Kansas City Public Schools celebrates academic improvement
The Kansas City Public Schools celebrated significant academic improvement on the state of Missouri standardized test scores which were released Aug. 23.
School Superintendent Stephen Green shared the results in an event that was well-attended by the public, including other area school superintendents, community leaders and partners.
LINC has been one of the school districts most enduring and dependable partners over the past 20 years.
Green said the results were not a fluke or coincidental but were the result of intentional, focused and difficult decisions undertaken by school district leadership and supported by the school board.
He said the improvement marked a "renaissance" for the urban school district.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released scores for all Missouri school districts and charter schools. The event received extensive attention in the media including a front page story in the Kansas City Star.
The KCPS shared its success in an online video it produced.
Both Green and school board president Airick L. West spoke at the community event held at Paseo Academy.
Audio highlights from the event:
KCPS officials also shared documents showing how the results were achieved and how the overall approach is systematic and sustainable.
West, in a Kansas City Star op-ed piece, outlined future challenges facing the school district.
Kansas City area school superintendents who attended the event expressed general support for the district's accomplishments and hoped state officials would grant the district provisional accreditation.
The Kansas City Star commented favorably in an editorial about the improvements and urged the state to grant the district provision accreditation. The newspaper wrote:
"By refusing to grant provisional accreditation to Kansas City Public Schools, state officials risk throwing the district and indeed the entire region into turmoil just as the district is finally showing stability."
The KCPS announcement was the lead topic on Kansas City Week in Review where various dimensions of the issue were explored.