• SPS has long supported parents' rights to make education decisions best for their families. • "We are steadfast supporters of public education, and we believe that for any community to be healthy and vibrant, there must be a strong public school system at the heart."

Library staff members helped write the featured phrases on the new library cards, then narrow down those ideas into the six displayed on the new cards.

In a message to parents, Principal Duane Cox said the school acted on a tip and intercepted the student as they arrived to school.

Missouri State's official count will happen in September. In advance of that, enrollment officials see likely drops in graduate and international students.

The university's department for legal affairs has been fielding all sorts of questions from the campus community about immigration enforcement efforts.

This is a big year for Central, as they return to field competitions for the first time in years. The lack of football games took away rehearsals of their show in front of live audiences.

The expedition's main goal is to figure out whether the geoglyphs they have found are either structures or trenches. Either way, they had to have been made by humans, and that could help redefine what we know about pre-Columbian societies, the archaeologists say.

Hilarious teacher TikToks aside, there is not a lot of training available for teachers on how to spot the use of AI. But educators say that the toolbox for how a teacher follows a student's progress is more than up for the task.

All the funding for what is Missouri State's biggest building project came from state and federal sources. Students and professors love the new building's modern, spacious labs, and this is only the completion of the first of two construction phases.

This is still a developing story; I'm waiting to hear back from Springfield Public Schools officials. The Glendale chapter is one of the only chapters in a Springfield high school, according to Turning Point USA's website.

Ava Smith was an avid user of the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library, checking out books, using meeting rooms for her clubs and using its computers. Her generosity will be remembered in a spot that will be The Library's highest-profile meeting space.

The cum laude system will trade the competition of honoring the top 15% of graduates with a merit-based system that rewards a student's work.

I have updated this story to include quotes from Dawn Medley, MSU's vice president of enrollment management. A surge of dual-credit students noted last year has continued into this year, and Medley said those students can help increase numbers of incoming freshmen in the future.

While I was at this celebration, I asked some parents how they felt about a district-wide committee's recommendation to change Wilson's Creek from a 5-6 intermediate school to a 6-8 middle school. The opinions were mixed.

.Springfield Public Schools marks three consecutive years of improvement under the newest version of the state's school improvement system, and four consecutive years between them. The report card also points out what SPS officials think is their best graduation rate in about two decades.

This is a plate with cashew chicken, McSalty's Pizza, candied bacon, pickles and more of Brent Dunn's favorite food. The director of the Missouri State University Foundation was surprised today with a naming gift. Story coming later today in the Springfield Daily Citizen.

The loss of a full week for Thanksgiving comes from how the school year will have a later start, thanks to a Missouri law that governs when a school district can set the first day. But don't worry, SPS parents: The never-start-on-Monday rule is holding!

The more I learn about Arthur Mallory, the more I regret not finding the chance to talk to him. Education had a strong advocate and an effective mentor in Mallory, and his legacy will be felt for years across the country. Grateful to the people who talked to me for this report.