The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced the 2020 Missouri Regional Teachers of the Year this week, with the 35 selected teachers now eligible to be named the 2020 Missouri Teacher of the Year.

Committees comprised of education peers and key stakeholders for each Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) in Missouri selected the 2020 Regional Teachers of the Year.

Agency for Teaching, Leading, and Learning

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has named this year’s Missouri Gold Star Schools. The program recognizes schools that perform at high academic levels or that perform at high levels while serving a significant proportion of disadvantaged students.

There are eight winning schools:

Anthony W. Neal was named the newest member of the Normandy Schools Collaborative’s Joint Executive Governing Board on Tuesday, replacing outgoing member Richard Ryffel following his five years of service. 

A resident of the district, Neal currently serves as the President/CEO and senior partner of St. Louis-based Educational Equity Consultants (EEC). He has been an active member of multiple organizations and community boards in the St. Louis area. 

Four Missouri schools were recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as Green Ribbon Schools on Wednesday for their progress in the area of sustainability:

Students across Missouri are benefiting from new, high-speed internet connections in their classrooms, opening doors to virtual learning, providing for worldwide academic collaboration and enhancing research capabilities. Missouri districts and charter schools are completing projects to enable high-speed internet connectivity, and the first reimbursement has been made through the Missouri Connect & Learn Initiative.

The State Board of Education today authorized the extension of the Special Administrative Board (SAB) for the Riverview Gardens School District through June 30, 2022. The State Board also appointed Mary Oswald to join the SAB upon the retirement of Dr. Mark Tranel, who is one of the original members.

Ms. Oswald will join Dr. Lynn Beckwith Jr. and Ms. Veronica Morrow-Reel on the SAB. She is a retired teacher and former member of the elected Riverview Gardens school board. Oswald is a district resident and is active in her community of Bellefontaine Neighbors.

Missouri students will soon have additional course options in the field of computer science, as academic performance standards were approved by the State Board of Education during Tuesday’s meeting.

Missouri has been discussing what makes a great school and how to measure school progress. The State Board of Education today authorized a process that will give Missourians the opportunity to comment on new accountability standards in the next revision of the Missouri School Improvement Program, MSIP 6.

Missouri high school students Sujay Murali (Marquette High School; Rockwood R-VI) and Kimberley Tran (Clayton High School; Clayton) will join the 55^th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Tuesday morning that a total of 161 seniors from across the country were recognized for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.

Nine Missourians were honored as recipients of the 2019 Missouri Breaking Traditions awards at a ceremony in Jefferson City on Monday, April 29. The Breaking Traditions awards honor students, educators, and employers for their achievements related to nontraditional careers.

The 2019 awards and recipients are as follows: