School districts held an exclusive franchise on public education services until 1991, when Minnesota passed the first law permitting public charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded, authorized by various agencies designated in public law, but independently managed. They operate outside district control, and most can draw students from…

The tiny town of Niangua, Missouri, made national headlines in 2008 when a rare cluster of winter tornadoes tore across the state on an unseasonably warm January night. The twisters killed a Niangua woman in her trailer home and destroyed numerous other structures. News photos of the trailer debris were a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of…

Describes the planning of, and community and staff reaction toward, a four-dome, K-12 school complex in a Missouri rural community. The efficiency of the school's design and layout are discussed. (GR)

Discusses how the city of Clayton, Missouri, forged a relationship with its school district to simultaneously maximize public dollars while solving its need for two types of facilities: a new high school and a community facility. (GR)