By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
February 23, 2012

Kansas City Public Schools outlined several of its initiatives to improve academic achievement and regain accreditation during a public meeting with state officials Thursday, Feb. 23.

For nearly three hours, KCPS administration clicked through their PowerPoint presentation, updating the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Regional School Improvement Team (RSIT) on KCPS’ current progress and future goals.

RSIT will begin meeting monthly with KCPS for up to two years, said DESE Kansas City Area Supervisor Tony Stansberry.

The purpose of the meetings is to hold the district accountable for regaining accreditation and to ensure the district remains on track with that plan, Stansberry said.

Under current state law, an unaccredited district has two years to regain accreditation before the state can take over the district. Pending legislation could change that, and Stansberry said DESE will adapt to any governance structure changes.

During the presentation, KCPS officials discussed Annual Progress Report scores, their intent to increase professional development training, plans to address truancy and attendance rates, among other initiatives.

Stansberry said he thought the meeting went well and appreciated the data provided by the district.

“It’s a big job (to regain accreditation),”he said, “but we’ve got people at the table that can make a difference.”

Look for a complete update in next week’s Northeast News.