Community Engagement projects:

Community Engagement projects:

KLFA and member organization Kansas NEA also partner to highlightt the crucial role great public schools play in making Kansas communities great, strenghtneing the Kansas, economy, and serving Kansas students and families.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D879Af2JGzY
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9dAqsnp5qs&feature=plcp&context=C3df8a1bUDOEgsToPDskL91MM5RTp4UZyAgKS4x4dx
  

KLFA - KTWU Partnership:  Reading, Writing & a Worthwhile Education first aired on September 23, 2009 and a series of successful Watch and Talk parties were conducted in numerous communities across Kansas in conjunction with the original airing AND with an online video of the program available via Washburn University at iTunes University.  Read or download the summary report here.  See the entire results of the survey from which the summary was drawn

KLFA has helped to document the good news about Kansas public schools - follow this link to see past summaries of achievement results and student learning initiatives in kansas

MILE Guide goes live!  The Partnership for 21st Century Skills released its newly revised MILE Guide - a resource to help teachers, schools, districts, and communities evaluate their progress and plan the transformations needed to bring 21st century skills, teaching, and learning to life.  With significant input from past KLFA chair Blake West and staff at the Kansas State Department of Education, don't be surprised if this tool is particularly relevant for Kansas schools.

• Notes from recent presentations on 21st century skills in the classroom, are available on this special notes page.

Student Achievement projects:

Reading

The Kansas Reading Position Paper was followed up by a project to provide every K-3 teacher in Kansas with a copy of Every Child Reading: An Action Plan.

 

Kansas Learning First also provided copies of Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide to assist schools in making changes to improve instructional practices. Follow this link to obtain a copy.

 

More information about state and national professional organizations in reading, go to Kansas Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, or the International Reading Association.

The Kansas Math Position Paper has been followed with a plan to study the degree to which the new state mathematics curriculum has actually been enacted.  After identifying how the new curriculum has been implemented, appropriate professional development can be provided to further improve mathematics instruction and student learning.

 

In addition to this formal position paper, Kansas Learning First received a grant from the Kauffman Foundation to conduct a statewide audit about mathematics teaching and learning. As a joint project with KSDE, this math audit was conducted in the fall of 2002 and has provided much data which will help lead to improved student achievement within mathematics classrooms across Kansas. Read a press release about how this study has been implemented thus far (use the browser’s “back” button to return to this page.) Kansas Learning First assisted in distributing Every Child Mathematically Proficient: An Action Plan.

 

Key Findings: click here to see just a few of the highlights found within the data
Executive Summary: click here to view the Executive Summary as it appears on the KSDE website.
Full Report: click here to view the full report as it appears on the KSDE website.

The www.klfa.org web site

The Student Achievement subgroup was also responsible for the initial development of this web site as a vehicle for communicating with teachers, school leaders, parents, and the community about our work.

Initial work with the data from this audit sparked an additional project co-sponsored by KLFA, KSDE, and KATM. This new project, also funded by Kauffman Foundation, involved developing a statewide mathematics conference entitled ”Creating Positive Change in K-12 Mathematics Classrooms.” Click here to see more information about this conference.

 

For more information about state and national professional organizations in mathematics go to the Kansas Association of Teachers of Mathematics (KATM link here www.katm.org) or National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

The www.klfa.org web site - The Student Achievement subgroup was also responsible for the initial development of this web site as a vehicle for communicating with teachers, school leaders, parents, and the community about our work.

Tools for Quality Practice - See it here! (Note that links were last updated

The KLFA reference for school improvement for Reading , Mathematics , Professional Learning , Community Connections , and overall school change is now online. 

Professional Development projects:

Vision - Professional Learning Position Paper

The position paper provides basic insights to how a school or district can alter its professional development practices to positively affect student achievement.

Detail - Background on The Rubric

The rubric provides detailed descriptions of the characteristics of effective professional development programs.  It allows a school to reflect on practice and identify areas for improvement.  Learn more about the rubric at this link.

Substance - The Rubric

View the rubric either online or download a PDF file from this page.

Action - Summit Conference on Professional Development

This is a link to a news release (use the "back" button on your browser to return to this page) detailing the first Professional Development Summit Conference jointly sponsored by the Kansas Learning First Alliance, the Kansas State Department of Education, and the Kansas Staff Development Council.