KSDE Newsroom

In addition to getting help with writing, finding a book for a class or getting tutored, libraries are a vital part of a school’s ecosystem and community at large.

“Libraires are really a refuge for people, for students,” said Tonya Foster, librarian at Topeka High School, Topeka USD 501. “So many people don’t know the true value of libraries. Yes, they are a place where you can get resources and you can get books and you can get music. But it’s also such an incredibly safe place to go and find what you need. There are people there that can help you.”

While the Kansas affiliate organization of the national Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) offers 114 programs in 86 Kansas school districts, the 6,200 students served by the academic and postsecondary preparedness program are anything but numbers. 

“You learn a lot about yourself in this program,” said Lilliona Martinez, a student at Junction City Middle School, Geary County USD 475. “Before JAG, I was very insecure and (kept) to myself,” she said. “I’ve learned that you can be more than what people tell you. This program just gives you so many beautiful opportunities to grow as a person and grow as a student.” 

The Kansas State Board of Education voted this week to accept the final report of the Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Student Screen Time that outlines recommended guidance for student use of digital technology in schools.  

Prior to the vote, Melanie Haas of Overland Park, State Board chair, emphasized the board accepting the report was an acknowledgement of the task force’s work, not an endorsement of the recommendations. The board voted to accept the report and authorized the Kansas State Department of Education to release it to districts.  

Jeff Yearout brings conceptual thinking into his classroom at Derby High School, Derby Unified School District 260, helping students think beyond the surface. 

Yearout has taught computer science, web design and computer graphics at Derby High School since 2016. He is the only computer science teacher at the school. 

“It’s harder, of course, if I’m taking on something new that I haven’t done before and have no built curriculum to look from,” he said. “But I’m constantly recrafting things I’ve done before to adjust it and make it better for students.” 

As the largest federal conference aimed at improving the quality and taste of school meals, the Healthy Meals Incentive (HMI) Summit was attended this past fall by hundreds of school nutrition professionals from across the U.S. The Kansas contingent included food service staff members from two school districts.

Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will vote on recommendations for how Kansas students interact with digital technology and social media during their monthly meeting in Topeka, Dec. 10-11. 

The week of Nov. 18-22 is American Education Week, a time to celebrate the positive impact of public schools across the U.S. So, why is now an important time to be a teacher? That question was asked recently of several members of the new 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY) team.  

As the daughter of a former elementary school teacher, Adlyn Mieras, a senior at Blue Valley West High School, Blue Valley Unified School District 229, said she’s known from a young age she’s wanted to be a teacher because, as a student, she has “wanted to learn all the time.”  

“I felt being a teacher and helping others to find that similar passion for learning is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I want to be a teacher for a long time.” 

Mieras and dozens of other Kansas high school students attended the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference earlier this month where they competed in categories including lesson planning and teaching; TED talks; children’s literature; impromptu speaking; and interviewing. Future Teachers of America Day was celebrated this week, along with American Education Week.

 As the daughter of a former elementary school teacher, Adlyn Mieras, a senior at Blue Valley West High School, said she’s known from a young age she’s wanted to be a teacher because, as a student, she has “wanted to learn all the time.”  

“I felt being a teacher and helping others to find that similar passion for learning is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I want to be a teacher for a long time.” 

Mieras and dozens of other Kansas high school students attended the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference earlier this month where they competed in categories including lesson planning and teaching, TED talks, children’s literature, impromptu speaking and interviewing. 

Imagine being escorted to your first day at a brand-new school not by your parents, but U.S. marshals, as a crowd of protesters chant and point at you, angry  you are now attending this school. You are the only student in your classroom. No other children are with you, and you’re not allowed to join them at lunch or at recess. 

That is what Ruby Bridges went through 64 years ago.  

On the anniversary of this historic day, dozens of Topeka area middle and high school students joined the civil rights icon on Thursday, Nov. 14, for an in-person “fireside chat” at Washburn University, in Topeka, to celebrate “Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day”, a symbolic walk of unity and strength. Her appearance comes as the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education is also celebrated.