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Aligned strengthens education systems through nonpartisan advocacy and strategic partnerships to improve outcomes for students in Kansas and Missouri.

Aligned is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving education in Kansas and Missouri.

10/26/2026

The Missouri State Board of Education oversees public education policy across the state, from academic standards and teacher certification to district accreditation and education funding recommendations.

Aligned’s Guide to the Missouri State Board of Education explains the Board’s responsibilities, how its members are appointed, who currently serves, and how the public can follow its meetings and decisions.

Click the link to check out and download the guide.

Learn about the Missouri State Board of Education, including its responsibilities, current members, appointment process, and how to follow its meetings.

10/23/2026

Our October 2026 Kansas and Missouri education policy update covers new national polling on education priorities, leadership changes and A–F grading in Missouri, and Kansas assessment results and cellphone restrictions.

This originally appeared in Aligned’s monthly newsletter. Want future updates in your inbox? Click the link in the post to sign up!

October 2026 Kansas and Missouri education policy update: national polling, Missouri leadership changes, Kansas test scores and school cellphone rules.

10/23/2026

Our friends at Foundation for Excellence in Education have updated their post "Preparing Our Schools: AI Guardrails for State and School District Leaders to Consider." This issue becomes more critical for states by the day and is worth reviewing as many states move toward new legislative sessions. Click the link to check it out!

Explore how states and districts can responsibly harness AI in K‑12 education with clear guardrails that protect student privacy, support teachers and ensure safe, effective learning tools.

10/20/2026

The Missouri State Board of Education meets today at 9:30 a.m. The agenda includes a commissioner search update, a Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force update, and an A-F grading framework update. The board will also recognize the Missouri Teacher of the Year. Listen to the meeting here:

https://dese.mo.gov/state-board-education/agendas-minutes-recordings

10/08/2026

Every child deserves the chance to become a confident reader.
Kansas is preparing to implement one statewide universal literacy screener, while Missouri requires state-approved reading assessments for students in kindergarten through third grade.

On World Dyslexia Awareness Day, we recognize that early identification and evidence-based instruction can help ensure students receive the right support at the right time.

10/08/2026

Aligned is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of the Show-Me Growth Teaching Fellowship!

These 24 Missouri educators teach kindergarten through 8th grade, in math, science, English language arts, and more. Their classrooms run from St. Louis and Kansas City to the Ozarks. Each comes from a school recognized for exceptional student growth by Saint Louis University’s PRiME Center.

Through the 2026–27 school year, fellows will meet for professional development, build a statewide network, and get support to share what is working in their classrooms with other educators, policymakers, and communities.

Click the link to meet the cohort and please join us in congratulating them:

The Show-Me Growth Teaching Fellowship recognizes Missouri teachers from high-growth schools and supports them in sharing what works with educators statewide.

10/07/2026

Treasury and the IRS have released the proposed rules for the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit. Starting in 2027, a cash gift to a qualifying scholarship organization can earn a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 per person, or up to $3,400 for a married couple filing jointly if each spouse gives. States have to opt in each year, and only organizations on the state list qualify. yes. every kid. foundation has a plain-language resource page on the deadlines, the scholarship rules, and what is still open for comment.

Missouri, along with thirty other states, have already opted in and more can still join by December 31. Click the link below for more details.

Running or thinking about starting a scholarship granting organization (SGO)? Or building your state’s process for participating in the Education...

09/29/2026

https://missouriindependent.com/2026/09/26/missouri-should-take-the-time-to-get-its-next-education-commissioner-right/

Missouri education is entering a period of significant change. That makes the search for the state’s next Commissioner of Education more than a personnel decision. It is a decision about who will lead Missouri’s schools through some of the most consequential policy changes the state has undertak...

09/26/2026

Check out Aligned CEO, Torree Pederson’s thoughts on the next Missouri Ed Commissioner.

09/25/2026

We are excited to announce our third webinar in the 2026 Webinar Series: Kansas School Finance.

Kansas is about to make one of its biggest education decisions in years. The current school finance formula expires in 2027, giving lawmakers a chance to make the system clearer, more predictable, and more connected to student need.

Join us for a plain-language conversation on what is ahead.

Register today and be part of the conversation.

https://wearealigned.org/kansas-school-finance-101/

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Shawnee, KS

Telephone

+19134844202

Website

http://www.wearealigned.org/

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