Education
Emporia State president chosen to lead Oklahoma’s higher education system
Emporia State University's president has been selected to serve as the next chancellor of Oklahoma's system of higher education.
Survey seeks input on digital divide from Kansas parents of school-age children
TOPEKA — University researchers working on a project to document the availability and quality of internet connections across Kansas have homework for K-12 parents. The assessment of broadband access and affordability funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce began in March, with researchers documenting unmet needs and developing a map of internet speeds by ZIP […]
Kansas middle schooler death prompts urgency from COVID-19 school safety panel
TOPEKA – The recent death of a Kansas middle school student from COVID-19 raised the urgency Wednesday of a panel focused on pandemic school safety to implement precautionary measures across the state. In addition to the death, outbreaks at schools across Kansas more than doubled over the last two weeks, and cases have continued to […]
KU maps bring into colorful focus lingering racial segregation of K-12 schools
KU researchers launched a website open to the public that provides visual representations of local, state and national trends of K-12 school segregation.
Feeling singled out, female students protest high school’s dress code
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Linda Ditch has been a freelance writer for two decades. School dress codes have often been lightning rods for student discontent. But are they sexist? A […]
The big ask: Higher education seeks $161 million budget increase from lawmakers
Kansas Board of Regents outlines for governor and legislators a $161 million budget request tied to tuition, scholarships, inflation and IT upgrades.
Protests at University of Kansas show culture shift on campus sexual violence
LAWRENCE — For two nights this week, hundreds of outraged students showed up at a University of Kansas fraternity house, demanding answers. With signs reading “no mercy for rapists” and “hold frats accountable,” the students crowded the fraternity’s lawn and chanted from its steps, protesting an alleged sexual assault at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house […]
Audio Astra: When trickle down effects become a waterfall
Audio Astra reviews recent audio reporting on Kansas news, including podcasts and radio stories. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. When daily newspapers shed jobs during the last few decades, education reporters took a hard hit. The layoffs left one or two reporters to […]
Kansas special education council approves new target metrics for children with disabilities
TOPEKA — The Kansas council providing special education policy guidance to the state board of education approved Thursday a target high school graduation rate of 80.5% for children with disabilities in 2020, increasing by 0.5% each year through 2025. The Kansas State Special Education Advisory Council is entering a new cycle of the state performance […]
Kansas Board of Regents takes step toward evaluation of campus health clinics
Kansas Board of Regents takes step toward launching external task force study of health, financial and liability issues of operating campus health clinics.
As child care options dwindle, Kansas advocates seek funding to address staffing shortages
TOPEKA — Lack of accessible child care often pushes Kansas families to leave their children with overworked or unlicensed caregivers. Amid a growing workforce shortage exacerbated by the pandemic, child care advocates say there is an immediate need for long-term solutions. Throughout the last decade, the number of family child care providers across Kansas has […]
Four Kansas school districts temporarily close as COVID-19 outbreaks hit 31 schools
TOPEKA — Kansas education commissioner Randy Watson says at least 31 Kansas schools are reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, forcing more school districts to close temporarily. COVID-19 cases are up dramatically in school-age children compared to last school year as school districts grapple with masking policies, testing strategies and vaccinations for eligible students, Watson said. Some […]