News and Notes:  News Release
August 27, 2004

Topeka: Values, vision and performance important topics with voters

The Kansas Learning First Alliance (KLFA) kicked off its sixth full school year at its Aug. 27 meeting by being introduced to important new findings about what Americans find valuable in public schools and establishing KLFA annual goals and objectives. The recently gathered data on what Americans think about their schools, compiled by Learning First, can serve as an excellent resource as Kansans talk about financing public schools, which is obviously the issue of the fall election campaign and ensuing Legislative session. The goals are designed to support the KLFA mission, which is to make Kansas first in the nation in teaching and learning, and to ensure the group’s efforts stay focused, an important ingredient in keeping the organization’s collaborative initiative relevant and effective. Thirty-one people from sixteen of the 23 member organizations attended.

A Practical Guide to Promoting America’s Public Schools was created after doing extensive polling and focus group work with a sample of American voters. The findings, though not surprising, offer a fresh way for supporters of public education to talk with citizens, particularly those without children in school, about the importance of public schools. The publication suggests it is not enough to talk about academics, student achievement, and test scores. Rather educators should broaden their message by linking those issues to the vision and values the public holds for public schools. By offering this complementary information, educators increase their chance of eliciting public support beyond what is currently enjoyed. Twelve national educational organizations comprise Learning First. The entire document, along with other valuable references, can be viewed and downloaded from its Web site at www.learningfirst.org.

All four goals developed for the previous year were carried over for the 2004-05 school year, but the objectives were revised in light of last year’s work and the current educational environment. The four goals are:
· KLFA will plan and facilitate professional development opportunities that support student learning.
· KLFA will strengthen its organization capacity.
· KLFA will increase its visibility and influence on statewide policy and program issues.
· Each of the three workgroups will develop its own set of goals to support KLFA. (The three workgroups focus on student achievement, professional development and public engagement.)

The members also heard updates on several other ongoing activities. KLFA is working with two groups to help principals and buildings improve student achievement. The first is a Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) initiative funded through Title II funds that will work on broadening instructional leadership in districts by developing a Kansas Distributed Leadership Academy (KDLA). The second is a statewide conference being planned that will be funded by a grant valued at over $40,000 received by the Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals (KASSP). It will focus on helping high schools meet the broader needs of the more diverse student bodies now attending secondary schools.

KLFA will also take an active role in an upcoming conference scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Kansas City that will bring together representatives of five states that currently have active Learning First state affiliate groups like KLFA, and as many as three new states interested in forming their own initiatives. The conference will take place at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which has been a key supporter of both the state and national Learning First efforts.

The next KLFA meeting is Oct. 18 at KASB. For more information on KLFA, visit its Web site at www.kansaslearningfirst.org.