R12CC is assisting the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) with implementation and scaling of the Kansans Can Redesign Initiative. Schools engaged in redesign are guided by four core principles—personalized learning, student success skills, family/business/community partnerships, and real-world application—to help students develop academic and non-academic capacities needed to be successful in postsecondary education, the workforce, and in citizenship after graduating from high school.

The project team has facilitated eight Kansas Redesign Training Cadre sessions to a cohort of Kansas education stakeholders to develop a shared understanding across the state of personalized learning, competency-based education, and their intersection with the Kansans Can Redesign Initiative’s four principles. Training materials will guide KSDE, the Cadre cohort, and the R12CC in next steps to align professional learning with redesign in the state.

R12CC has also been piloting an Executive Leadership Forum (ELF) to support superintendents as they lead change management initiatives. Sessions are designed to help superintendents address emerging needs and common concerns in such areas as curriculum and assessment, instructional changes, and planning and constituency building.

Ongoing efforts will also include assisting KSDE with the design and facilitation of data collection and reporting tools to support the development of a new accreditation system (i.e., the Kansas School Improvement System) aligned to the redesign principles.