Kansas DropINs is a collaborative organization committed to seeing all children in Kansas graduate from high school ready for the next phase of life. The group is comprised of over 25 public and private agencies from around the state. We have been tasked, by America’s Promise Alliance, with developing a statewide action plan for dropout prevention.
Our Vision:
Every child in Kansas will graduate from high school prepared for life, work and/or postsecondary education, instilled with a passion for lifelong learning.
Our Strategies:
- We do not believe that one action plan for the entire state will suffice.
What works for one area of the state may not work for another. Therefore, we have broken the state into eight regions and will encourage each region to develop their own action plan for dropout prevention. This will ensure that the prevention strategies are targeted to the issues that affect each region specifically.
- We do not believe that an action plan can be created without youth input.
We are striving to include youth in all aspects of our planning and implementation. Without their input we will not be able to fully grasp the dropout problem. We have convened a Youth Council and are also creating an online youth engagement survey that will provide Kansas-specific data to each region.
- We do not believe that new dropout prevention strategies need to be created.
There are sufficient strategies in existence to address all of the reasons why students are dropping out. We want to make those great strategies available to all communities in Kansas. Through this website and the summit we will highlight these strategies and provide resources to implement them.
The Five Promises:
We believe that all children are entitled to receive the following five fundamental promises. Research has shown that youth who receive at least four promises are twice as likely to get A’s in school, twice as likely to avoid violence, 40% more likely to volunteer and two-thirds more likely to be generous, respectful and empathetic than those who receive one or no promises.
Caring adults/role models
Every child and youth needs and deserves support and guidance from caring adults in their families, schools, and communities, including ongoing, secure relationships with parents and other family adults, as well as multiple and consistent formal and informal positive relationships with teachers, mentors, coaches, youth volunteers, and neighbors.
Safe places and constructive use of time
Every child and youth needs and deserves to be physically and emotionally safe everywhere they are — from the actual places of families, schools, neighborhoods and communities to the virtual places of media — and to have an appropriate balance of structured, supervised activities and unstructured, unscheduled time.
A healthy start and healthy development
Every child and youth needs and deserves the healthy bodies, healthy minds, and healthful habits and choices resulting from regular well-child/youth health care and needed treatment, good nutrition and exercise, comprehensive health knowledge and skills, and role models of physical and psychological health.
Effective education for marketable skills and lifelong learning
Every child and youth needs and deserves the intellectual development, motivation, and personal, social-emotional, and cultural skills needed for successful work and lifelong learning in a diverse nation, as a result of having quality learning environments, challenging expectations, and consistent formal and informal guidance and mentoring.
Opportunities to make a difference through helping others
Every child and youth needs and deserves the chance to make a difference — in their families, schools, communities, nation and world – through having models of caring behavior, awareness of the needs of others, a sense of personal responsibility to contribute to larger society, and opportunities for volunteering, leadership and service.
-Every Child Every Promise
Planning Team:
Please follow the links below to learn more about the Kansas DropINs Planning Team
Kansas DropINs Coordinator – Jessica Noble
Communities in Schools of Kansas– Malissa Martin-Wilke
Crime Victims Compensation Board – Frank Henderson, Jr.
CVS/Caremark Pharmacy – Nancy Volpe
IBSA, Inc. – Lazone Grays
Kansas Attorney General's Office– Jerry Tenbrink
Kansas Department of Commerce– Jeff Schroeder
Kansas Department of Education– Kent Reed
Kansas Department of Health and Environment – Jane Stueve
Kansas Department of Labor– Kristen Rottinghaus
Kansas Enrichment Network– Marcia Dvorak
Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority– Randall Bowman
Kansas Juvenile Officers Association– Sergeant Phil Wickwire
Kansas Mentors– Ella Todd
Kansas National Education Association– Peg Dunlap
Kansas Governor's Office – Susan Allen
Kansas State University – Elaine Johannes
Kansas Volunteer Commission– Shelby Hoytal
Kansas State Representative – Bob Bethell
State Farm– Jeff Davis and Tamara O’Connor
University of Kansas– Willie Amison
Unified School District 453 – Tabor Medill
Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce– Suzie Ahlstrand
Wichita State University, College of Education– Terry Behrendt
Wichita YMCA– Elizabeth Avelar
Workforce Partnership – April Dohle
YouthFriends Kansas– Leila Gallagher
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