News and Notes:  News Release
June 2, 2002

Topeka: Kansas Learning First Alliance wraps up 2001-02 school year

Kansas Learning First Alliance (KLFA) wrapped up the 2001-02 school year with a meeting June 3 at KASB. The twenty-nine representatives attending got updates of the group’s activities, some of which are new projects while several of them are ones successfully drawing to a close. The projects are all efforts to help KLFA meet its mission of making Kansas first in teaching and learning. Three workgroups aligned with the three objectives that support the mission provide staffing for the projects. The three goals are increasing student achievement, improving staff development, and encouraging meaningful public engagement.

The Student Achievement subgroup reported on two of its projects. Work continues on creating a KLFA website. The site would allow access to KLFA publications as well as links to other organizations. They are also waiting word from the Kauffman Foundation on the status of a grant proposal KLFA has submitted. The Kauffman grant, along with in-kind contributions from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) and other KLFA members, would fund a Math Education Study for the state. The study would cost almost $100,000; the Kauffman Foundation has been approached to fund just over half.

The Staff Development subgroup reported on its involvement in a conference scheduled for June 12-14 in Kansas City, Mo., which was designed to encourage the creation of high quality staff development policy by state legislative leaders. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) were the primary hosts. The Ford Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation sponsored the event. Five Kansas legislators intended to attend as well as legislators from eight other states.

The Public Engagement subgroup is finishing one project and getting started on another. A constitution for the organization has been drafted and is being shared with the executive boards of the member organizations. By fall, it is hoped the constitution will have been approved by all the organizations and adopted by KLFA. The subgroup also continued its efforts to develop a pilot program designed to encourage site councils to play a visible and active role in rebuilding broad support for public education. It would also give site councils lacking focus a task they could take on to galvanize and invigorate them.

Several members representing KLFA spent two days in May in Washington, D.C. working with the national Learning First Alliance and members of other state alliances. They heard about several national initiatives, including one that is studying five school districts that are improving despite high levels of poverty and other factors that negatively impact student achievement. They also heard more about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Learning First Alliance has produced a very accurate, concise summary of the legislation that is being used by other organizations as they begin to determine the impact of the massive new statute. KLFA and KSDE have discussed preliminary plans to host a conference on EASA later this year.

The next KLFA meeting is scheduled for August 30 at KASB.