teachers

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.

Over 100 educators gathered in Jefferson City to voice opposition to Missouri bills that would allow public districts and charter schools to open enrollment to nonresidents, and a "Parent's Bill of Rights" that would ban schools from teaching diversity-related concepts and "critical race theory."

The bill bans schools from teaching some diversity-related concepts, as well as the teaching of courses or units of study on critical race theory. However, that term is not specifically defined in the legislation and no elementary or secondary schools in the state are teaching CRT.

Nearly 100 teachers at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School are unionizing in an effort to reduce teacher turnover and raise their pay. If they win recognition, they will be only the second charter school in Missouri to unionize.

Missouri's average teacher salaries are among the worst in the U.S. Last year, a temporary solution raised pay for some teachers. This year, educators are asking for a permanent increase.

A group of education deans from public universities in Kansas say the state needs to raise teacher pay, elevate the profession and offer student teachers a paycheck — rather than just another tuition bill — while they work in classrooms.

Kids around the metro are returning to class after the holiday break — but the new semester has some familiar issues kicking around. Staffing issues in schools, fights over curriculums and controversial mascots were some of the top stories in 2022, and those continued debates are setting the tone for the year ahead.