As concerns grow and information comes out about the dangers of GAI, policymakers, educators, and caregivers continue to look for ways to support all students in a technology-ridden world. 

Missouri has more emergent bilingual students enrolled in public schools than ever before. The total count is nearly 40,000 as of 2024 – an increase of 28 percent since 2017. Are the state’s public schools ready to meet their needs? 

House Bill 22-30, proposed by State Representative Tricia Byrnes, would limit screen time to 45 minutes per day in kindergarten through 5th grade. The bill also mandates an increase in paper assignments and textbooks. 70% of assignments would need to be completed through paper and pencil. Additionally, students would be required to have dedicated handwriting practice and cursive instruction in grades two through five. The bill states that cursive supports letter recognition, decoding, orthographic mapping, reading fluency, phonological awareness, and more.

Several studies have connected teacher turnover to declines in student outcomes. First-year teachers are 70% more likely than the average teacher to leave Missouri public education. Fewer and fewer teachers persist through their early-career years, with only six in ten reaching their sixth year in Missouri public education. Policymakers and education leaders should strategize ways to improve early-career teacher working conditions, training, and professional opportunities.

St. Louis schools have been looking into moving high school start times back. St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) discussed a Healthy Start Times initiative in a work session board meeting in January 2026.

The Missouri House just approved a bill (H.B. 2710) that would require the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to publish an annual report card that assigns a letter grade (A-F) to schools across the state. This would replace the already existing Annual Performance Report that DESE currently publishes.

Over the last decade, charter schools in Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas have grown, while traditional public school enrollment has generally declined. However, preliminary data for the 2024-25 school year suggests that some of these trends may be shifting.