Policy Forum: Examining charter schools in Missouri

The Policy Forum, the Brown School’s premier community engagement forum, held on Dec. 11 another event in its Child Well-being series, an ongoing public discussion on child welfare in Missouri. The event, “Charter Schools in Missouri: The Emergence of Reform,” was moderated by Rob Wild (right), associate vice chancellor for students and dean of the First Year Center at Washington University in St. Louis. Panelists were (above, from left) Doug Thaman, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association; Robbyn Wahby, deputy chief of staff to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay; and Franc Flotron, a former state legislator who helped develop legislation for charter schools. The discussion in Brown Hall, Room 100, examined Missouri charter school policy, both past and present, and how the development of charter schools in Missouri affects school choice and education reform strategies. The Policy Forum is the Brown School’s signature effort to actively explore issues in social and health policy and to create an innovative model of engagement between academia and civic life. Credit: Mary Butkus/WUSTL Photos (2)