouri school districts have turned to a 2016 state law that empowers them to file charges against teachers who break their employment contracts. The process can lead to the suspension of a teacher’s license. Other school districts have used the law to impose financial penalties as high as $10,000.

Most elementary teacher preparation programs across the country and in Missouri do not adequately focus on the science of reading, according to a new review from the National Council on Teacher Quality. In fact, Missouri's programs were among the worst in the nation — with the exception of UMKC.

Missouri pays its teachers some of the lowest salaries in the nation, and many educators are leaving the profession.

A nonbinary student teacher was told by an employee of the Fort Osage District that using gender-neutral pronouns was “too personal” and “too political.” Now, Olivia Jackson alleges that the school district discriminated by refusing to hire them because of their gender identity.

Young people with intellectual disabilities often get placed in foster care because their challenges are more than their families can handle. Kansas lawmakers and foster agencies hope they can help keep some of those kids in their original homes. Plus: Teachers at Kansas City Public Schools will soon be paid the highest starting salaries in the region.

Teachers at Kansas City Public Schools will soon be paid the highest starting salaries in the region — but just by a smidge. The school board approved a new union contract in the middle of a widespread teacher shortage that's making districts across the region compete to recruit and retain educators.

Kansas City-based Teachers Like Me has a specific goal, which is to recruit, develop and retain Black teachers. It’s starting to see some success.

Superintendent Brent Yeager, who oversees the second-largest school district in Kansas, told state lawmakers that a major reason for resignations among teachers was the negative portrayals of educators as unprofessional and unworthy of respect.

The Missouri bill, introduced by Republican Mike Moon, is even broader than Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law. It would impact public and charters schools throughout grades K-12, and bans discussion of gender or sexual orientation unless it's by a licensed mental health provider with parental permission.