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New Kansas education commissioner lays out focus on standards-aligned instruction, accountability and school finance
Summary
At his first formal report to the Kansas State Board of Education, Commissioner Jake Steel urged a unified vision around high‑quality, grade‑level instruction, tighter focus on a few priorities, aligned policy and accountability measures, and organizational changes at the state education agency to separate accountability from support functions.
KANSAS — Jake Steel used his first commissioner’s report to the Kansas State Board of Education on June 9 to outline a roadmap for the Kansas State Department of Education centered on standards‑aligned grade‑level instruction, evidence‑driven school improvement and a reorganization of agency roles.
Steel told the nine‑member board that he asked for four priorities when he was hired: a unified vision on high‑quality instruction; permission to concentrate state efforts on a small number of priorities; alignment of policies, funding and accountability to those priorities; and board support for organizational change that separates objective accountability functions from on‑the‑ground support for districts and schools. He said most recent agency changes have been cost‑neutral or cost‑cutting.
Steel said the department will continue three central operational goals: school improvement with district plans in place and monitored; stronger accountability that identifies what is — and is not — working using evidence rather than shaming; and engagement in school finance work that ensures the formula supports students’ needs. He previewed a July commissioner’s report that will present a longitudinal baseline of student performance to support diagnostic planning.
Board members welcomed the emphasis on clear, actionable priorities and on teacher support. Several members asked whether the current vision and strategic plan will remain in effect through the end of the year; Steel said the board will finish its current vision cycle together, then the new board will reassess and set unified next steps. Members also discussed the agency’s reliance on fee revenues for some licensing operations and pressed Steel about options for replacing those fees with general‑fund support, a change he said would take a multi‑year legislative process.
Steel said the department has reorganized staff into accountability and support “buckets,” with named leads for each function, and that the department’s future commission reports will track evidence of progress. He also thanked former leaders and emphasized a message he repeated to the board: focus on getting grade‑level core instruction in front of students and providing teachers the training and resources to deliver it.
What’s next: Steel plans to present a longer data‑driven state‑of‑education report in July that will use multiple quantitative measures as a baseline for the department’s work going forward.
