While the City of Saint Louis will soon be 250 years old, the international sport of Chess dates back to at least 1500 years. That got several of our lobbyists and media experts wondering: is the professional idea of chess older than the idea of taxing one’s personal income?

The early forms of the game that became chess come from India before or around the 6th century AD. Some may claim that early civilizations that tithed by offering up their first fruits could count as a concept of taxing personal production. However, Wikipedia takes us to ancient China in the year 10 CE. Emperor Wang Mang slapped his Xin Dynasty with ten percent tax on all profits for professional and skilled labor. Without the benefit of facebook, twitter, or email, it took his citizens only 13 years to overthrow him and repeal such policies.

As chess spread into Persia, and later into Europe, so did the concept of taxing one’s income. If chess can be thought of as a professional sport that simulates the Art of War, then it’s financier with past governments in real war was often the income tax. At least that has often been the excuse, as Britain chose to do in preparation for the Napoleonic Wars in 1798.

Eighteen years later, the war income tax did get repealed, but, true to some halls of government, its memory was not forgotten. Meanwhile, by 1851, London gave the world our first modern chess tournament than was won by a German. Dueling tournaments across European countries helped shape chess as a sport for all kingdoms, cultures, and ages.

Ten years later, America imposed its first personal income tax for, well, you guessed, war again.

The Revenue Act of 1861 charged 3% off all incomes over the near equivalent of $20,000 or more in today’s terms. The fledgling State of Missouri also imposes its first temporary income tax which was quickly-repealed after the Civil War.

As civil war moved to reparation and reconstruction in America, here came the World Chess Championship of 1886 where four matches were played in Saint Louis. This international event featured the civic rise of our great city at a time without any city earnings tax, or tax on a professional athlete’s income.

With prosperity in American from the 1880’s to the 1910’s came a surge in chess as a sport again.

A curious political series of turns then concluded by 1913 with the 16th Amendment that gave Americans their first peacetime income tax. At the State level, Missouri’s income tax table was later applied from the Great Depression time when no one ever expected to have income, in 1931.

As the rules on taxing income shifted when the “wars on prohibition” demanded more government revenues, so did the popularity and focus of the game of chess within the Show Me State.

So, the origin of chess and income taxes may be hard to compare, but their justifications and use between war and peacetimes has certainly been cyclical over the generations. Saint Louis City and Missouri itself may prove pivotal to the next chapter of both subjects, as the City opens a new Hall of Fame while the State tries to end its personal income tax .

In one of our next blogs, we will compare tax tables to chess moves in the context of contemporary history to explore this subject further.

Bordering prosperous, business friendly Texas, Oklahoma has found itself lagging behind the Lone Star state in economic performance. According to the US Census, Oklahoma grew by 6.85% over the preceding 10 years, while Texas managed 18.85% growth. As a result, Texas gained 4 electoral seats for a total of 38 while Oklahoma only managed to hold on to its 7 votes.

There is little doubt that Texas is outperforming Oklahoma in terms of job creation, economic growth and attracting businesses to relocate to the state. One factor that makes Texas more competitive is its lack of personal income tax, relative to Oklahoma’s top rate of 5.5%. Oklahoma not only taxes individuals 5.5% of their income, but does this on every dollar earned above $8,700, suggesting that almost everyone working pays a marginal rate of 5.5%. While every state must collect taxes to provide the requisite services its citizens require, every state uses a different mix of income, sales and property taxes. The evidence suggests that states with no income tax, on average, grow significantly faster than those that impose an income tax (see Table 1 for details).

Oklahoma’s economic underperformance has been so severe that legislators have taken notice and are attempting to make changes by eliminating the state’s income tax. Legislation was introduced last week in the Oklahoma House of Representatives (HB1543) proposing eliminating the personal income tax over a period of 5 years. Should Oklahoma eliminate the tax, the state would be immediately better off with every Oklahoman receiving a 5.5% raise on their after tax income. Extra income in the pocket of state citizens means extra spending power, extra jobs and more personal freedom.

Closer to home, Tennessee is the only state neighboring Missouri without an income tax. Is it surprising that it is the fastest growing border state to Missouri? Tennessee grew 10.67% over the last 10 years; while the next best performer, Arkansas, achieved 8.08% growth. With Oklahoma attempting to eliminate its income tax, shouldn’t Missouri think about joining the race? The experience of Texas and Tennessee shows clearly how personal empowerment of individuals and no income taxes can lead to a better economy. Eliminating the personal income tax in Missouri would help attract business to Missouri from neighboring states, especially those that appear hell-bent on raising taxes and killing jobs such as Illinois, which recently raised its personal income tax. Within days, the CEO of Jimmy John’s announced that he will be moving the company’s headquarters, currently located in Champaign, IL, to a more business-friendly state. If Missouri had no income tax, the choice for Jimmy John’s new headquarters could easily be the Show-Me State.

States today compete to attract business and residents just as companies fight to attract customers. A more attractive tax environment, one with no personal income taxes, would benefit Missouri by helping us grow faster than neighboring states. The role of government is to create the best possible environment for economic growth, personal empowerment and the pursuit of happiness; evidence from other states shows that taxing income results in worse economic performance, while states with no income tax perform better. The 2010 US Census shows that Missouri will lose one congressional seat and will be the only state in the region to do so. It’s time that Missouri seriously considered eliminating its personal income tax. The results of the Census show that our economic policies over the last 10 years have not worked to attract business to Missouri. This has to change. It is time for big ideas.

More News about Oklahoma House Bill 1543

• Cockroft looks to end income tax
• Josh Cockroft begins political career

Table 1 – States with no personal income tax

Before jumping to conclusions about the impact of the income tax on a state’s economic performance, let’s look at the facts and the data. How have the economies of Missouri and Tennessee performed over the last ten-plus years?

Let’s start by looking at the gross state product (GSP) as reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). In 1997, Missouri’s GSP was $157 billion and Tennessee’s was $153 billion; in other words, Missouri’s economy was 102.82% of TN’s. By 2008, just before the financial crisis, Missouri’s economy had grown to $241 billion while Tennessee’s reached $248 billion. In other words Missouri’s economy is now 97.25% the size of Tennessee’s, suggesting that Tennessee grew faster than Missouri during the past 11 years. This is in fact the case, as can be seen by computing the compounded average growth rates (CAGR) for Missouri and Tennessee. Over the last 11 years Missouri grew at 3.9407% per year while Tennessee grew by 4.4680% per year. The difference, 0.5273% per year, may appear very small but over time adds up to a lot. A tiny difference of half a percentage point per year compounded over 11 years has led Tennessee’s economy from being $4 billion smaller than MO’s, to being $7 billion larger. In other words, Tennessee’s economy created $11 billion dollars more wealth during the same 11-year period than Missouri’s did.

Headline numbers like gross state product (GSP) can obscure important facts because they aggregate and average a lot of data. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) breaks out detailed accounts such as private industry production, the government sector and the state and local government subcomponent. Therefore, looking at the subcomponents of GSP gives a more complete picture.

FFirst, let’s compare private industry growth. In 1997, private industry accounted for $140 billion and $136 billion in Missouri and Tennessee respectively. In 2008, these same numbers were $211 billion and $220 for Missouri and Tennessee respectively. These numbers imply compounded annual growth rates (CAGR) of 3.8090% and 4.5055% for Missouri and Tennessee respectively (a difference of 0.6965% per year). In Missouri, the private industry component grew slower than the GSP, suggesting that other components, such as the government sector, must have grown faster than average GSP. In contrast to this, private business in Tennessee grew faster than the overall economy in Tennessee, both of which expanded faster than Missouri’s GSP.

Second, let’s look at the state and local sector’s contribution to the GSP. It’s important to note that these figures include goods and services paid for directly by the state and local government and do not include transfer payments and other forms of welfare. State and local government accounted for $12 billion in both Missouri and Tennessee in 1997. By 2008, these figures totaled $21 billion and $20 billion in Missouri and Tennessee, implying a CAGR of 5.0897% for MO and 4.8562% in TN. This suggests that while both states’ economies grew, the government sector grew faster that did the GSP in both states.

Finally, it is worth looking at a few other measures, such as median incomes, population growth and median home values, all of which are reported by the Census Bureau and are summarized in the table below.

Over the last eight years, income per capita appears to have grown at basically the same rate in both states. While median home values appear to be growing more rapidly in Missouri based on CAGR numbers, home values are subject to a great degree of measurement uncertainty and are therefore much less telling than other measures. The only figure that really merits attention is the significantly more rapid rise of Tennessee’s population compared to that of Missouri. The difference in population growth over the past eight years is about 300,000 people in Tennessee’s favor – approximately the entire population of the City of St Louis.

While many possible differences between Missouri and Tennessee can be used to explain their different records of economic performance, it is impossible to argue with the data, which shows that Tennessee’s economy has grown faster than Missouri’s. It is also impossible to deny that taxes matter when individuals and businesses are deciding where to work or locate. Eliminating the state income tax in Missouri can make the Show-Me state a magnet for attracting individuals and businesses from across state lines.

In this short article, the data has demonstrated the superior economic growth rate of Tennessee: a no-income tax, pro-business state. The debate about repealing the income tax in Missouri is not a debate about how to replace the tax or what to exempt from taxation. The debate about repealing the income tax should be about how to best create an environment that fosters dynamic economic growth and job creation for Missouri in the 21^st century.

A recent article from knoxnews.com (http://blogs.knoxnews.com/humphrey/2010/10/pac-proliferation.html) puts the number of new political action committees (PACs) at 88 since the 2008 election and decries large donations made by corporation to various political leaders in the state. Amongst these large contribution recipients is Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s PAC, receiving $26,000 in August.

While in total dollar amounts the numbers may appear large, especially to those outside the political circuit, it’s important to put these numbers into perspective. For example, in the same time period a total of 1,027 new political action committees have been registered in Missouri and millions have been spent in 2010 on political advocacy in the Show-Me state. In similar fashion, large donations to individual candidates are not uncommon in Missouri, such as Tom Schweich’s receipt of $50,000 on November 1^st.

The fact that Missouri politics involves more money than Tennessee doesn’t make Tennessee’s politicians any less influenced by the power of dollars. In fact, no matter the amount, the report of any money being received by a political party is viewed as a negative event, and it is common to hear reporters denouncing the “corrupting power of money” in politics. Truly, what amount of money is too large when it comes to politics? At which point does money begin to unduly influence the process? Purists say a single dollar of political contributions is too much, but it’s important to put political spending into perspective to really understand the phenomenon.

Americans spent over $3.0 billion dollars last year on pet grooming (source: APPA, http://www.americanpetproducts.org/) – more than both political parties combined in all elections in 2010. Similarly, the video game “Call of Duty” sold over $350 million dollars in the first 24 hours after it was released last month – more than any political party received in  such a short time period  (http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/15/review-call-of-duty-blacks-ops-shows-games-can-beat-the-drama-and-action-of-movies/). While the dollar amounts involved in politics appear large when we think of them in terms of our own salaries or the cost of living, they pale in comparison to some of the aggregate spending amounts in the general economy. Money in politics may have an influence, but it is a tiny amount of money compared to the national spending on relatively unimportant items such as video games and pet care, not to mention the gargantuan amounts spent on health care or groceries.

The key to preventing corruption in politics as a result of campaign contributions is transparency, not limiting the amount people and organizations can give. Simply limiting the amount of money an organization or individual can spend does not make their point less valid or the political process less susceptible to influence. In fact, imposing campaign limits simply pushes more spending into less transparent routes as the phenomenal growth of 527 organizations demonstrates (527’s are limited in their advocacy to supporting issues, but have no contribution limits and only have to disclose their donors once a year). To try to limit a person’s political advocacy simply because we disagree with their position violates the spirit of the 1^st amendment. Unpopular speech, especially political speech, is vital to the health of a democracy, and the Supreme Court’s decision last year to uphold the right of corporations to political speech is a reaffirmation of this belief in our society.

While Tennessee has experienced significant growth in the number of PACs in recent years, the dollar amounts they have spent pale in comparison to the amounts spent in Missouri, and look microscopic in comparison to the huge amounts of money spent on seemingly unimportant goods such as pet grooming. As long as running political campaigns costs money, campaign contributions will be an important part of politics. It is in all of our interest to see that money given to politicians is given in a transparent way and reported in a timely fashion. When campaign contributions are transparent it is impossible to honestly speak of money corrupting the process, because in the end, when it comes to elections everyone is the same: we all have just one vote.

These children were about to be marginalized, forgotten. They were in limbo between adulthood and the haven of school because they were “incorrigible”: they’d broken laws, disrupted classrooms or violated public school safety codes. Some serious infraction had removed these children from their public school and funneled them into a labyrinthine system where education was unlikely and graduation seemed completely out of reach. These were the children Judge Edwards heard from daily, and it was only a matter of time before they ended up back in Edwards’ courtroom on more serious charges and with less hope.

The reaction from Edwards was superhuman. In April 2009, he saw opportunity in the closing of Blewett School on Cass Ave., and in a few short months he had a building, 45 community partners, and a Principal vetted by the toughest juvenile offenders to open ICA.

Innovative Concepts Academy, in just its first year, is getting local and national attention for the profound changes happening in the lives of the most “incorrigible” youth. A few ideas seem to be the pillars of this success, and are woven into every program:

ICA is a place to be safe. Sure, it’s replete with security tech and staff – but they also provide medical services and 3 square meals a day, counseling, and staff trained to deal with trauma victims. For Edwards, it’s not enough to treat symptoms like acting out in class: many of the kids at ICA may have witnessed violent crimes or may be in a situation that precludes success.

ICA is a place to learn – or for many students, the ONLY place to learn. A child expelled from school doesn’t lose access to classroom learning and accountability. A juvenile offender doesn’t while away time in a facility that further limits her opportunities. More than that, students get and learn respect. Some of the boys mention that adults take them more seriously when they’re wearing a tie. The entire staff and mechanism of the school reinforces the idea that effort is rewarded – even desirable – and that they are all capable.

Third, it’s a place to get inspired. While mandatory extra-curricular programs keep kids off the street and out of trouble, those 45 community partners have given ICA students a remarkable smorgasbord of activities that aren’t simply about marking time. Golf lessons, chess instruction, classical music, creative writing and ballroom dance are just a few of the ways students can spend their afternoons.

A St. Louis Magazine documentary of Innovative Concepts Academy ends with one young man at a piano knocking out beautiful riff after beautiful riff: for me, that made the ICA not just a good idea, but something we should cherish, support and replicate. Just think, a pianist, a chess master, an author, a thinker, a good parent, or a hard worker may be that child who was about to slip through the cracks.

The plight of students in St. Louis is often harsh. The dropout rate is untenable: some kids are homeless, others are hungry, and some are discouraged. In one year, a rejection of all the things that don’t work; a fresh start based solely on what at-risk kids need to choose a better path; and a resolute leader accomplished not just a good school, but also hope.

We now have hope that there are solutions to the problems that have baffled us – but only if we’re willing to be radical thinkers, and put our energy behind a good idea.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Associated Industries of Missouri, and the Missouri Growth Association serve a variety of Missouri businesses and industries.

Small businesses employ about half of U.S. workers, and are responsible for 64% of net new jobs in the past 15 years [source]. Some organizations, like the MO Chapter of National Federation of Independent Business, just focus on Missouri small businesses and issues that they face.

The Missouri Department of Revenue is a constant resource for businesses or individuals looking for information or answers to questions about taxation and licensure, and for their annual report.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development looks at indicators of state economic growth in their Economic Conditions Report, and connects Missouri businesses with state resources.

A drive across the state reminds us that farming is a very important part of the equation for Missouri growth. The Missouri Farm Bureau Association looks closely at how farmers and Missouri’s strong agricultural sector will be affected by policies.

Part of Missouri’s health is attracting and retaining population and businesses. Missouri Association of Realtors is watching these trends closely.

These organizations are great resources for learning more about the economic status of Missouri, and getting a picture of the variety of indicators we can look at to move Missouri in the right direction.

The drive toward dynamic economic growth for the Show-ME State economy is an important one to institute. That’s why we were fortunate to have Dr. Art Laffer of Laffer & Associates present his views on how Missouri’s economy can grow by replacing our state income tax with a broad-based sales tax system.

It has been no secret that I have lobbied to make online public schools as useful, effective, and transparent as any other classroom in Missouri. It likewise may come as no surprise that I am an avid user of twitter to provide government transparency (having completed my 3,000 tweet recently).

As technology expands into communication and business, it is encouraging to see that some public school teachers are looking at ways to integrate it into classroom experiences in a positive way. It seems inevitable that digital natives would expect and thrive off curriculum approaches fluent in their digital devices and media.

EdWeek Magazine examines several classrooms that are using Twitter in particular to supplement their curricula.

American History teacher Lucas Ames has his students tweeting articles about Constitutional issues, old and new. @coolcatteacher shares resources between colleagues to get and give feedback about technology in the classroom. Yet another teacher in Houston is hoping Twitter will help her bilingual class to learn about other cultures and customs by partnering with other classrooms around the country.

Some critics wonder if it’s really appropriate to use social networking in the classroom. And it’s not just the stigma that video games and social networks are toys and typically distract from learning, but also because there is little to no data about these tools helping or hurting achievement. Daniel Willingham, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia-Charlottesville notes the lack of research, but goes on to say:

“Like any other tool, the way we make it useful is to consider very carefully what this particular tool is very good at, rather than simply say, ‘I like Twitter, so how can I use it?’ ”

So what is useful about Twitter in this context?

It can improve the speed by which we get information. Homework help, project collaboration are possible ways for students to integrate technology into time-management.

Downside: easing a manner to cheat, or providing shortcuts to research

It can present information in a more useful or appropriate format.
Peer reviews or ongoing class discussions where students can integrate, say, news stories into their feed to support their point could be useful in teaching analysis, debate, and how to use resources.

Downside: disadvantage for kids who may not have Internet access at home.

It can connect you with experts. You can follow @NASA, search for Ayn Rand, follow elected officials, journalists and researchers.

Downside: It can also connect you with spammers and people with bad information.

Crowd-sourcing the best ideas. For teachers, Twitter is beginning to be a way to share ideas, lesson plans and class notes. For students, it could be asking a question or asking for opinions and learning how sharing ideas produces better results and sparks creativity.

Students can also be challenged to develop their own uses and applications for Twitter. One of the most interesting uses of Twitter I came across was an elementary teacher that used Twitter to teach students about probability and geographic climates, so the network actually served to illustrate a lesson, or put a human face on an abstract thought.

Twitter is merely one example among thousands that have the potential to enhance a lesson, show the possible practical uses of a “social” network, and get students used to integrating technology into their work. One objective of administrators and teachers could be to create methods to learn about technology and reap the benefits while avoiding some of the pitfalls.

One leader in the national conversation about technology in education will be Karen Cator, a former executive at Apple, as she joins the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology.

“We need to craft an entirely new research agenda around this issue so people can’t write that technology doesn’t work,” said Cator to Edweek. “We know it works…but we need to get good at saying and articulating what exactly technology can do.”

If Americans seek to improve the competitiveness of our next generation, then it is vital to embrace this challenge to define better experiences.

Otherwise, I am sure that tweet feeds like this one will regulate our future.

Photo by Kevin Zollman under a Creative Commons license.

New York was the subject of a study by Stanford professor Caroline Hoxby. By comparing the progress of students who were accepted to a Charter school by random lottery and those who were not accepted and remained in public schools, Hoxby was able to create a reliable comparison between similar students.

The results showed children who attended Charter schools performed better in math and English. The key component of Hoxby’s study is that the school is the only difference between the two groups she studied. Parents were equally motivated, the children were equally qualified, and the lottery was random.

For Charter founders, teachers and board members, these findings reinforce their day-to-day experience working with individual students. The research dispels the myth that Charter successes have only been because they “cream” the best students. But research is not only valuable to prove a theory true, but also to direct next steps.

Missouri is one of the states that Dr. Hoxby’s study identifies as hosting Charter schools whose students showed significantly higher gains than their public school counterparts. This kind of definitive research is vitally useful in crafting a good education policy – one that produces measurable results.

But how will this information filter into policies, especially considering Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s (@arneduncan) recent tour promoting swift, serious education reforms on the state level? A study conducted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory specifically examined how policymakers access and apply research evidence. Through focus groups and surveys, they found that research played a minor role in policy-shaping discourse.

“Study participants asserted that political perspectives, public sentiment, potential legal pitfalls, economic considerations, pressure from the media, and the welfare of individuals all take precedence over research evidence in influencing decisions. In focus groups and interviews, participants did not mention any ‘breakthrough research’ nor did they cite any findings that they felt had a dramatic effect on practice or policy.” ( p. 0iv)

Part of their research examined how researchers might present their findings to policymakers in a more useful format. Participants identified a lack of sophistication in finding, analyzing and applying data, as well as an apprehension about the accuracy of research. That is certainly understandable in a culture rich with data and research: sifting through a great wealth of often dense, technical research to find applicable, trusted, complete research requires rigor and time.

“Both policymakers and practitioners expressed a preference for brief reports (no more than one to two pages), in a larger font, and written in nontechnical language. They also identified a need for research that is locally relevant and credible, includes case studies, and offers analysis across multiple studies.” (p. Oiv)

The authors stressed that research has many auxiliary or indirect paths to influencing public policy. For instance, there is a heavier reliance on research by school administrators as they form local policies. Research may be highlighted by the media, or used by the reform-minded to frame a policy conversation. But in any of these scenarios, policymakers stressed that in order for it to be useful in sculpting reform policies, they had to receive that information from a trusted intermediary.

The Hoxby study in particular is a seminal piece of research that has already found a life in the reporting of major national newspapers, such as the New York Post, the Washington Post and the New York Times. The challenge in Missouri will be to help explain how this study applies to Missouri students: what the current Charter school environment looks like in Missouri, and how we can use policy as a bridge to increased achievement.

“Clearly, the formulation of policy is a balancing act among what is right, what is known, what is desired, and what is possible,” (p. 1) note the study’s authors, and good research can fortify that framework to result in truly effective reforms.

Additional Resources:

Caroline Hoxby was in St. Louis earlier this year to talk about her research on Charter School performance.

Charter School Research and Economics Part 1


Charter School Research and Economics Part 2


STUDIES MENTIONED ABOVE:

Caroline Hoxby’s Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States

NREL: Toward a Research Agenda for Understanding and Improving the Use of Research Evidence

In 2007, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Richard Callahan ruled against the school district plaintiffs in favor of the state and 3 taxpayer-intervenors.  Today’s concurrent ruling comes after the school districts appealed that decision to the State Supreme Court, and ends the long, expensive court battle.

The decision that Missouri is meeting its obligation to fund public schools is prudent and saves taxpayers from shouldering billions of additional blank-check state spending for public education.  It has, however, cost both taxpayers and students.  School district plaintiffs spent taxpayer dollars, and taxpayers also support state legal services that defended Missouri’s formula.  Students lost out on millions of dollars that could have been spent in a classroom, but were instead spent in the courtroom.

This trial and the resounding dismissal of the plaintiff districts’ claims offer several distinct lessons as Missouri pursues excellence in education.

The State Supreme Court will not be the “good cop” and circumvent the powers of the legislative branch to appropriate funds. When local tax levies and lobbying efforts failed to change the funding formula to the extent that these school districts desired and they turned to Constitutional arguments to secure more funding, the court had this to say:

“Notably, the introductory clause… concerning the ‘diffusion of knowledge’ outlines the purpose and subject of Missouri’s public education system. But, it provides no specific directive or standard for how the State must accomplish a ‘diffusion of knowledge.’ Plaintiffs are attempting to read a separate funding requirement into [the clause] that would require the legislature to provide “adequate” education funding in excess of the 25-percent requirement… Such language does not exist….

Reading a free-standing obligation to provide certain school funding into the introductory language… would be contrary to the specific flexibility afforded the legislature…”

More money does not equal better education. Missouri cannot spend its way to excellent, or even adequate performance.   State funding is merely one aspect of the framework set up to house public education: it is how we as a state move resources toward the goal of educating our children.  Those resources can be spent wisely or poorly.  They can be spent on programs, materials and staff that educate effectively, but they may be spent on methods that don’t work.  The structure into which we put our resources is at least as important as how much we spend.

A new era of education reform is coming. Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke in St. Louis last week, and presented a new way of thinking about funding education: tie it to reforms that work.

Announcing billions of dollars in grants available for education, Duncan gave caveats that grants would be awarded where innovation was the driving force. He stressed that Missouri should consider having a portfolio of options to offer children with different needs and strengths.

“In St. Louis, the city and Missouri the state has a chance to compete for unprecedented discretionary resources,” said Duncan. “In every one of the those applications, we’re going to look for capacity, we’re going to look for a visionary plan, we’re going to look for someone who wants to challenge the status quo and we’re going to look for folks who are willing to collaborate, and if St. Louis and Missouri can do that, you have the chance to do something very special in the years ahead.”

More than anything, the conclusion of the Adequacy Trial offers us a clear opportunity to shift our focus to a new way of thinking about improving Missouri education and also the way we can fund that goal.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/changedotgov/ / CC BY 2.0

Missouri Supreme Court Opinion available HERE.