By Linda Stinnett

 

The Derby school district, in a cooperative effort with the Wichita school district, is a finalist for a $1 million leadership development program which would be used to create a new model for high school achievement.

The partnership between the districts is among seven finalists for the Kansas Leadership Center’s Academy for Team Leadership. Nearly 100 interested organizations expressed initial interest in the competition for the program and 60 of those attended pre-application workshops or tuned into a statewide webinar since this past fall. Only 21 formal applications, including the Derby/Wichita partnership, were submitted.

The two schools collaborated on a proposal to create a new model for the 21st century high school, according to a press release from Derby Public Schools. The model would be designed for both urban and suburban schools, with a goal to have larger numbers of students who graduate prepared for college or a career.

The other finalists are:

• Kansas State Department of Education/Kansas Association of School Boards – statewide focus on improving graduation rates.

• Kansas Action for Children – reducing infant mortality in Kansas.

• Project 17 – health issues in southeast Kansas.

• Dodge City Community College – collaboration in the region to improve the quality of life and economy of southwest Kansas.

• Lawrence Public Schools/United Way of Douglas County – local focus on increasing high school graduation rate.

• Visioneering Wichita Health Alliance – improving the health and quality of life of residents, using identified priorities of the alliance. 

“I’m amazed at the appetite among all of our applicants’ interest in the new kind of leadership we’re offering through this program,” said Ed O’Malley, Kansas Leadership Center president and CEO. “With this group, we believe we can build a strong partnership and make significant progress on the issues.”

The Kansas Leadership Center was formed in 2007 through grant funding from the Kansas Health Foundation. Its goal is to foster civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities.

O’Malley said the leadership center plans to stay connected with all of the finalists and even those who are not selected for the academy will be offered opportunities for free spots in upcoming programs.

“We want to stress that civic leadership can help close the gap between where we are and where we want to be, no matter the issue, and that we are committed to their success,” he said. “We’re committed to helping these people however we can.”

The winner of the academy program will be announced this month.

 

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