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Character Education Improves Student Learning, Say Leaders of Honored Programs

Posted Date: 12/06/2023

Three Kansas schools have been honored for the character education programs this year, and one is being honored this month as one of just 38 national schools and districts of character. Earlier . . .

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Kansas Board Member Leaving After 40 years of Service in Southwestern Heights

Posted Date: 12/01/2023

Forty years is a long time to serve on a local school board. Ten elections and nearly 500 monthly meetings, not counting special meetings and all other obligations.  There are no official records . . .

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Concordia Finds Success with a Focus on Industry Credentials, Concurrent Enrollment and CTE

Posted Date: 12/01/2023

The second day and third stop touring six districts in north central Kansas was Concordia USD 333. The largest of the six, Concordia was selected for raising its graduation rate by 12.6% from 2015 . . .

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Pike Valley USD 426 Earns High Postsecondary Success and 100% Graduation Rate

Posted Date: 11/27/2023

My second district success visit for 2023-24 was in Scandia, headquarters of Pike Valley USD 426, which has a Postsecondary Effective Rate of 68 percent, 18% higher than the predicted rate of 50 . . .

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KASB’s First District Showcase Spotlights Student Success in Kansas

Posted Date: 11/20/2023

I found many reasons for hope at the Kansas Association of School Boards annual convention when 17 school districts came to Wichita with innovative efforts to help students succeed. It was called . . .

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Longtime School Board Member, Former KASB President Joins Staff

Posted Date: 11/20/2023

A longtime school board member and former KASB president is joining the staff of KASB. Shannon Kimball will start Jan. 3, 2024, as a government relations specialist at KASB. In that capacity, . . .

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New President-Elect Kevin Cole Discusses His Vision for Board Leadership

Posted Date: 11/20/2023

Kevin Cole, a school board member from Labette County USD 506 in Altamont, was elected KASB President-elect at the 2023 KASB convention in Wichita. He will serve one year in that position, then a . . .

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Washington County Raises Graduation Rates and Strengthens Community Support

Posted Date: 11/15/2023

My first visit to highly successful districts for 2023-24 was Washington County USD 108, which boasts a 2022 graduation rate of 100 percent, 8.5% higher than predicted, and since 2017 has . . .

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Frank Henderson's Journey to Becoming an Educational Leader

Posted Date: 11/15/2023

Growing up in a small town in Western Kansas, Frank S. Henderson, Jr., realized early on that education was the key to success. He didn’t know his life’s journey would take him to the halls of state . . .

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K-12 Aid Projected To Be at Lowest Share of State General Fund Budget in 27 Years

Posted Date: 11/07/2023

When the Kansas Legislature was debating how to address the Gannon school finance lawsuit in the mid-2010’s, some legislators said they worried that the school funding would take over the state . . .

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Being Brian: Navigating Transitions in Your Board

Posted Date: 11/01/2023

As we enter November, it's not only the holidays that are around the corner, but also board elections. Elections usher in new board members, bringing fresh faces and perspectives to the table. . . .

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State Reading and Math Tests Improve After COVID-19 Decline

Posted Date: 10/31/2023

Average Kansas state reading and math scores for tests taken last spring rose for the first time since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education and posted the largest increase since the . . .

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Kansas Attorney General Seeks End of Kansas Supreme Court Jurisdiction in School Finance Case

Posted Date: 10/13/2023

In a move that could affect future K-12 funding, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has asked the Kansas Supreme Court to end its jurisdiction in the Gannon school finance case.  In a motion . . .

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KASB Urges Best Practices On Managing School Meal Debt

Posted Date: 10/11/2023

KASB urges school districts to use best practices in managing students’ meal debt and ensuring they're using best practices in managing students’ meal debt and making sure no child goes hungry in . . .

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Select Education Panel Concludes Its Work; No SPED Task Force Meeting

Posted Date: 10/11/2023

Members of the Select Committee on Education say they will dive into the special education formula during the 2024 legislative session.  But the legislator responsible for calling a meeting of a . . .

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