K-12 Education

The mentorship program has come to an end due to new enforcement of regulations in transportation.

Gov. Jay Nixon has suggested extending the school year by six days. We're interested in finding out how this change could affect you.

The change would allow only juniors and seniors to leave their school grounds during lunch.

Although it would apply to any failing school district in Missouri, the Senate legislation is targeted primarily at the Kansas City school system.

The economy could be part of the reason the reform is gaining traction, suggested Arthur Reynolds. He said the main cost of retention — another year of education if the student doesn't drop out — is years away.

The Parks and Recreation Department and the Columbia Public Schools are hoping to build two new gyms at local elementary schools.

The Columbia City Council is expected to appropriate $25,000 for projects at Lee, Shepard Boulevard and New Haven elementary schools.

Arlene Ackerman, who grew up in St. Louis, died at age 66. She made massive changes in the Philadelphia school system including smaller class sizes and higher test scores.

The New York director is in Columbia to lead Stephens College's production of "The Tempest."

High school students write about their expectations of involvement in school policies and the mixed messages they get from adults.

Gov. Jay Nixon has proposed an almost $66 million infusion in new money to the state's funding formula for education.

Melissa Chambers, Early Head Start operations director, sees the proposed increase as a recognition of the benefits of early intervention.

A new body of research shows that the social and emotional skills that children gain, or don't gain, before they enter kindergarten has a profound effect on their life trajectory — academically, economically and socially.

The bill, filed one day before the December massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, would require that a certified instructor teach a National Rifle Association-sponsored gun safety course in first-grade classrooms across the state. 

On the plus side is the potential for increased property values and addressing overcrowding at existing elementary schools.

The school district's Long-range Facilities Planning Committee visited three possible school locations in southwest Columbia on Saturday. The new elementary school is set to open by August 2016.

A bus transporting students from Lee Elementary School hit a tree Friday afternoon. There were no injuries.

The plans are part of an ongoing discussion about changing the busing schedule for schools before the opening of Battle High School in the fall.

Under a new Department of Education directive, schools would be required modify athletic programs for students with disabilities.

The district did not plan any increased security for Wednesday night's girls basketball game between Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools, Columbia Public School District spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said.