Great things are happening in classrooms and schools across Kansas! During January, I had the pleasure of telephoning the thirty-one Kansas Horizon Award recipients. This award honors exemplary educators new to the profession. To be eligible, teachers must have completed their first year of teaching and have performed in such a way as to distinguish themselves as outstanding. For the most part, the telephone calls were a surprise to the teachers. Many of them walked unsuspectingly into the principal’s office for what they thought was a meeting. Others were ambushed by district administrators, family members and colleagues while teaching their students. I had an absolute blast making the phone calls and, once again, offer them my congratulations on their recognition as a 2010 Kansas Horizon Award recipient. For a complete listing of the honorees, go to http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=36&ctl=Details&mid=1030&ItemID=451

Another fantastic accomplishment is the announcement that Kansas has completed the Phase 1 application for $166 million through the Race to the Top (RTTT) grant. The $4.3 billion Race to the Top fund is the largest ever federal competitive investment in school reform. It will reward states for creating conditions for educational change and provide incentives for large-scale, system-changing reforms. Forty states and the District of Columbia (DC) applied for funding under the January 19, 2010 Phase 1 deadline. Winning states will be notified by April and we’ll also have a chance to reapply (if necessary) in June. For more information about the RTTT funds or to review our application, go to http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3480

February 25 and 26 will bring over 300 exemplary educators to Topeka for the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) Conference. The conference theme is Responding to the Challenge: Teacher Leadership Through Tough Times. By invitation only, the conference will begin with the keynote speaker, Lt. Governor Troy Findley. I’ll follow with the State of Education in Kansas.

• learn about exemplary education programs that meet the changing needs of students;
• learn about effective leadership skills for teachers; and
• participate in a community conversation on “Reading, Writing, and a Worthwhile Education for Kansas Kids.”