This study describes core dispositions of school district superintendents who have been identified as technology savvy leaders by a prominent educational technology newspaper. The superintendents in this study described how they accomplished their technology initiatives and offered suggestions for other superintendents who aspire to be more…

The experience of Kansas communication educators in developing speaking and listening assessment has been characterized by unusual cooperation and collaboration among members of the educational community and the professional communication organizations at several different levels. In 1992, the Kansas State Legislature established the Quality…

Ten rural school improvement clusters involving 63 districts, 7 colleges and universities, and 6 state departments of education have been developed in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota through the work of the Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory's Rural Education Project. Four essential steps appear necessary for…

America's prairie land is under economic and ecological stress. Acting on the belief that rural schools can help revitalize their communities when schools' activities are related to the places where they are located, schools in Arizona, Kansas, and Nebraska are integrating prairie studies across the K-12 curricula. With the help of area…

A study examined management practices of general and special education teachers and therapists who work with paraeducators in K-12 inclusive classrooms. Surveys focusing on the actual and ideal performance of 27 specified supervisory tasks were completed by 369 general and special education teachers and therapists from 12 school districts, 11 of…

Recent societal changes have forced public education to assume many responsibilities that have been the traditional role of parents and family. The sheer number of pressing social problems, their multifaceted nature, and the lack of resources are particularly problematic for rural school districts. The Southeast Kansas Education Service Center…

A study examining collaboration between two small rural school districts in Kansas found that school boards and superintendents from both districts encouraged and supported continuous collaboration, that collaboration supported more comprehensive curricular and extracurricular programs, and that collaboration allowed districts to maintain their…

Rural Kansas schools facing financial problems and demands for more accountability must cooperate to survive. Smoky Hill Education Service Center, representing 45 school districts, provides on-site staff development and online classes for students and staff, maintains a multimedia library, has a cooperative purchasing program, provides…

Alternative certification programs continue to increase as school districts, institutions of higher education, and commercial companies share common educational expectations. In Kansas, a state-wide collaborative of eleven partner institutions, governed by an advisory board, designed a conceptual framework, a standards-based program, curriculum,…

A research project conducted from July 1974 through June 1976 to develop more comprehensive State-local planning for curriculum development, work-experience programs, and programs for the disadvantaged and handicapped was designed to coordinate total planning activities from the Kansas State Department of Education to the local classroom level. A…