U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (center) talks with St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams (right) at Lexington Elementary School in August 2009.

Forget about urban school reform on a grand scale. A modest, hyper-local approach may be the surest way…

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was in St. Louis last week with Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, to visit city public schools. At a joint appearance at Lexington School, the secretary was happy to cede the spotlight to…

Superintendent Kelvin Adams meets with students at McKinley Classical Junior Academy in 2008. Emily Rasinski | Post-Dispatch

When classes begin Aug. 20, some 1,300 students in five of the St. Louis Public Schools’ 51 elementary schools will embark on an even…

Rick Sullivan (right) talks with parents and teachers at a meeting in 2007. Huy Richard Mach | Post-Dispatch

Gov. Jay Nixon is a key figure in the stability of St. Louis Public Schools. There’s no avoiding it — the district’s hard-fought battle…

Two things from high school have sustained me for more than thirty years, through careers in law and newspapers and a wide variety of other assignments:

In high school, I learned to type, and I was a member of the debate team.

Both…

Martin Mathews with Metro High School's varsity basketball team in 2008

If you doubt that Martin Mathews — co-founder of the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ and Girls’ Club — still has clout at age 84, ask Vice President Joe Biden, who swung by the…

Allison Trombley of KDHX helps a team of Vashon High School students plan a public service announcement. Mark Cross/Interchange.

Martin Koenig has taught English at Vashon High School since 1976. He has a reputation for getting things done in the classroom.…

Richard Gaines and Kelvin Adams meet with Editorial Page Editor Gilbert Bailon and other Post-Dispatch staff. Eddie Roth/Post-Dispatch

Kelvin Adams, the new superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, said he knows from experience that the closing of a school building…

From Reuters: The Senate has approved congressional voting rights for Washington, D.C. The House is expected to follow suit. And President Barack Obama has promised to sign legislation that grants such rights to D.C. But opponents of such rights likely…

Eddie Roth/Post-Dispatch

Mayor Francis Slay was in to see us yesterday, the first of the three candidates in the Democratic primary for Mayor to talk with us (Irene Smith is coming in this morning. Denise Watson Wesley Coleman is expected Wednesday morning.)

During…

Consultants have recommended that Mann Elementary School on Juniata Street be closed. Emily Rasinski | Post-Dispatch

The final bell may toll for 27 of St. Louis Public Schools’ 87 buildings, some immediately and others over the next several years. That’s the advice…

DeAngelo W. Woods shouts out to his family and friends at the First Annual Commencement of the Fresh Start Program in July 2008. Laurie Skrivan | Post- Dispatch

Last year, more than one in every five kids enrolled in St. Louis Public…

Shenandoah School, 3412 Shenandoah Avenue. Built in 1926 and designed by Rockwell Milligan. (Photo by Rob Powers, www.builtstlouis.net)

The consulting firm hired by St. Louis Public School’s special administrative board to perform a comprehensive review of district buildings and facilities is testing public…

St. Louis Public Schools will receive a report early next year that could influence crucial aspects of the district’s operations for the next decade and beyond. It also is guaranteed to generate controversy.

At issue is a…

Missouri Supreme Court building

Members and supporters of the elected St. Louis Board of Education have been scrapping to regain control of the district ever since state regulators stripped the board of its authority in June 2007. Today, they are scheduled to…

Students and teachers in more than half the public schools in St. Louis County and in Frances Howell, Zumwalt and Wentzville districts in St. Charles County will have a holiday on Election Day.

The closings are unprecedented. And unnecessary. Maybe even…

Huy R. Mach | Post-Dispatch

There are good reasons to doubt whether Missouri gubernatorial candidates Jay Nixon and Kenny Hulshof understand the deep problems that long have plagued St. Louis Public Schools.

Both men have plenty to say about education policy and throw…

The Special Administrative Board that oversees the St. Louis Public Schools today is expected to announce the names of the three finalists for superintendent.

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the candidates will meet the public at Vashon High School, making formal presentations about…

In a ritual playing out at schools across the region, the buses started pulling up to Clyde C. Miller Career Academy at 6:45 a.m. Monday. The angular steel and glass building at Bell Avenue and North Grand Boulevard, just north of…