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Great Ideas in Education conference highlights priorities for Kansas students
Jul 30, 2026
by Angela Deines“What will matter most when you return?” was the essential question posed by Dr. Jake Steel to nearly 800 attendees of the 2026 Great Ideas in Education conference this past week in Wichita.
“I don’t think there’s a better job than being the education commissioner of the state of Kansas,” he told the crowd of education professionals, adding that focusing on high-quality instruction included in the Four Fundamentals is a key priority for him and the Kansas State Board of Education. “We care about the fundamentals…because we believe that when you have structured literacy, our students are better off, when you do standards alignment or have a balanced assessment system, those are indicators to help our students be the best version of themselves. They’re not initiatives. These are adult conditions.”
Steel acknowledged to the audience gathered at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Wichita that there is “a little pressure on our shoulders in education right now” from those who want to “see something different” from Kansas education.
“One of the things we have to do in the coming year is make sure we stand taller and remind people we know what we’re doing. We are committed and we still stand accountable,” he said. “We will make sure that we have high-quality instruction in our classrooms.”
Steel said the Kansas State Department of Education is gathering and analyzing data so it can play a more pivotal role in impacting student achievement. He added that strengthening the agency’s accountability processes is why Dr. Zach Conrad was recently hired as the agency’s deputy commissioner for accountability and technology.
Conrad said going forward, data will be used to tell a story about where to go next to improve student achievement while providing the necessary supports for accountability throughout the Kansas education system. He said the question is, “how do we know we’re focused on the right things?”
“I think that's one of the most important questions an educational leader can ask,” he said. “Because whether you're a classroom teacher, a principal, a superintendent or someone here at KSDE, every decision you make depends on one thing: How well you understand what's happening. If we don't understand why students are struggling to read, we'll invest in the wrong solutions. If we don't understand why one school is improving while another isn't, we'll miss opportunities to learn from what's working.”
For the second year in a row, the Great Ideas in Education conference was held during the last week of July to serve as a back-to-school event for Kansas educators. The sessions provided vital information and targeted discussion opportunities for creating coherence within the Four Fundamentals of the school improvement model. There were numerous sessions that spanned a wide range of topics including the science of reading, assessments and standards alignment. District leadership teams (DLTs) met with their regional cohorts to discuss their school improvement action plans and other aspects of KESA accreditation.
The first day of conference included several summits focused on literacy, safe and secure schools and student mental health. The first day was also devoted to giving attendees information and the opportunity to ask questions about the statutorily-required at-risk accountability plans that all districts must submit beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
Mitch Holthus, play-by-play analyst and “Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs” for the past 33 years, delivered the conference’s opening keynote address. The self-described “weird kid” who grew up on a farm ten miles north of Smith Center, Kansas, told the audience of nearly 800 attendees that he “loves Kansas, every blade of grass, and I love education.”
He said the winning formula for the Chiefs has been to have confident humility while connecting everyone in their organization, regardless of position or title, “strategically and consistently.”
“If your school has vertical respect and horizontal accountability,” he said, “it will change the way you do business and your life.”
Holthus rounded out his address saying we’re in a relay race to make sure every kid knows they have value.
“I hope you feel the slap of the baton for the 2026-27 school year,” he said. “It’s our turn.”
