News and Notes:  News Release
October 13, 2006

Topeka: KLFA garners $20,000 for professional development activities

Parent involvement is critical to student success.  Thanks to a $20,000 contribution from Kansas Families and Schools Together, the Kansas Learning First Alliance, as a partner of KFAST, will have new resources to design programs to increase teachers’ capacity to work with parents.  The KFAST federal grant, which totals over $5 million, was announced by Nancy Kraft, Director of the Kansas Parent Information Center, at KLFA’s Oct. 13 meeting.  The money, spread over five years, is part of KPIRC’s recent successful grant request from the United States Department of Education.  It allows KPIRC to continue to provide the state with parent involvement resources and services.  KLFA is one of four organizations collaborating with KPIRC.  KPIRC is a partnership with six organizations. The grant brings to over $100,000 the amount of money KLFA has procured to help it achieve its mission of making Kansas first in the nation in teaching and learning.

Three new members were added to KLFA’s membership roll at the meeting, bringing total membership to 27 organizations.  The new members are the Kansas Association of Teachers of Science, the Kansas Council for History Education, and Mid-America Association for Computers in Education.  These three new members add additional capacity to improve the Tools for Quality Practice: A Resource Guide for Professional Learning, which was released last year and is available the KLFA Web site at www.kansaslearningfirst.org.

Gayle Stuber, from the Kansas State Department of Education, reported on the research in Early Childhood Education done in Kansas regarding Early Learning Guidelines and Standards.  Nancy Bolz, Director of the Kansas North Central Association, reported on its Systems Organization Study.  Systemic improvement is a focus of KLFA efforts this year as it works to better develop resources for increased student achievement for the field.

The national Learning First Alliance has released its official invitation for participating in its Summit in Washington, D.C. in March, which was shared at the meeting.  The Summit is a by- invitation-only event for presidents and executive directors of the state associations of the17 members of LFA.  Also invited are leaders of the six state affiliates, of which Kansas is one.  The summit will offer an extraordinary opportunity to network with state and national association leaders, identify shared goals and common messages, collaborate on strategies for improving education, and craft a common vision for the future of public schools.

As is the norm, much of the meeting was devoted to the three standing workgroups working on their different goals.  The three groups are working toward improving student achievement; strengthening the professional development of educators; and engaging the public in school improvement and student achievement efforts. To focus their work, three general goals offer guidance.  They are:

• KLFA will broadly disseminate our work to influence practitioners.
• KLFA will increase its visibility with policy makers. 
• KLFA will strengthen and increase its organization capacity.

The next KLFA meeting is January 10, 2007 at the Kansas Association of School Boards’ office.