2024 Great Ideas in Education Conference

Mark Tallman, a researcher and writer for the Kansas Association of School Boards, developed a system to compare school district performance on state outcomes with how that district would be expected to perform based on its percentage of low-income students plus students with disabilities and enrollment size. He then identified districts performing significantly better than expected based on these characteristics.

Over the past two years, he visited 40 high achieving districts and schools and talked with about 300 administrators, teachers, school board members, students, parents, and community members to ask how they are getting either high results or making significant progress. He will share the process and what he learned from these districts.

School administrators today confront a heightened sense of concern for safety from students, parents and staff. While attacks on schools are rare, constant media coverage of high-profile attacks elevates anxiety for communities. Districts tend to have in place good policy and security equipment to prevent intruders from entering schools. What do we do when the threat comes from within, or when our systems fail? This session will highlight how district leaders can use a variety of security processes and procedures to build a layered approach to create redundancy, and strengthen security operations. Security functions such as visitor management systems (VMS), security cameras, panic alarms and door lock systems coupled with behavior threat assessments and good emergency operations planning can create a secure environment for students and staff. Identifying and using resources such as DHS campus threat assessments or crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) assessments can help identify structural and operational deficiencies that can permit acts of violence. Whether its leveraging technology as force multiplier, having School Resource Officers in the building, or simply locking the doors, we’ll examine the importance of engaging staff and putting the right processes and equipment in place to make it all work effectively.

Mark Tallman, a researcher and writer for the Kansas Association of School Boards, developed a system to compare school district performance on state outcomes with how that district would be expected to perform based on its percentage of low-income students plus students with disabilities and enrollment size. He then identified districts performing significantly better than expected based on these characteristics.

Over the past two years, he visited 40 high achieving districts and schools and talked with about 300 administrators, teachers, school board members, students, parents, and community members to ask how they are getting either high results or making significant progress. He will share the process and what he learned from these districts.