Investments
Data and Analysis

KCPS Strategic Growth

SchoolSmartKC worked with the KCPS district administration to identify eight neighborhood schools who showed meaningful and regular academic progress and invited each to create a new strategic plan that could lift the achievement of their students to statewide levels. 

Two students at table

Three of those public schools were selected to receive a significant grant to implement their respective strategic plans.

Gladstone Elementary and Phillips Elementary each received $600,000 and Northeast High School received $200,000 to implement their new strategic plans through mid-2022, totaling an investment of $1.4 million into these public schools. KCPS and SchoolSmartKC provided ongoing support to all three schools throughout the grant implementation years.

Gladstone Elementary
Gladstone Elementary used the grant to develop the classroom skills of teachers by showing them how to breakdown state standards into management components and implement data-driven instruction. The school also brought in experts to increase literacy and help develop a “whole-child” support system for students who face trauma outside of school.

Phillips Elementary
Phillips Elementary used the grant to transition the school into a trauma-sensitive school through intense, targeted training and professional development across the building. School staff learned how to utilize achievement data and ensured that the data is available for all educators in the building. They also increased student attendance and success by improving parent engagement;  including a new, three-day “boot camp” for kindergarteners and their parents this summer.

Northeast High School
Northeast High School was awarded $200,000 for its priority items and hope to raise another $400,000 to fully implement its strategic plan. The school is focused on providing high quality professional development for teachers in core subjects and staff field trips to learn best practices from educators at schools that have made similar improvements. The school also increased Advanced Placement opportunities for students, and launched an “Advancement Via Individual Determination” (AVID) program to develop student leaders.

For more information on these grants, contact Angelique Nedved, Director of School Quality, at anedved@schoolsmartkc.org

Related Content