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News and Notes: News
Release
May 31, 2006
Topeka:
KLFA
organizations identify responsibilities to achieve mission
Being an advocate for public
education and/or specific portions of the public education mission
is a major responsibility for 13 Kansas Learning First Alliance
members. That fact, although not surprising, was one of many
gleaned by KLFA members as they reviewed the results of a project
set into motion over a year ago. The project called for each
member board of directors to identify policies and practices its
organization does to help make Kansas first in the nation in
teaching and learning ─ the mission of KLFA. KLFA members spent
much of the May 31 meeting discussing the results of those
conversations and generating ways they can be used in the future
to help KLFA and each member share the benefits of high-quality
public schools with a public that has grown, in a number of ways,
disengaged from the schools for which it is responsible.
Ten organizations reported
they were responsible for providing technical support, resources
and models. Different examples of those included monitoring
school improvement efforts, addressing both academic and practical
applications, helping students access community resources,
addressing sate and federal mandates and providing research-based
information about teaching and learning. Nine organizations saw
themselves responsible for providing quality professional
development for teachers, paraprofessionals, school board members,
instructional leaders, and special education teachers and
administrators. Seven organizations reported being responsible
for providing information about best practices. These included
showing correlation between professional development and student
achievement, helping practioners stay current on research, and
promoting cooperative and collaborative curriculum planning and
decision making.
Supporting pre-service
education, collaborating with other partners, supporting
recruitment and retention of quality teachers, supporting parental
involvement, providing recognition of quality and providing
support for leaders were other areas claimed as responsibilities
by KLFA members. The organizations that have taken part to date
in the project include: Kansas Association of Teachers of
Mathematics; United Teachers of Wichita; Kansas Staff Development
Council; Kansas National Education Association; Kansas Association
of School Librarians; Kansas- North Central Association; Kansas
Association of Special Education Administrators; Kansas Reading
Association; Kansas Association of Supervision and Curriculum
Development; Kansas Parent Teacher Association; Kansas Communities
in Schools; Kansas Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
and Kansas Association of School Boards. The other 11 of the 24
member organizations have yet to hold their discussions.
Another focus of the meeting
was workgroup review of their accomplishments for the year and
preliminary discussion of goals for next year. In order to
accomplish its mission, KLFA has identified three goals, each with
a workgroup charged to support it. The three goals are improving
student achievement; strengthening the professional development of
educators; and engaging the public in school improvement and
student achievement efforts.
Members also looked at the
KLFA Web site, which now can be found at
www.kansaslearningfirst.org. Plans were made to revise the Web
site, particularly in light of its new address, recent
accomplishments and new initiatives. Also approved were plans to
move forward with supporting a statewide initiative with the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Dates for next year’s meetings
were also set. They are Aug. 25; Oct. 13; Jan. 10, 2007; Mar. 14,
2007 and May 30, 2007. |
