Takeaways: The Kansas budget would include the largest single-year investment in child care under the plan set out by Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday The governor’s recommendations are just one step in the lengthy process of setting a final budget. Proposals to expand Medicaid and invest more in special education and her tax-cut plans draw […]
Education
The Wichita Beacon shares local news stories about education. Learn about the news stories affecting you and your community.
Posted inEducation
Why snow days will be for sledding, not schooling in Wichita
In Wichita and several neighboring districts, students can still spend their snow days sledding, building snowmen or curled up with a mug of hot chocolate.
Posted inEducation
Attending a school outside your district is getting easier in Kansas. Not everyone’s happy
Imagine you’re a parent and your child goes to Northwest High School in Wichita. The Maize public school district sits nearby, a wealthier community where graduation rates and ACT scores run higher. If you’d wanted to enroll your children in Maize in fall 2023, the school district would have said no. Starting next fall, Maize’s […]
Posted inEducation
Did a Goddard teacher cross a line by teaching Christian music to students?
Two specific songs,“Praise His Holy Name” and “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” — and concerns about how the teacher presented them to students — sit at the center of a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
More Kansas teens feel sad or hopeless, but a school program is helping thousands
Takeaways: Anxiety and depression. Eating disorders. Suicide. Among kids. More than one-third of high school students in Kansas reported feeling sad or hopeless for a two-week run or longer in 2021 — slightly below the national average, but at nearly double the rate recorded a dozen years before the pandemic. Kansas spotted the growing youth […]
Posted inEducation
Wichita Public Schools students will need more than coursework to earn a diploma
New requirements approved by the Kansas State Board of Education insist that students complete two “postsecondary assets” — achievements or experiences that prepare them for higher education or the workforce — before graduation.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education, Elections
Wichita’s first school board election under new system draws more voters
In the first election under USD 259’s new district-based school board election system on Tuesday in Wichita, results show voter turnout went up and moderates won over conservatives. Last year, Wichita voters changed the way school board members are elected in the state’s largest school district. Previously, all school board members were elected citywide. Now, […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education, Elections
Wichita USD 259 school board candidates talk book bans, LGBTQ safety and teacher shortages
Mail-in and in-person voting begin this month. To help voters make their decisions, The Wichita Beacon asked all USD 259 school board candidates to respond to questions submitted by readers. Questions focused on the teacher shortage, classroom content and student and teacher safety. The three school board seats up for election are for the 3rd […]
Posted inEducation
Schools get first aid kits to treat gunshots, but teachers have a more immediate safety worry
The Wichita Metro Crime Commission in September presented 11 area schools with Stop the Bleed first aid kits — small red bags filled with emergency medical supplies used to treat deep wounds. Although the kits are not new to area schools, their appearance is one sign of escalating concerns about student safety and conduct. With […]
Posted inEducation
A Black parent’s guide: How to help protect your kids from racism at school
Students have a right to a safe and discrimination-free environment while at school. But when acts of racism or discrimination happen, what can a parent do to protect their child?