Story and photos by Morgan Solomon

The Education, Leadership, and Policy Analysis (ELPA) department brought its graduate students and faculty to the Missouri Capitol for a full day of direct engagement with the people shaping education across the state. The visit offered a clear view of how policy takes shape and how future leaders can influence it.

Inside the House Chambers

In the House Chambers, Kelly Schultz, director of the Legislative Leadership Academy and Undergraduate Internships, walked students through the work that unfolds on the floor. She outlined how bills move, how committees shape debate, and how the legislative calendar sets the rhythm for the session. Students watched the early morning activity on the House floor and gained a sense of how lawmakers sort and elevate priorities. Representative Kathy Steinhoff introduced ELPA on the House floor, giving them an official welcome into the work of the day and a moment to see themselves as part of the process.

Students also met with Representative Ed Lewis, who spoke and answered questions about how current legislation affects Missouri schools, such as the statewide ban on cellphone use in public and charter schools. These conversations brought students into the heart of state decision-making and showed them how political timelines and community input shape the choices that legislators face.

Seeing coursework come to life

Throughout the day, ELPA Associate Professor Emily Crawford-Rossi watched students recognize the concepts they have explored in classwork. “So much of what we teach in ELPA comes into focus when students step inside the Capitol,” said Crawford-Rossi. “Students study how policy is made, and watching lawmakers navigate priorities in real-time brings those concepts as students observe how they’re applied in practice.

Policywork behind the scenes

A visit with Rachelle Sharpe, chief of staff for the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) pushed ELPA students to think beyond the classroom and to consider statewide impact. As the agency responsible for connecting Missourians with education, job training, and credentials, MDHEWD plays a central role in aligning policy with the state’s workforce needs.

Dr. Jason Groce, a staff member in Senator Karla May’s office, spoke with students about what it takes to respond to the needs of a district. He described the volume of constituent messages that guide a senator’s work and how they sort through the concerns that arrive daily. For many in the group, this was the first time they saw how community voices influence what happens in the Capitol.

Preparing future education leaders and researchers

For second-year ELPA doctoral student Mikaela Adolphus, the visit supported the work she already does through the Civic Leaders Internship Program (CLIP), where she serves as an intern in Senator May’s office. Touring the Capitol helped her connect her coursework to the day-to-day demands of public service.

“Being at the Capitol helped me connect what we discuss in class to the realities of public service,” Adolphus said. “It strengthened my understanding of what it means to advocate for the communities I want to support. The ELPA program has taught me how to ask informed questions and how to place local challenges within national and global contexts.”

Connecting learning to leadership

ELPA students left the Capitol with a deeper understanding of how Missouri’s education policies are shaped. They saw how their academic preparation connects to the work of state leaders, and they recognized the role they can play in informing decisions that affect students, educators and families. The experience demonstrated what Mizzou stands for: learning by doing, serving the public and preparing leaders who step forward when their communities need them.

“I hope students carry forward the understanding that their insights matter,” said Crawford-Rossi. “Policymakers are actively asking for the perspectives of people who understand education on the ground. When our students engage, they help shape how Missouri moves forward, and that’s exactly the kind of leadership we prepare them for at Mizzou and in ELPA.”