A message from your president:

My year as President of Learning Forward Kansas has been a very exciting and rewarding experience. I have had the opportunity to work with many passionate professional educators and have been honored to meet many young emerging leaders around the state. The year has seen many changes both in the organization itself and at the state level. As many of you know, LF KS went through a name change the past year from Kansas Staff Development Council. The change in name signifies that learning is our main purpose and creates our future. Learning Forward expresses our call to action. As KSDE prepares for a change in accreditation and a shift to Common Core standards, Professional Learning for educators will play a pivotal role in preparing educators for the future. I am very pleased that we will be working with KSDE to provide the needed support for educators across the state.

As I listened to futurist Willard Daggett speak recently, I was reminded of the importance of changing our teaching to meet the needs of 21st Century learners. Daggett's statement, "Students are coming to school to watch their teachers work", reminded me of the notion that we don't necessarily need to work harder, just smarter. I know that may sound cliché, but I believe that the digital natives that are in our classrooms today DO learn differently and require a different delivery system to meet their needs.

-- Dr. Craig Correll, Learning Forward Kansas President