By Mark Tallman

Leaders in North Lyon County USD 251 say they are passionate about preparing their students for success in school and in life. Covering about half of Lyon County north of Emporia, the district serves about 330 students from several small towns, farms, and rural homes.

Recent successes include a 100 percent high school graduation rate, four consecutive Kansas Star Recognition awards from the Kansas State Department of Education for post-secondary success, and a reduction in chronic absenteeism from 24 percent to 15.5 percent. The district also stresses civic engagement, with a 40-hour community service requirement for graduation.

I talked to the superintendent, principals, counselors, and teachers. Among the top reasons cited for positive results are expanded early childhood programs, curriculum alignment, and more student support. They also attributed success to strong leadership, community involvement, a dedicated staff, and maybe most important, a strong commitment to collaboration. 

North Lyon County opened an early children center in 2022. Primary funding to refurbish a building came from the Jones Charitable Trust. Operating funds are from the state preschool pilot program, state at-risk preschool funding, and the district. Any district four-year-old can attend. “This is one of the most impactful things that this district has done in a long time, and it's something our patrons are very proud of,” said Superintendent Bob Blair. “Our district was able to reach a lot of underserved preschool aged kids, and those incoming kindergarteners are demonstrating higher levels of academic and social skills.”

North Lyon County exceeds the state average in English language arts (ELA), math, and science at most levels. Crucially, the district has also seen significant improvements in moving students to higher performance levels in math and ELA. District leaders say much of the improvement was supported by a strong tiered system, especially at the high school level. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) focuses on a strong curriculum and instruction for all students then provides structured time and additional support for students who have greater needs. Northern Heights High School (NHHS) Principal David Watkins said, "We have as true an MTSS ELA support system as you can in high school, where we move kids in and out based on the progress monitoring process." Based on the data, the district added a new math intervention teacher to support students who are struggling. 

The district is placing a strong emphasis on curriculum alignment across grades, from PreK to grade 12. As NHHS Counselor Jessica Woodrow explained, "It came from looking at data and seeing there might be some irregularities in the grades and figuring out how to fill those holes." Watkins said, "I think the biggest thing with curriculum alignment, curriculum mapping, is it has our teachers talking across K-12. This is so we have that ability to collaborate, and to me, that's some of the best professional development we can do."

As with most districts, chronic absenteeism has been an area of concern for North Lyon County, with research showing that students with higher absenteeism have lower performance. Blair said the district has made significant progress with the chronic absenteeism rate. He credited the progress to, “Just having intentional conversations, making sure that there's rigor and relevance in classrooms, and that students enjoy coming to school."

NHHS Social Science Teacher Shawn Wilson explained, "One thing our district really prides itself on is getting our community involved in our school, and at the same time getting our kids involved in the community." This includes a 40-hour community service requirement for graduation, which Wilson described as including job shadowing, civic engagement opportunities, attending school board meetings, and voting. The district also conducts senior exit interviews involving members of the community. Woodrow highlighted the district's strong student council, saying "We have two student body members from the student council to sit at board meetings and represent the student body, and they'll be introducing some proposals here pretty soon." Overall, the district's commitment to civic engagement and community involvement is a point of pride and cited as a key factor in student success.

District leaders say strategic planning and community engagement have been key to their efforts. This includes a school board appointed strategic planning committee, long term facility planning, and a communications plan to promote what the district is doing. Leaders also stressed that the work of the district is very personal, with most employees having strong district ties. As Wilson explained, "The majority of our staff are either from this community or live in this community."