In 2024, SLU and YouGov partnered to poll Missouri voters (once in February and once in August) and Missouri parents (in May) on education topics. Below, we cover three voter opinions that received strong consensus from Missouri voters and parents.

When researchers and policymakers examine student enrollment and demographic trends in Missouri, one common measure used to capture the socioeconomic status of a school’s student body is the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL). While this metric has been widely used, it often fails to accurately reflect family income and, as a result, can overestimate the true need within schools. This issue warrants further exploration, especially as it impacts key decisions about resource allocation and support for disadvantaged students.

Last week, we published an update of the Missouri MAP scores brief to reflect the most recent release of data for the 2023—24 school year. Scores on the Missouri MAP test were effectively flat from 2023 to 2024. Math scores have mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels. ELA scores have yet to recover, especially at the early grades, which remain at 2021 levels. This reflects a larger trend of declining early literacy rates, which have been on the decline since 2012.

St. Louis, MO – At least 1 in 16 school-aged children in Missouri are educated at home instead of at brick-and-mortar public and private schools. This is the key finding of a new report by the Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRiME) Center at Saint Louis University. 
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families turned to homeschooling for the first time. Now, a new study from the PRiME Center puts a number to the population of students in Missouri who are homeschooled post-pandemic. Researchers at the PRiME Center estimate that at least 61,000 students in Missouri are homeschooled. This figure represents more than 6 percent of all school-aged children across the state. 

Last week we published a first-of-its-kind analysis of variation in Missouri charter and magnet schools.

In this blog, we highlight three takeaways about Missouri public opinion regarding the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools and policies affecting LGBTQ+ students.

In this blog, we cover three key takeaways from polling on Missouri voter opinion regarding teachers.

First-year Missouri educators earned just over $34,000 on average for the 2021-22 school year, ranking second-lowest in the nation for average starting teacher pay. Missouri’s 2021-22 average teacher salary was also among the lowest in the country, and less than average teacher pay in all eight border states.

Right now, 144 districts (27%) utilize the 4-day school week (4DSW) model, a 136% rise since pre-pandemic numbers in the 2019-2020 school year. In this blog, we highlight discussion on use of 4DSW in Missouri and offer evidence from our prior work on the impact of 4DSW on teacher recruitment.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the latest Annual Performance Report (APR) scores for local education agencies (LEAs) and schools. In this blog, we provide five key things to remember as you interpret the 2022 APR score data.

Missouri’s 2023 legislative session kicks off in just a few short weeks and the landscape will be shifting. Pre-filing of legislation began on December 1st with an introduction of education bills covering a wide range of issues. In this blog, we highlight the current pre-filed bills in education and the soon-to-be-filled leadership vacancies that will determine which bills are heard in committee and voted out.

In this blog, we spotlight the high poverty schools in the Kansas City region who showed excellent academic growth and were featured as top-growth schools in our Beating the Odds Report.

In this blog, we spotlight the high poverty schools in the St. Louis region who showed excellent academic growth and were featured as top-growth schools in our Beating the Odds Report.

In this blog, we describe key takeaways from Missouri’s 2022 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) results in English Language Arts and mathematics.

This blog identifies three key takeaways from PRiME’s policy brief, Elementary Age Population Decline, School Closures, and Access to Public Elementary School Options in St. Louis City.

In this blog, we compare the findings of PRiME”s 2021 Missouri Statewide Student Growth Growth Report with PRiME’s 2022 Missouri Statewide Student Growth Report. We contrast trends in student growth before and after the COVID-19 pandemic to begin to understand the effects on student learning in Missouri.

This blog discusses the importance of examining student growth scores and highlights PRiME’s upcoming series of 2022 Student Growth Reports.

This blog emphasizes key differences between the opinions of voters, parents, and private school leaders on hypothetical MOScholars Program regulations in the areas of admissions requirements, cost of tuition, participation in religious activities, and state standardized testing.