With strong support from across the state, Missouri submitted its application for the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services Preschool Development Grant today. The grant would provide the state an opportunity to increase early childhood education throughout the state.

The Department’s Food and Nutrition Services Section has earned a Fiscal Year 2014 Direct Certification Performance Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for helping more Missouri children in need receive free meals.

Seven public schools in Missouri have been honored as 2014 Blue Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday.

Missouri's Blue Ribbon Schools are:

The Department has convened the work groups as charged under the provisions of HB 1490.  We provided individual group facilitators and note takers to each group to assist in conducting the first meeting and allowing the work groups to convene.  The facilitators will not serve in future sessions unless requested to do so by the work group itself.  As of late Tuesday, 7 of the 8 groups have requested that the Department continue to provide this resource.  Arrangements have been made for the times, dates and locations suggested.  We will work to provide this assistance

The Department will hold a public hearing on Monday, Sept. 22 to discuss the progress of the Riverview Gardens School District.

The hearing is open to the public and will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. at Riverview Gardens School District Family Community Resource Center, 1160 St. Cyr Road, St. Louis.

It will feature a presentation from Riverview Gardens School District officials regarding efforts to return the district to accredited status and what community resources may be useful or necessary in supporting that effort.

New program helps ease burden of cost and paperwork

Through a new federal program, more Missouri students are receiving free meals this school year.

Nearly 300 public, charter and non-public schools across Missouri are participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which provides free lunch and breakfast to all students in certain high-poverty schools while eliminating often burdensome paperwork for parents and schools.

The Department will convene a series of work group sessions beginning later this month to study existing charter school laws and to make recommendations for legislative consideration.

“It is our goal to make sure charter school law is clear and that the law provides an effective means for sponsors to operate in Missouri,” said Dennis Cooper, assistant commissioner in the office of Quality Schools. “We also want to ensure schools are being held to the highest standards so all students receive a high quality education.”

The State Board of Education has approved a district request to grant full accreditation to Swedeborg R-III schools based on performance in the district’s three most recent Annual Performance Reports (APR).

“Swedeborg has made significant progress since its 2011 APR,” said Dennis Cooper, assistant commissioner in the Office of Quality Schools. “The Department is happy to make the recommendation for full accreditation based on the district’s hard work and demonstrated performance.”

A little more than five years ago, a small group of men and women sat together interviewing the final candidates for the position of Missouri Commissioner of Education. We had agreed among ourselves that we had to find the new leader for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). We wanted a new leader committed to significant positive change – change measured in far better education results for Missouri's 1,000,000 students. The status quo was not acceptable.

Today, Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro announced her plans to retire at the end of 2014. The commissioner has served since 2009 and is the fifth person to serve in the position.