Reform Model Found to Spur Gains in Kansas

Nearly eight years ago, the Kansas City, Kan., school system adopted an ambitious but untried plan to transform its schools into more personalized and academically rigorous learning communities.

An independent report released last week suggests the district’s long-running gamble is paying off. In secondary schools across the 20,000-student district, student attendance and graduation rates, dropout rates, and scores on state reading and math exams have improved faster than they have in other Kansas schools with similar enrollments, the report says.

Released by the New York City-based MDRC research group, the federally financed study is the second to document Kansas City schools’ success with the improvement model known as First Things First. ( "‘First Things First’ Shows Promising Results," ...