R12CC is collaborating with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to support the implementation of the Kansans Can Initiative with a focus on continuous improvement of Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) processes.

Recent accomplishments include developing a summary infographic of overarching themes and recommendations from stakeholders specific to improving accreditation processes. In response to this stakeholder feedback, KSDE designed a new opportunity called “Summer Check-Ins” for school systems to receive feedback on their goals and progress toward accreditation. R12CC developed and administered a survey for participating school systems to assess their perceptions of the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the “Summer Check-Ins,” then provided a summary report of feedback to KSDE.

Additionally, R12CC supported KDSE to develop and deliver a KESA Regional Training Pilot. This training pilot is focused on helping school leaders understand, design, and implement a plan for continuous school improvement.

The project team continues to host a monthly Executive Leadership Forum with Kansas superintendents to support them as they lead change management initiatives. Recent sessions focused on quality and adaptability as superintendents respond to students’ academic and social-emotional learning needs.

Collectively, these services support Kansas education stakeholders’ understanding of the technical and adaptive challenges related to navigating education policy changes and build capacity for continuous improvement at the state and local levels.