The Columbia Public School district is in the midst of deciding new start times for the district's elementary, middle and high schools. We discuss the options on the table and explore how the changes could affect parents, students and teachers.

Panelists:
Christine King, vice president, Columbia Board of Education
Mark Maus, principal, Rock Bridge High School

As the year comes to a close, we recap some of the stories that made headlines over the past 12 months, and take a look ahead into what 2013 might bring.

Panelists:
Scott Swafford, senior city editor, Columbia Missourian
Lora Wegman, city editor, Columbia Daily Tribune
David Lieb, correspondent, The Associated Press
 (joining by phone)

A two-part program hosted by KBIA's Rehman Tungekar:
FIRST HALF OF PROGRAM: The tragedy in Connecticut has brought renewed focus on school safety, both locally, and across the nation. We learn how a training program that deals with responding to an armed intruder is being used in Columbia Public Schools.
SECOND HALF OF PROGRAM: According to a recent poll, the number of Missourians opposing the Affordable Care Act has dropped in the last two years. Despite this, many folks still might not know what’s in the nearly 1,000-page law. We talk about the federal health care law and find out how it affects everyday Missourians.

Panelists:
Michelle Baumstark, spokesperson, Columbia Public Schools
Greg Crane, coordinator of ALiCE training for schools and campuses (joining by phone)

Thomas McAuliffe, policy analyst for the Missouri Foundation for Health
Andrew Quint, medical director, Family Health Center in Columbia
Mary Timmel, outreach manager at Small Business Majority (joining by phone)

We bring together three freshly elected state representatives from mid-Missouri to explain their legislative priorities and to discuss what we might expect from the state legislature in the coming year.

Panelists:
Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, state Rep.-elect, 45th District
Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, state Rep.-elect, 46th District
John Wright, D-Rocheport, state Rep.-elect, 47th District

How do we know whether our schools are doing a good job of what they are supposed to do? Standardized tests have often been the answer, but what exactly should the tests be measuring? We discuss efforts in Missouri to encourage success in schools, and we talk about how best to measure -- and to improve -- the quality of student learning.

Panelists:
Carol Maher, assistant professor, University of Missouri College of Education
Sally Beth Lyon, chief academic officer, Columbia Public Schools
Margie Vandeven, assistant commissioner in the Office of Quality Schools at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Why does the amount of college debt keep rising? Are students threatening their own futures by taking on unwieldy debt loads? And how big is the danger of indebted graduates not being able to pay back what they borrowed? We explore the causes and effects of large amounts of student debt.

Panelists:
Richard Schwartz, professor of English, University of Missouri and author of “Is a College Education Still Worth the Price? A Dean’s Sobering Perspective”
Paul Wagner, deputy commissioner, Missouri Department of Higher Education
Sandy Baum, professor of economics emerita at Skidmore College and independent higher education policy analyst for the College Board (joining by phone)

In light of the announced closure of the University of Missouri Press, we explore the current state of academic publishing and find out what the future holds for university presses. Hosted by Rehman Tungekar.

Panelists:
Tom Quirk, professor of English, MU
Nancy Rediger, director, Truman State University Press
Clair Willcox, editor-in-chief, UM Press
Richard Brown, director, Georgetown University Press (joining by phone)

As educators across the country work toward increasing achievement in math and science, we'll find out what's being done in our own community to engage young people in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Hosted by Rehman Tungekar.

Panelists:
Craig Adams, practical arts coordinator, Columbia Public Schools
Troy Hogg, principal, Benton Elementary
Troy Sadler, director, MU Science Education Center