The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) Agricultural Education section, along with partners at the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA), developed a new Five-Year Strategic Plan to provide direction from 2024-2029 for agricultural education. The “Reinventing Agricultural Education for the Year 2020” strategic plan has served as a valuable resource to lead the industry for more than 20 years.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced that it is using $500,000 in remaining funds from the second round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) dollars to pay the fee on educator certification tests in the coming months. Starting tomorrow, June 6, 2023, individuals may register for any Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA), Missouri General Education Assessment (MoGEA), or the Paraprofessional exam at no cost until the state funds are spent.

Three Missouri high school seniors were selected as members of the 59^th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars along with 161 students from across the country. The president recognized the outstanding students listed below for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.

The Missouri General Assembly passed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) $9.8 billion Fiscal Year 2024 budget today, including these highlights:

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has announced eight Missouri Gold Star Schools for 2023. The program, which aligns with the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, recognizes schools for outstanding academic achievement or for performing at high levels while serving a significant proportion of disadvantaged students.

Missouri’s 2023 Gold Star Schools include:

Today, Governor Mike Parson announced 169 school districts and charter schools have received grants from the newly created School Safety Grant Program. 

Patrick Henry Downtown Academy Elementary School in the St. Louis Public School District received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education today as a 2023 Green Ribbon School thanks to its innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure sustainability education.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced today the school districts and individual school buildings that earned the 2023 Missouri Purple Star designation — the second round of designees in this new state of Missouri program:

2023 Purple Star School Districts

·        Blair Oaks R-II

The Missouri State Board of Education’s (Board’s) Blue Ribbon Commission (Commission) studying teacher recruitment and retention challenges in Missouri is reconvening and moving on to its second phase of work — addressing issues related to climate and culture in schools.

“Educators statewide have been clear — working conditions must be addressed alongside salary if we want to help create long-term, sustainable change for Missouri’s educator workforce,” said Board President Charlie Shields.  

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2021-22 school year. APRs demonstrate the progress local education agencies (LEAs) and their individual buildings are making toward meeting the Standards and Indicators in the sixth version of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6).