Our City. Our Schools. Our Future.
In the Kansas City region, the story of education has many chapters. In this series, we’ll ponder questions like, What does the classroom of the future look like? How will we protect our students in the school of the future? and How will we measure success? We hear an expert say, “There are big questions — huge questions.” Together, hopefully, we can start to craft some answers.
Season 2: The School of the Future
With the launch of season two of our Take Note project, Flatland picks up the story again.
Using a “school of the future” lens, we ask students, school leaders and parents what school should look like 10, 20 or 50 years from now, and what that means for future generations of students.
Season 2: The School of the Future
Money Issues Hamper Progress In Some School Districts
What’s the best way to ensure that future generations get the best education possible? For many people, the answer is simple: money. More specifically, these proponents argue that additional funding must go toward attracting and retaining quality teachers — arguably…
There Is A Way To Boost Achievement of Low-Income Students
The economic divide is a big driver of educational inequality around the country and here in the Kansas City area. But does that have to be a given? The hope is that the school of the future can narrow the…
School Shootings Pit Safety Vs. Pedagogy
In the aftermath of World War II, amidst Cold War tensions with the Soviets, U.S. students practiced “duck and cover” drills to prepare for nuclear attack. Fast forward more than half a century, and one of the most common safety…
Kansas City Public Schools Takes Big Step Toward Full Accreditation
The Kansas City Public Schools district is one of just a handful throughout Missouri that is not fully accredited by the state, but that could change based upon annual performance results released today by the Missouri Department of Elementary and…
The Death of Cursive
Heather Kincaid remembers learning to write cursive at Raymore Elementary School back in the ‘90s. The curlicue method of shorthand excited her — it was something grownups could do. Through the repetitive classroom exercises, complete with wide-ruled paper resembling newsprint…
Fueling the Body and Mind in the School of the Future
A healthy diet. Regular exercise. Unplugging from technology. Sound familiar? Those are all things that adults know they should do. The same goes for kids, but just like grownups, they can fall short — sometimes through no fault of their…
Southwest High was Once a Premier School. What Happened?
It boasts notable graduates, including acclaimed rapper Tech N9ne, the wealthy founders of H&R Block and celebrated journalist Calvin Trillin. Now Southwest High School is in decay and part of a heated debate about the future of public education in…
A Digital Downside: Cyberbullying
In the old days, the mean kid at school would rough up people on the playground or shove them out of the way at the water fountain. But the advent of technology has brought with it the person who harasses…
Grading the Soft Skills
It’s the time-honored question from students: when are we going to use this in real life? But as we have seen in this season of Take Note, schools are increasingly focused on the “soft” skills that are relevant for the…
Are School Buildings Obsolete?
A “school without walls” is typically a euphuism for a building that substitutes collaborative learning for the standard approach of stationing teachers in front of a classroom full of students. But the internet age has brought us to a point…
Season 1: The Way We Are
An in-depth look at education in the Kansas City metropolitan area, where we are, how we got here and where we need to go.
In the Kansas City region, the story of education has many chapters. Take Note uncovers where we are succeeding, asks how we can improve, and reports with an eye toward the future. From programs and policies that are shaping education across the nation to how they affect us here at home, we are committed to our city, our schools and our future. Together, we’ll tell the stories that matter, the stories that make an impact.
Season 1: The Way We Are
Winning by Attrition
As its name suggests, University Academy was created to prepare students for college. By most measures, the charter school in Kansas City is a tremendous success. In 2016, University Academy received a 100 percent score on the state’s Annual Performance…
Rethinking ‘Troublemakers’
Turn the Page KC, the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department and the mayor’s office convened school district leaders and community stakeholders in September to review city-wide suspension data. This data from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil…
American Graduate Day
American Graduate Day 2017 is a four-hour, live broadcast and outreach event dedicated to engaging our country around the dropout crisis with special celebrity guests, relevant spokespeople and compelling stories from the students themselves. Earlier this year, KCPT and Take…
Looking to Bear Fruit
In the orchards of Lafayette County, which is located just to the north and east of Kansas City, the peaches are giving way to apples. While locals and immigrant laborers work the land, the county’s educators have joined together to…
Switching The Script
Nearly two decades ago, Atlanta aimed to revitalize its crime-plagued “Little Vietnam” neighborhood, and an innovative charter known as the Drew School was a key part of the project. Today, Drew is ranked as one of Scholastic’s 25 Coolest…
Understanding Trauma-Informed Care
School districts around the region are embracing the idea that educators must understand underlying issues, such as a violent home life or a history of sexual abuse, that are driving bad behavior or poor academic performance among students. It’s a…
Feeding the Mind
Education and nutrition go hand in hand. If a child is hungry or malnourished, it’s a good bet they can’t concentrate on their studies. That premise underpins the federal school-lunch and school-breakfast programs, which provide free- or reduced-price meals to…
If These Walls Could Talk
Over the course of past month, Take Note has been listening to area youth as we explore the intersection of trauma and education. We went to Blue Valley to learn about their new mental health resources in “We Struggle, Too,” we…
Trauma-Informed Care Transforms Lee’s Summit School
Summit Ridge Academy administrators knew that old-school discipline wasn’t cutting it. Instead of suspension, many kids at the Lee’s Summit “alternative school” — which serves middle and high school students who need a different learning environment — simply needed adult…
Forging Their Own Path
Kenya Davis is a product of the Kansas City, Kansas, school district, as is her oldest daughter. But Davis’ enthusiasm for public schools waned when her youngest daughter, Sasha, entered Kansas City Public Schools. Sasha attended John T. Hartman Elementary…
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