This report examines current physical education policy requirements in Missouri.

This report examines the unique challenges to and opportunities for school belonging for students in special education, along with best practices to support school belonging for special education students.

This report details Missouri teachers’ supplemental (non-base) pay and the Career Ladder program for teachers.

Currently, over a third of public school districts in Missouri utilize a four-day school week (4DSW). The overwhelming majority that currently use a shortened school week are small, rural school districts.  The primary reason cited by districts for transitioning to the 4DSW is to recruit and retain certified educators in an increasingly competitive workforce marketplace. While, up to this point, the four-day school week has been a rural school district phenomenon, this is beginning to change as larger districts also struggle to find and retain staff.  This study examined the 4DSW influence on job applications to the Independent School District (ISD), which adopted a four-day school week for the 2023-2024 school year. With over 14,000 students and over 1,200 certified staff, ISD is by far the largest 4DSW district in Missouri. As policymakers analyze the 4DSW, it is important to investigate how the size and diversity of a school impact a school district's ability to attract and retain teachers.  

In this report, we analyze the results of a survey sent to 900 Missouri and Arkansas parents, asking them their opinions about four-day school weeks, homeschooling, college likelihood, teacher salaries and entering the workforce, and school vouchers.

In this report, we dive into the results, focusing specifically on the education questions posed to voters on the Fall 2024 SLU/YouGov poll.

This report covers a program evaluation of the Summer Scholars program.

This brief documents changes in Missouri public school teacher retention during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines changes in teacher retention in districts that adopt a four-day school week calendar.

This report covers the ever-changing public education system in St. Louis.

This 3rd Edition of PRiME’s annual Growth Reports covers data from the 2021—2022 school year.

This 3rd Edition of PRiME’s annual Beating the Odds Growth Report covers data from the 2021—2022 school year.

In this education report we first provide some key background information regarding student mobility and its impact. We then use public data to describe what student mobility looks like across Missouri in comparison to neighboring states. Next, we call attention to the discrepancies in existing Missouri student mobility data and describe possible reasons for these discrepancies. We conclude with implications for education researchers and policy makers.

Since 2020, Saint Louis University (SLU) has worked with YouGov to poll Missouri citizens on current issues in politics and education. The PRiME Center funded a poll presented to 900 likely Missouri voters from February 14–February 26, 2024 to inform stakeholders on public opinion surrounding political and education-related policy issues. In this report, we dive into the most recent education results.

The following paper reports on variation in student demographics and outcomes in St. Louis’ public school system.

The following paper provides a primer in state education funding formulas, and a lesson in unintended consequences.

In this report, we define the problem of chronic absenteeism in Missouri and present data on school attendance in the state over the last five years.

In this report, we show how Missouri teacher salaries were reduced following the Great Recession.

In this report, we analyze changes in school-age population, public school enrollment, and school closures in Saint Louis City over the last three decades.

The PRiME Center partnered with Navigate STL Schools to determine data priorities that align with parent needs. To meet this objective, we sat down with 28 parents in a series of focus groups to learn more about how parents make informed school decisions.

The PRiME Center worked with YouGov to distribute a survey about various education topics to a sample of 600 Missouri parents of school-aged children. We summarize their perspectives in this report.