When Kansas K-12 students head back to school in the fall, they may face an altered academic landscape as educators prepare districts for the possibility that the coronavirus will make in-person class time impossible for weeks on end. But a draft of statewide reopening guidance to schools, obtained by The Star, shows that educators preparing districts to navigate the pandemic see their work as an opportunity to advance changes that will affect how students are taught for decades. The document — under development by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) — gives districts the framework to adopt a competency-based approach, which has made inroads in some districts nationwide over the past decade.
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The unemployment rate in Kansas fell nearly two percentage points in May from its April high and fell four percentage points in Sedgwick County, as the economy began a phased reopening in early May and full opening in some counties later in the month. Although the statewide and county unemployment rates fell, both remained unusually high. While the state saw an increase in most employment sectors compared to April, government employees saw job losses. Kansas’ unemployment rate in May was 10%, according to the state Department of Labor — down from a high of 11.9% in April. The unemployment rate in Kansas in May 2019, however, was 3.1%.
(Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)