A leadership academy is a formal professional learning opportunity for current school leaders, focused on augmenting knowledge and skills, increasing specialization, and refreshing leadership practices. States interested in supporting leadership academies through federal or other funding sources can look to current models of leadership academies…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine building and district administrators' perceptions of the Kansas Dyslexia Initiatives. Their awareness and experiences may influence how administrators understand, plan for, and align the current approach for reading instruction within their respective buildings or district in relation to the…

Boosting literacy among school-age children remains a national priority. Nearly one third of students in the United States have not developed the foundational reading skills needed to succeed academically, with students living in poverty, students with disabilities, and English learners especially at risk. Starting in 2010, Congress invested more…

The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) has been studying the four-day school week since 2015. Since then, the phenomenon of the four-day school week has spread into non-rural areas and interest appears to be growing. Given these apparent changes, the author wanted to know more about recent trends in the initiative. As districts continue…

Implementation of multi-tier system of supports (MTSS) has grown rapidly in Kansas and is a key strategy for turning around low-performing schools in the state. MTSS is designed to improve outcomes for all students by instituting system-level change across the classroom, school, district, and state. Such systemic change is accomplished by…

States, school districts, and schools across the country are increasingly implementing multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) to improve outcomes for all students. Kansas is no exception. The Kansas MTSS is designed to improve outcomes for all students by instituting system-level change across the classroom, school, district, and state. Such…

Describes the Kansas Internship Program to increase the likelihood of success for beginning teachers. Based on program implementation research, this article offers suggestions for conducting a successful internship program and discusses relevant factors that might influence assessment, such as gender, age, and racial differences. (10 references)…

Consistent with educational reform efforts, the Quality Performance Assessment (QPA) Process Module was designed to disseminate information about the QPA Process, and to be a training vehicle so that members of the Kansas State Board of Education Outcomes Education Team and the Kansas education community might have the knowledge base necessary to…

This paper examines the use of telecommunications in rural schools in the United States as a solution to the problems teachers face when they have small classes, five or six class preparations daily, extracurricular duties, and inadequate training for specific classes. Telecommunications in schools in Minnesota and Kansas and a Star Schools Model…

The State Inservice Education Opportunities Act (Kansas) allows certified staff to be recertified using a combination of methods in addition to or besides university credit hours. Participating local districts determine the combination allowed and the limits to be set on each method. Currently, 106 districts have local inservice plans operating.…

This study on barriers to online staff development for classroom teachers was conducted as part of the planning activities of a delivery models project designed to develop guidelines for implementing large-scale online staff development programs. The study involved engaging 54 general and special educators in several professional roles from nine…

The concerns of Kansas educators about the implementation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) mandate are examined in this research report. Five different samples of public school educators, totaling 7,000 persons, were randomly selected and stratified according to district size. Each sample was sent either the Stages…

To meet the need for improved science instruction in rural schools, a project to identify, honor, and provide training for outstanding rural science teachers in grades 6-9 was designed cooperatively by the National Science Foundation, Kansas State University, Kansas Cosmosphere and Discovery Center, and rural school districts. In order to create a…

Results are reported from 12 on-site visits and from mailed questionnaire returns regarding the continuing effects of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title IV-C, Innovative Exemplary Program, on education in Kansas. At each district visited, information was obtained, and verified when possible, regarding the changes resulting from…

This state plan for the delivery of special education services to exceptional children in Kansas begins with submission statements and certification documents. The plan then presents policy information concerning the following areas: full educational opportunities goal; free, appropriate public education; screening and evaluation; individualized…