Frequent Kansas City visitor Taylor Swift is entering her engagement era to Chiefs tight end and fellow podcaster Travis Kelce. Plus: We'll hear about how the four-day school week is working in Missouri and other Midwest states, while some Kansas families are going back to the one-room schoolhouse.

As school starts up in the Midwest, many students are returning to a new schedule — with more districts in Missouri and Kansas opting for a four-day school week. District leaders say they see benefits like improved teacher recruitment and better student behavior. But some research warns there could be academic losses over time. The Midwest Newsroom’s Nicole Grundmeier reports.

There’s a growing trend in education, and you might say it’s a step back in time. More Kansas families are leaving traditional public or private schools and opting instead for "microschools," which serve small groups of students in a one-room-schoolhouse format. Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service looks at how one Wichita microschool is expanding and gaining national attention.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Madeline Fox. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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