Education

The Kansas Board of Education could develop a set of recommendations for teaching cursive writing in Kansas schools. The board discussed the issue Wednesday at a meeting in Topeka.

Cursive writing is not required to be taught in Kansas, but some members have heard from their constituents about the issue. 

Education officials surveyed Kansas school districts and 90 percent of the ones that responded said they do teach cursive.

Janet Waugh is a board member from Kansas City, Kan.

A new report says elementary schools in Kansas and surrounding states have reduced, or even eliminated, science education in recent years to emphasize reading and math.

The Kansas State Board of Education was told Tuesday that one in five elementary teachers in Kansas and surrounding states are recording science grades even when they don't teach the subject.

More than four years after the Wichita school district stopped transporting students across town to racially integrate schools, the district has taken another step toward being freed from a voluntary busing agreement.

The Wichita School Board voted this week to approve a new contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The move gives the agency six months to tell the district whether it's released from the busing agreement.

Education funding is a leading issue for many Kansans this election year and when voters go to the polls Nov. 6 they will be choosing between vastly different philosophies on how to create and maintain effective, efficient K-12 public schools.

Funding for public schools in Kansas has been a hot topic in the state legislative races this year, and for good reason.

Despite major cuts, more than half of the state’s budget is still spent on public schools.

Yet performance has been lackluster in many districts and among the state’s minorities.

Kansas legislative Democrats launched their own online survey on schools Monday, to counter a new website created by Governor Sam Brownback's administration.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley and House Minority Leader Paul Davis said their site will gather suggestions for finding school spending inefficiencies - like the governor's - but it will also collect success stories of how schools are operating.