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The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) invites district and building leadership teams to the 2026 Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 27-29, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Convention Center, in Wichita. This powerful three-day experience has been designed to strengthen coherence across Kansas’ school improvement efforts.
By Pat Bone, KSDE division of learning services
Make 2026 your district’s most aligned and impactful year yet by attending the Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 27-29, to ignite coherence, accelerate learning and expand opportunities.
Mark your calendars for the 2026 Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 27-29, at the Hyatt Regency and Century II Convention Center, in Wichita.
The 2026 Great Ideas in Education Conference will be July 27-29, at the Hyatt Regency and Century II Convention Center, in Wichita.
Join educators, leaders, and innovators from across Kansas for two and a half days of inspiration, collaboration, and forward-thinking ideas in education.
A note from Pat Bone, coordinator of the Great Ideas in Education Conference, KSDE division of learning services
On behalf of KSDE, we hope you enjoyed the recent conference and found the experience both valuable and inspiring. We appreciate you taking time from your busy summer schedules to prioritize professional growth and team collaboration as you prepare for the new school year.
We’re just days away from the KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference in Wichita. Join us at the Hyatt Regency & Century II for three days packed with innovation, collaboration, and inspiration!
Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson and the KSDE team is looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2025 KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28–30, at the Hyatt Regency and Century II, in Wichita.
Make plans today to be part of one of the Sunflower State’s premier education events!
Time is running out to register for the 2025 KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28–30, at the Hyatt Regency and Century II, in Wichita.
Join educators and leaders from across Kansas for three days of innovative sessions, inspiring keynotes, and powerful networking opportunities.
This year's Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28-30, is designed for district leadership teams (DLTs) to collaborate with each other as the second full year of KESA 2.0 is about to begin.
Why should you attend the 2025 KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference?
A key component of this year's Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28-30, is designed for district leadership teams (DLTs) to collaborate with each other as the second full year of KESA 2.0 is about to begin.
Your voice matters. Join us in shaping the future of education.
The following are key questions and answers about this year’s Great Ideas in Education Conference:
Join us in shaping the future of education. Your voice matters.
The following are the key questions and answers about this year’s Great Ideas in Education Conference:
Before school is out for the summer, districts and systems should identify the members of their district and/or building leadership teams who will attend the Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28-30.
Before school is out for the summer, districts and systems should identify the members of their district and/or building leadership teams who will attend the Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28-30, and register those team members. Room reservations can be made here.
Attendees of this year's Great Ideas in Education conference can access the conference schedule (subject to change) via the Sched application accessible via mobile and desktop.
The full schedule for the annual Great Ideas in Education conference, July 28-30, will be released next week.
The KSDE Division of Learning Services has announced a few of the session titles for the Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28-30.
As preparations continue for the upcoming Great Ideas in Education Conference, the following information clarifies which staff members on the District Leadership Teams (DLT) and Building Leadership Teams (BLT) should attend this conference.
Registration is open for the Great Ideas in Education Conference and attendees can make room reservations now for the event, July 28-30, at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.
Click here for a video message from Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson about the conference.
Register by July 15 for the conference here. Make room reservations here.
In addition to being able to register for the Great Ideas in Education Conference, attendees can now make their room reservations for the event, July 28-30, at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.
Register by July 15 for the conference here. The full conference registration fee is $300. To attend the conference only on Tuesday, July 29, the cost is $175.
Each district team of four will receive a discounted registration fee of $1,000 (a discount of $200 per district team).
The Kansas State Department of Education continues to work on the agenda for the 2025 Great Ideas in Education Conference, July 28-30, at the Hyatt Regency and Century II, in Wichita.
Registration is now open for KSDE’s Great Ideas in Education conference, July 28-30, at the Hyatt Regency, in Wichita. Don’t miss this critical opportunity to kick off the new school year primed for success. Click here to register.
KSDE has been promoting the importance of building coherence in Kansas’ school improvement efforts to effect meaningful change. That coherence must extend to the function and purpose of KSDE’s annual conference.
A new direction. A new date. A new event for district and building leadership teams.
Big changes are coming to KSDE’s Great ideas in Education Conference, and we think you’re going to like them.
A new direction. A new date.
The next curriculum leaders meeting will be on Jan. 31, at the Bishop Professional Development Center in Topeka. Register here by Jan. 17.
Mark your calendars for the following dates and locations of the 2025 and 2026 curriculum leaders meetings.
The next Kansas curriculum leaders meeting will be on Jan. 30, at the Bishop Professional Development Center in Topeka.
When the curriculum leaders met on Nov. 15, Caitlyn Sharp of The New Teacher Project (TNTP) discussed the coordination of work they are developing with the Kansas State Department of Education. Her presentation included highlights of TNTP’s newly released report, The Opportunity Makers.
KSDE is already in the early stages of planning the 2025 Great Ideas in Education conference since the date of the event has been changed to July 27-30, at the Hyatt Regency, in Wichita. Click here to watch a video from this year's Great Ideas in Education Conference: Lighting the Path Forward.
School systems are strongly encouraged to begin planning to send district leadership teams to the annual conference. Learning and collaboration opportunities will emphasize the fundamentals of structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessment and quality instruction.
KSDE is already in the early stages of planning the 2025 Great Ideas in Education Conference since the date of the event has been changed to the last week of July.
School systems are strongly encouraged to send district leadership teams to the annual conference, now set for July 27-30, at the Hyatt Regency, in Wichita. Learning and collaboration opportunities will emphasize the fundamentals of structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessment, and quality instruction.
The deadline to register for this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” is Friday, Oct. 11.
This year’s conference is focused on the Four Fundamentals and supporting structures necessary for KESA implementation and school improvement. There will also be sessions on safe and secure schools and technology.
Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity for your leadership team to attend. Teams of four will receive a discount on registration.
The Oct. 11 deadline is fast approaching to register for this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward.”
Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity for your leadership team to attend. Teams of four will receive a discount on registration. The deadline to register is Oct. 11.
Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity for your leadership team to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward.”
This year the conference is focused on the Four Fundamentals and supporting structures necessary for KESA implementation and school improvement. There will also be sessions on safe and secure schools and technology.
Teams of four will receive a discount on registration. The deadline for registration is Oct. 11.
Don’t forget to register your leadership team to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education Conference: Lighting the Path Forward, Oct. 23-25, in Wichita.
KSDE is encouraging districts and buildings to bring a leadership team to learn together. Each district will be slightly different according to size and district needs.
Teams of four will receive a discount on registration.
Teams of four will receive a discount on registration. *Please note: The hotel room block at the Wichita Hyatt Regency is filling up quickly.
Make plans to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education Conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” Oct. 23-25 in Wichita, by clicking here to register, make room reservations, access the schedule and see the list of titles, strands and audiences for the breakout sessions.
Chris Perry, co-founder and executive director of Cultivate Education, an educational consulting company based in Baldwin City, will be the keynote speaker on Oct. 23.
College credit is now available for attending this conference. Click here for information.
Make plans to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education Conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” Oct. 23-25, by clicking here to register, make room reservations, access the schedule and see the list of titles, strands and audiences for the breakout sessions.
Make plans to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” Oct. 23-25, by clicking here to register, make room reservations, access the schedule and see the list of titles, strands and audiences for the breakout sessions.
NEW: College credit is now available. Click here for information.
Make plans to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” Oct. 23-25, by clicking here to register.
For room reservations for the Hyatt Regency Wichita, click here. For the Fairfield Inn and Suites room reservations, click here.
NEW: Click here to see the conference draft schedule.
NEW: Click here for a list of titles, strands and audience for each of the breakout sessions. Stay tuned for more details on these sessions in the near future.
Make plans to attend this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” Oct. 23-25, by clicking here.
NEW: Click here for a list of titles, strands, and audience for each of the breakout sessions. Stay tuned for more details on these sessions in the near future.
The Kansas State Department of Education is looking for six to eight high school students to participate in a panel discussion at the KSDE Great Ideas in Education: Lighting the Path Forward conference. This discussion will take place during a general session at the conference, Oct. 23-25, in Wichita.
The Kansas State Department of Education is looking for six to eight high school students to participate in a panel discussion at the KSDE Great Ideas in Education: Lighting the Path conference. This discussion will take place during a general session at the conference, Oct. 23-25, in Wichita.
The Kansas State Department of Education is looking for six to eight high school students to participate in a panel discussion at the KSDE Great Ideas in Education: Lighting the Path conference.
Registration is open for the 2024 KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference: Lighting the Path Forward.
Click here to register for the 2024 KSDE Great Ideas in Education conference, Oct. 23-25. Hotel reservation information is also posted on this site.
Kansas students have two opportunities to be showcased during the 2024 Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) Great Ideas in Education Conference.
Save the date for the 2024 Kansas State Department of Education Great Ideas in Education Conference.
The deadline to register for the Great Ideas in Education Conference: Empowered Together is Friday, Oct. 13.
If you haven’t registered for the Great Ideas in Education Conference: Empowered Together, do it soon because registration closes on Oct. 13.
The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Great Ideas in Education Conference, formerly known as the KSDE Annual Conference, will take place Oct. 25-27 in Wichita.
The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is seeking information on the KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference through a survey.
The Kansas State Department of Education is hosting a student art contest for the 2023 Great Ideas in Education: Empowered Together! conference.
Breakout sessions for the Kansas State Department of Education’s Great Ideas in Education Conference, which takes place Oct. 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, have been announced.
The KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference, “The Art of Teaching” will take place October 19-21, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita
William Parrett and Kathleen Budge, of Boise State University’s Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies, have been announced as keynote speakers for the first keynote address of KSDE’s Great Ideas in Education Conference: The Art of Teaching, Oct. 19-21 in Wichita.
The 2022 KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference: The Art of Teaching includes new networking opportunities.
In order to encourage students to use their creativity, the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is once again hosting a student art contest for the KSDE annual conference. This year’s theme is Great Ideas in Education: The Art of Teaching.
The KSDE Great Ideas in Education: The Art of Teaching Conference will take place Oct. 19-21 in Wichita at the Hyatt Regency and Century II Convention Center.
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
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The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.gov or by 785-296-3201.