Oct. 30, 2025
MU Child Development Lab First in State To Earn State Quality Designation, Celebrates Renovation
Child Development Lab (CDL) celebrated its newly renovated facility and is the first in the state to receive a Quality Assurance Recognition from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood.
Oct. 30, 2025
RISE-MO Expands Expert Support for Missouri’s Early Childhood Workforce
RISE-MO—Recruit, Inspire, Support the Early Childhood Profession in Missouri—is a new initiative designed to expand and strengthen Missouri’s early childhood education workforce.
Oct. 21, 2025
A picture is worth a thousand words: Multimedia slides help students boost science vocabulary
Assistant professor Jamie Day and her team found that middle school science teachers who incorporated pictures into lessons helped students improve their vocabulary.
Oct. 6, 2025
Philanthropy Brunch Honors the Transformative Power of Giving
The College of Education and Human Development’s annual Philanthropy Brunch brought together scholarship recipients, faculty and donors to celebrate the life-changing impact of giving.
Oct. 1, 2025
Hook Center recognizes 2025 educational leaders
The Hook Center for Educational Renewal is proud to recognize educators who are shaping the future of Missouri’s schools through the Leading the Way in Missouri program.
Sep. 30, 2025
Building Connections, Inspiring Creativity: Abigail Verts’ Student-Centered Approach
In 2024, Abigail Verts stepped into a 7th grade science teaching role for the first time, despite being trained in elementary education. Instead of letting the unfamiliar hold her back, she embraced the challenge and found ways to adapt and thrive in her new middle school environment in California, Missouri. “I’ve always loved serving people. I’ve always loved helping people, and that just translated into a classroom, being able to help them grow, and help them learn life skills, and what it means to be a human being on this planet, and so it’s just absolutely amazing,” Ms. Verts…
Sep. 30, 2025
Building Trust Through Transparency: Dr. Grenita Lathan’s Approach to Leadership
When Dr. Grenita Lathan became superintendent of Springfield Public Schools (SPS) in 2021, she stepped into Missouri’s largest district with 25,000 students and more than 3,500 employees. From the start, she prioritized accessibility, transparency, and collaboration. “I’ve always tried to be a leader that is accessible,” Dr. Lathan said. “I want people to understand that I’m just an everyday person, that I’m an educator, a parent, a community member, and that they have access to me. Sometimes the access might not be what they want, but I want to make myself available. I want to meet people where they…
Sep. 30, 2025
Swinging for the Fences: Dr. Ben Johnson’s Formula for Rural Innovation
Located in Deering, Missouri, near the southernmost point of the state, the Delta C-7 School District is one of the smallest in Missouri. Dr. Ben Johnson doesn’t view Delta C-7’s small size or limited funding as disadvantages. To him, they are opportunities, chances to think creatively, form unexpected partnerships, and prove that rural schools can deliver big results. “I want these kids to have the same opportunities, the same aspects as everybody else. So that’s really been my focus… I’m keeping going and bringing unique experiences for our kids that they wouldn’t normally get.” Dr. Johnson stated. Since…
Sep. 30, 2025
Leadership Formed through Continuous Learning: Dr. Christopher Brandriff
When Dr. Christopher Brandriff reflects on his journey in education, he often comes back to one simple yet powerful theme: learning never stops. He began his career teaching junior high social studies, a role he held for 11 years. Those years in the classroom gave him a strong foundation in understanding students’ needs and the daily realities of teachers’ work. In his 12th year, Dr. Brandriff took a leap into a new role as an instructional coach, a position that allowed him to focus more intentionally on teaching and learning. That year proved transformative. “I was given so…
Sep. 15, 2025
Playing it forward with play-based community research
HDFS researcher Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen has secured a prestigious national Advancing Research Impact In Society (ARIS) Fellowship with her innovative play-based studies that engage the community and focus on foundational skills like problem-solving and collaboration.