ST. LOUIS – There are 516 school districts in Missouri and the Show-Me Institute has ranked each while launching criticism at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or DESE. “Whether they are hiding information or simply not sharing it, the need for this school ranking initiative stemmed from the failures of DESE,” Brenda Talent, Show-Me Institute CEO, said. “DESE has not offered the level of transparency regarding student performance that is necessary to improve Missouri’s failing education system.” The following information is based on institute information: • Richmond ranked 75th out of 516, scoring in the top 15% with a grade point average of 2.5 on the 4.0 GPA scale assigned by the institute; • Excelsior Springs ranked 409th, scoring in the bottom 25%, with a 1.6 GPA; • The Orrick School District ranked 453rd, scoring in the bottom 20%, with a GPA of 1.4; • Hardin-Central ranked 3...