State board restores accreditation for St. Louis schools - KMOV.com

ST. LOUIS (AP) — For the first time in nearly a decade, the St. Louis city school district is fully accredited by the state of Missouri.

The Missouri Board of Education voted Tuesday to restore accreditation that was removed in 2007 due to low graduation rates, poor test scores, financial struggles and other factors. The state's assistant education commissioner, Chris Neale, said at the state board meeting in Jefferson City that the district has improved significantly across the board.

Board member John Martin likened the improvement to "turning around the Titanic."

Performance of the district has risen steadily since Kelvin Adams took over as superintendent in 2008. Adams says he and other leaders remain committed to the nearly 24,000 students in the district, Missouri's second-largest behind the Springfield district.

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