This blog post is the first in a series exploring literacy within education policy and practice. Here, we introduce the major methods of teaching reading and the debates surrounding them. Understanding these approaches — what they are, how they work, and why they matter — helps set the stage for...

This opinion piece originally appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . By Eric Syverson, Director of Policy & Research, Aligned. Across the nation, skepticism toward statewide assessment is rising. Teachers and families increasingly question whether traditional testing supports learning or just...

Child care is no longer just a family issue. It is a workforce issue. Across the political spectrum, there is growing recognition that the lack of affordable, reliable care is holding back both parents and employers. In the U.S. mixed-delivery child care system, businesses play a vital role by...

For years, educators have raised a problem with assessments: testing students only after instruction ends, when it’s too late to help them improve. Traditionally, states have used end-of-year exams to measure student performance against academic standards, but those tests do little to inform day-to...

In Kansas, an unacceptable number of students are struggling in math. Right now, 72% of Kansas 8th graders are below proficient in math. That’s not just a disappointing statistic. It’s a flashing red warning light for the future of our workforce, our economy, and our civic life. If Kansas is going...

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has officially signed the state’s $50.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026, including $15.4 billion in general revenue spending. While the budget includes significant new investments in child care and education, Governor Kehoe also issued $300 million in line-item...