Curriculum, instruction and professional development administrator Phillip Jones speaks at the KCPS board meeting.
Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development Administrator Phillip Jones updated the board on Northeast’s 3DE program, an experiential learning curriculum the school began in August 2022. (Screenshot/Meeting Livestream)

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education (March 18, 2026)

By Connye Griffin, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

  • Northeast High School in recent years has increased its graduation rate from 67% to 81%, improved its score on the state annual performance report by 20 points and increased the average ACT score by two points.
  • Northeast High School remains the only 3DE school in Missouri and the first with a program for grades nine through 12.
  • KCPS administrators reviewed several student-performance indicators, noting they were on track with 73.2% points earned on its state annual performance report.

Notes

  • Meeting Attendance
    • Jennifer Collier,  KCPS superintendent
    • Tanesha Ford, board vice chair 
    • Monica Curls, board treasurer  
    • Brittany Foley, board member
    • Joshua Jackaway, board member
    • Tricia McGhee, board member
    • Jamekia Kendrix, board member
    • Lisa Limberg, secretary, board of directors
    • Alisha Glover, principal, Northeast High School
    • Phillip Jones, curriculum, instruction and professional development (CIPD)
    • Zandra Winfield-Jones, manager of student experience
    • LaTanya Franklin, chief academic officer
    • Harrison Neal Sr., assistant superintendent, school leadership
    • Amy Washington, assistant superintendent, CIPD

School Board’s “On the Road” Meeting at Northeast High School

  • Principal Alisha Glover discussed the school’s mission, demographics and achievements, including the school having been removed from the state’s comprehensive schools list as a result of the graduation rate increasing from 67% to 81%.
  • The Northeast High band, directed by Taylor Owens, performed. The choir, led by Scott Kinworthy and accompanied by Michael DeVoe, followed with two songs.
  • Recognition for KCPS Scholar Superstars, Terrific Teammates, the outstanding administrator for the quarter and community champion.

Northeast High’s 3DE Program

  • Curriculum, instruction and professional development administrator Phillip Jones updated the board on Northeast’s 3DE program, a Junior Achievement curriculum the school began in August 2022. The program started with ninth graders and added an additional grade annually after that. The first cohort will graduate this year. The curriculum culminates in a senior year consultancy project.
  • Jones noted increases in student achievement since the implementation of 3DE, pointing to a 15.5% increase in proficiency performance on end-of-course assessments for English language arts. 
  • Three students and a parent spoke about their experiences with 3DE. The students said 3DE gave them more confidence. They also said 3DE had sharpened their focus and time-management skills. Senior Mohammed Khader praised the program for opening his mind to possibilities.
  • Jones said 3DE successes included participation in 42 real-world cases challenges, which connect academic concepts to industry applications, and 29 pitches of prototypes and business models to community stakeholders. Students have also received roughly 1,062 hours of mentoring and coaching, and 30 seniors developed consulting plans for three local businesses (Mark One Electric, Sporting KC and Accenture).

Superintendent’s Report

  • Jennifer Collier began with the 2026 Sankofa Oratory Contest, which was open to all grades across the district. Gloire Malega, a third grader, won for reciting an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Barbara Mathews, a sixth grade student, won for a poem inspired by and adapted from Langston Hughes’ “Harlem.” Koral Ortiz, a senior, performed an original poem titled “My Tongue.” Allis Johnson, a seventh grade student, performed her winning original poem, “They’re Taking Our Voice.”
  • LaTanya Franklin, Harrison Neal and Amy Washington updated the board about achievements and goals for the 2025-26 school year. Benchmarks they discussed included the state annual performance report, the Missouri School Improvement Program MSIP 6,  i-Ready diagnostic results and reading success plans. Franklin linked achievements to current goals, such as improving scores on national exams and increasing school attendance to 85%.
  • Franklin reported the district is fully accredited and expects it will retain full accreditation based on state assessment results by the end of the school year, if the state does not change its standards for that certification.
  • Neal reviewed results from i-Ready assessments. K-10 results show that in reading the i-Ready program has decreased the percentage of students performing two or more grade levels below expectations from 42.4% to 39.7% from 2024 to 2026. In math, the percentage of students performing two or more grade levels below expectations increased slightly to 40.4%
  • Board member Joshua Jackaway asked what the district can do to improve math performance. Franklin said the team believes literacy is important to improvements in math as well as reading, and that KCPS is making progress in literacy. She added that teachers need more professional development in order to explore new strategies for math instruction. 
  • For students who fall one or more years below grade level, Missouri Senate Bill 681 requires that classroom teachers prepare, evaluate progress and report to parents plans for reading success. For grades K-7 in the 2024-25 school year, 45% of students had a reading success plan. Although there was an uptick in the percentage of reading success plans in some grade levels, the overall percentage in K-7 decreased to 34% this year. Franklin noted that reports about charter schools closing may present some challenges because entering students may need plans. 
  • Overall, KCPS is approaching goals set: 50% of third grade students will be reading at or above grade level, while 50% performing below grade level will show growth in reading and math. The keys to achieving these goals are teacher professional development and effective strategies for supporting incoming students, according to the presenters.

Other Business

  • Received a monthly budget report. Board treasurer Monica Curls drew attention to this being budget season and presented a budget timeline for the 2026-27 school year.
  • Voted to rename the Early Learning Center at King Empowerment Campus after Bernard Powell, a civil rights leader and advocate for youth and “neighborhood empowerment.”

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

  • How will the district continue to make progress toward its educational goals, and what can it do to get on track where it is not making enough strides?
  • What can the district do to provide the professional development needed to help teachers meet the academic goals?
  • How can the district build upon the success it has achieved in the 3DE program?

Read more about this meeting and see all Kansas City Documenters notes here.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Kansas City Documenters trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.