By Mark Tallman

“When we look at how we can positively impact students academically and social-emotionally, we know that they will be here in August and they're leaving in May. We assume every one of them is not going to be here in the future. We know that we have less than 10 months to get them prepared based on Kansas standards and at least improving. So, it takes a different mindset.” – Fort Leavenworth USD 207 Superintendent Dr. Keith Mispagel

Fort Leavenworth USD 207 is unique in many ways. It’s the only public school system in Kansas entirely on a military base, it does not have a high school, and its board of education members are appointed by the U.S. military, not elected by voters. It also stands out for academic achievement. The district has among the highest results in Kansas on the state reading and math assessments. It outperforms all systems with more than 500 students.

Fort Leavenworth’s results are helped by a low percentage of students from low-income families and students with disabilities, averaging just under 30 percent from 2015 to 2022. It also benefits from not having a high school, where scores tend to be lower. The district exceeds the predicted results based demographics by almost 15 percentage points. From 2017 to 2022 the district increased performance about 3 percent when it was predicted to decline by 3 percent. 

Fort Leavenworth also faces unique challenges. About 95 percent of students are the dependents of an active-duty service member. The annual student turnover rate is over 55 percent, with 95 percent turnover within a five-year period.  Most students are transferring in from other states or countries. Since many teachers are drawn from the pool of military spouses there is also a higher turnover among staff.

I met with Superintendent Mispagel and Deputy Superintendent SuAnn Grant to learn how the district was achieving such high and improving results.

They say one key to success is a commitment to look at data and continuously seek to improve. “We've always been fortunate that our state assessment scores were high,” said Grant. “But 10 to 12 years ago, we saw our own trend line starting to dip. It wasn’t anything drastic, but if a trend like this continues, in 5-7 years, we’d be getting to a place we don't want to be. That's when we really started looking at data even harder. It was the demographics of our soldiers and the needs of families and students that had been starting to change.” A major change was in increase in younger students and a decrease in older students.

When Fort Leavenworth returned to in-person learning during the pandemic, about 25 percent of families chose to remain in remote learning. Like all districts, Fort Leavenworth experienced the impacts of disrupted learning. “We were shocked,” said Grant. “We've never seen this level of problems. Thankfully, our teachers jumped in and said, ‘what can we do?’” A key response was to provide teachers, especially new teachers, with support. This included professional development and a team made up of instructional coaches and a special education interventionist. “We believe every teacher deserves a good coach,” said Grant. “Teaching is hard, and now they've come through something that none of us have ever experienced.” 

Fort Leavenworth has also strengthened its tiered support program which is similar to MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) in other districts. District leaders say educational outcomes have improved because the system is now more structured and provides a clearer set of expectations and assistance.

Mispagel and Grant both lauded their teaching staff for their commitment to keep improving. Rather than pause the KESA (Kansas Education System Accreditation) process as the state makes changes, teachers chose to go forward. “Our mission never stopped, whether it's KESA or KESA 2.0,” said Grant.

The teachers also supported adoption of a new social emotional learning curriculum in response to deeper student needs. The district says there is a body of students who didn’t have structured experiences in the preschool years due to the pandemic.  The district is providing teachers with help to work with students on things like empathy, being a friend, and staying focused.

Another strategy adopted by the district focuses on physical movement and its link to learning. “I think one of the most impactful things is recognizing kids need to move,” said Mispagel. “We have dedicated in every hallway, in every building, sensory paths. They can do math skills. They have their spelling work where they can go do a circuit and so they're learning through movement. It helps with behavior, it helps kids focus, and so it helps with academics, too.”

Fort Leavenworth educators believe that social emotional learning and academics are mutually supportive. “Especially with our community, we have to be welcoming, we have to make sure kids feel safe before they can learn,” said Grant. “It really is about educating the whole child.”