Nearly 400 educators were brought together for the Kansas State Department of Education Special Education and Title Services (SETS) two-day Leadership Conference at Hyatt Regency Wichita and Century II Convention Center.

A preconference took place on Tuesday, July 25, with the leadership conference happening Wednesday, July 26, and Thursday, July 27.

The preconference included a session for special education administrators who are in their first three years; a session for Title/LCP administrators; and a Management Information System (MIS) workshop.

Horacio Sanchez, president and CEO of Resiliency Inc. and author of “The Poverty Problem,” was the keynote speaker for the first day of the Leadership Conference.  His presentation was “Overcoming the Impact of Poverty on the Brain.

His presentation was followed by several concurrent sessions covering a variety of topics, such as school climates that maximize student achievement; best practices in early childhood; the Every Student Succeeds Act; compliance; tacking educator shortage; regulatory changes to Emergency Safety Interventions; education for homeless children and youth; Kansas assessment changes; and more.

Thursday’s sessions included auditing; information on the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot; sustaining practices that promote resilience; breaking down barriers; implementation indicators; understanding Indicator 6 childhood least restrictive environment data; inclusive learning environments; and more.

Thursday also included a general session with Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson. During the general session, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Craig Neuenswander and Dale Brungardt, director of KSDE’s School Finance, shared legislative updates with attendees.

The Leadership Conference has been around in some form for more than 30 years, said Brad Schwartz with the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN).

Next year’s conference is slated for July 30-Aug. 1.