Weekly Update
This Week’s Highlights:
Top News – Federal update: Congress advances FY 2026 education and early childhood funding while states await key ESSA waiver decisions that could reshape accountability and implementation.
Kansas Update – Committee activity heats up: Lawmakers dig into Blueprint for Literacy progress, debate new assessment cut scores and NAEP framing, examine an audit questioning free-lunch counts as a proxy for at-risk funding, and press KSDE on enrollment declines, special education cost pressures, and the need for better longitudinal data.
Missouri Update – Screen time and spending: Legislators weigh limits on classroom technology and a return to cursive instruction, while our Data Matrix highlights how school spending patterns vary dramatically across districts.
Feature – Annual report: We reflect on a year of growth, research, and partnerships across Kansas and Missouri—and what comes next.