•October 13, 2015•
Kansas Learning First Alliance (KLFA) met October 13 at the Kansas Association of School Board (KASB) building.
Members approved Kansas Research and Education Network (KanREN) as a KLFA member. KanREN works to connect technology needs of its members to better serve the needs of Kansas educational institutions. Welcome KanREN!
Rebecca Lewis of Circles presented Generational Poverty: Building Kids, Strengthening Families, Changing Communities to KLFA. Rebecca shared her personal story and her calling to work with schools and communities to empower our poorest kids and parents. Some key points from her presentation included:
- Allies – People who won’t let you quit
- Community – What does this word mean to the poor? Poverty has a community but missing sense of purpose, resources, less-supportive, and no link to opportunity
- Working – I work but I’m still in poverty. “I don’t want a handout; I want to know how to get out.”
- Toxic Stress – #1 villain of poverty. www.developingchild.harvard.edu
- Development of Adults – Focus on the development of adults of the young children to make lasting changes
- 2 by 10 – Give 2 minutes for 10 days and you will build lasting relationships with students.
More information on Circles is found at www.circlesusa.org and through Rebecca’s Facebook page (Rebecca Lewis Poverty Edge) or Twitter (@povertyedge).
Marcus Baltzell, KNEA Communications Director, presented “Storytelling: The Value of Telling Our Story to Move Our Message”. We tell stories to inform, inspire, validate, demonstrate, and connect. Ask the community to join us to support Kansas Public Education (www.joinus.org).
Members worked in their focus areas to weave stories into their message. Members also set a timeline of specific next steps. The three KLFA Focus Areas are:
- Student Success
- Professional Learning
- Community Engagement
The next KLFA meeting is Wednesday, January 6, 2016, at the KASB building. Please visit our website for more information about KLFA and our work.
