Topeka Public Schools Touring Historic Redlined Areas

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STUDENTS FIRST Working as a Team for Continuous Improvement

--- RECENT AWARDS AND HONORS ---

DISTRICTS OF DISTINCTION

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MAGNA AWARD

2021 New Staff Orientation Guide www.topekapublicschools.net

Legacy Your impact will last a lifetime

Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement, and helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at all.

Topeka Public Schools is proud of being part of this landmark decision that changed the face of public schools forever. Topeka Public Schools celebrates our diversity and honors our heritage.

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CONNECT WITH US www.facebook.com/ TopekaPublicSchools/ www.twitter.com/TPS_501/ www.instagram/TPS_501/

A Message from the Superintendent Welcome to the Topeka Public Schools District! We are excited for your visit . Topeka Public School District is one of the largest districts in Kansas, we offer the only K-12 Dual Language program in Kansas, and we hold the distinction of earning national recognition for innovation and equity.

Topeka Public Schools has received the national Magna Award, we have been awarded as a District of Distinction for our partnerships, and we have been highlighted by Education Week and the National School Board Association for our successful work in addressing social -emotional health.

The pandemic demonstrated our resilience as a strong school community.

Our commitment to our community was reflected in our work to host the first school based testing and vaccination clinics, we piloted the only microclassrooms and K-12 virtual academies in the region and we expanded our mental health teams. We believe in personalizing learning for our students and staff.

During your visit we will take a driving tour focusing on the areas that were historically Red lined. Starting at the Kansas Health Institute, we will visit the Bottoms, North Topeka, Tennessee Town, and conclude in East Topeka.

Dr. Tiffany Anderson Superintendent

Sincerely, Dr. Tiffany Anderson Superintendent (785) 295-3059 tanderson@tps501.org

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#WeAreTPS • #ExploreTPS

ABOUT

Topeka Public Schools Topeka Public Schools is the 6th largest school district in Kansas, educating approximately 13,200 students each year. We offer pre-k through 12 education along with specialized services for 3 and 4 year olds and online high school diploma completion for any adult who lives within our district boundaries. The school district includes 15 elementary schools, six middle schools, and three high schools. In 2020, 78.6% of 501 students received free or reduced lunch, compared with the state average of 52.9%. The racial/ethnic composition of the district is 34.8% White, 33.4% Hispanic, 17.1% African American, and 14.7% Other. The school district serves a total of 13.7% or 1807 English Learners (ELs), representing a 165% increase since 1999 (Topeka Public Schools, n.d.). In 2010, an estimated 20.4% of the Topeka population lived below the poverty line, compared to the state average of 13.2%. Additionally, 36% of children under the age of 18 in Topeka live in poverty, nearly double the state average (19%). As a whole, Topeka exhibits environmental risk factors that may negatively impact its school-aged population, including high rates of violent crime: 6.01 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (state average=3.55); 53.6 property crimes per 1,000 (state average=31.4); and 124 crimes per square mile (state average=26 crimes/mi.). Further, school-aged children in Topeka experience risk factors at home: Two out of five children live in singleparent households, nearly 40% more than the state average (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2014).

ABOUT

City of Topeka Topeka serves as the capital of Kansas, with amenities and opportunities making it the perfect place to raise a family and focus on your career. From Lake Shawnee to the NOTO arts district, you will find something for everyone. The up and coming downtown district and affordable housing, make Topeka an ideal place to settle down.

Shawnee County is home to almost 177,000 people who live, work and play in and near the capital city. Topeka Public Schools is the largest school district in the county serving approximately 14,000 students each year. We offer unique learning opportunities including five signature campuses, two magnet schools, an international studies program and the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers (TCALC).

Website: visittopeka.com

Gage Park

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State Capitol

NOTO Arts District

Brown v. Board site

Hummer Sports Park

AGENDA Kansas Health Foundation Tuesday, December 14, 2021 Topeka, KS Historic Practice of Redlining in Municipal Land Use/Development/Housing Policy Guest Speakers: Donna Rae Pearson -- TSCPL Bill Fiander – City of Topeka Dr. Tiffany Anderson – USD 501/TCF BOD Dr. Aaron Kipp – USD 501 Welcome

Marsha Pope

11:30 a.m.

Donna Rae Pearson

11:50 a.m.

Land Use/Development Perspective Bill Fiander

Educational Perspective Dr. Tiffany Anderson Dr. Aaron Kipp

12:30 p.m.

Introductions Historical Perspective

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1:10 p.m.

Break

1:50 p.m.

Tour of Topeka

2:00 p.m.

Closing Comments

3:30 p.m.

Teresa Miller

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Middle Schools 1 Chase MS 2250 NE State 66616 2 Eisenhower MS 3305 SE Minnesota 66605 3 French MS 5257 SW 33rd 66614 4 Jardine MS 2600 SW 33rd 66611 5 Landon MS 731 SW Fairlawn 66606 6 Robinson MS 1125 SW 14th 66604

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High Schools 3 Sheldon Child Development Center 1 Capital City HS 1155 SW Seabrook 2731 East Circle Dr South 66604 66606 45th Other Facilities 2 Highland Park HS 2424 SE California 1 Avondale East 66605 Education Center US 75 455 SE Golf Park 3 Hope Street Academy 66605 1900 SW Hope 66604 2 53rd Bishop Professional Development Center 4 Topeka Center for 3601 SW 31st St Advanced Learning and 66614 Careers (TCALC) 500 SW Tuffy Kellog 3 Burnett Administrative 66606 Center 624 SW 24th 5 Topeka HS 66611 800 SW 10th 66612 4 Linn Education Center 6 Topeka West HS 200 SE 40th 2001 SW Fairlawn 66609 66604 5 Lundgren 7 Avondale Academy Education Center 2701 East Circle Dr South 1020 NE Forest 66611 66616 Early Childhood Education 6 Quinton Heights Education Center - ELL 1 Pine Ridge Prep District Welcome Center 1100 SE Highland 2331 Topeka 66607 66611 2 Shaner Academy 7 Service Center 1600 SW 34th 125 SE 27th 66611 66605

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13 Stout 2303 SW College 66611 14 Whitson 1725 SW Arnold 66604 15 Williams Magnet 1301 SE Monroe 66612

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Lake Sherw ood Elementary Schools 1 Highland Park Central 2717 SE Illinois 66605 2 Jardine 2600 SW 33rd Street 66611 3 Lowman Hill 1101 SW Garfield 66604 4 McCarter 5512 SW 16th 66604 5 McClure 2529 SW Chelsea Dr. 66614 6 McEachron 4433 SW 29th 66614 7 Meadows 201 SW Clay 66606 8 Quincy 1500 NE Quincy 66608 9 Randolph 1400 SW Randolph 66604 10 Ross 1400 SE 34th 66605 11 Scott DL Magnet 401 SE Market 66607

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Poverty (% of Persons Below Poverty) Healthy ( 0 to 9%) Out Patient (10 to 18%) At Risk (19 to 30%) Intensive Care (31 to 100%)

Students First: Working as a Team for Continuous Improvement

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D12 – The Bottoms D11 – Topeka Rescue Mission D 9 – Tennessee Town D14 – Scott Dual Language Magnet D14 – Pine Ridge Prep Academy

Follow the link below to the actual tour directions. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1LcLZupSmhsDS7KjMhU9J o20cqukngC_n&ll=39.04011560291428%2C-95.66854849790296&z=13

Additional Map Resources can be found at: Not Even Past: https://dsl.richmond.edu/socialvulnerability/map/#loc=11/39.051/-95.676&city=topeka-ks Mapping Inequality https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=13/39.051/-95.735&city=topeka-ks&area=D9 Redlining And Neighborhood Health: https://ncrc.org/holc-health/

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Areas The Bottoms - an article from The Topeka Capital-Journal, February 27, 2021 Urban renewal did away with downtown Topeka’s aging ‘Bottoms’ neighborhood in 1960s Tim Hrenchir Topeka Capital-Journal The downtown Topeka area known as “the Bottoms” was admittedly old, rundown and blighted when Topeka’s city government did away with it in the 1960s, says Tom Rodriguez.

Still, those who lived there tend to look back fondly on that time, said Rodriguez, the author of a book published in 2012 titled “The Bottoms: A Place We Once Called Home.”

“In recorded interviews with former residents, almost all of them expressed a longing for the days when they used to sit out on their front porches and say ‘Hello’ or talk to everyone who passed by,” he wrote. “They remember the time when they knew every one of their neighbors, and when neighbors helped each other out when times were tough.”

The Bottoms was located to the north and east of S.E. 6th and S. Kansas Avenue, in an area that now includes this community’s Law Enforcement Center at 320 S. Kansas Ave. It was known by that name because of its proximity to the Kansas River.

Roughly 2,000 people lived there, Rodriguez said.

Topeka’s city government between 1956 and 1964 forced the area’s residents to leave their homes and businesses, many of which were Black-owned.

The city did that by carrying out a federally funded Urban Renewal program through which it bought properties, razed almost all the buildings and sold the land to be used for economic development and as the site of an elevated stretch of Interstate 70.

What exactly was the Bottoms?

The Bottoms was bounded by the Kansas River on the north, S. Kansas Avenue on the west, S.E. 6th Street on the south and S.E. Adams Street on the east, said Rodriguez, 80, who has lived in Las Vegas since moving there in 1981 from Topeka.

His book says the Bottoms was home to small businesses that included grocery stores, restaurants, bars, drug stores, a hardware store, a Dairy Queen, a pool hall, a shoe shine parlor, a novelty store and a pawn shop.

People who lived in the Bottoms tended to be lower income. Most of the houses had outhouses instead of indoor plumbing, recalled Veronica “Ronnie” Padilla, whose family’s house had an indoor bathroom.

Padilla, who still lives in Topeka, was about 11 years old when her family had to leave the Bottoms.

She said the streets there were not paved while the houses tended to be “really deep” but not very wide.

Padilla still feels a sense of camaraderie with the other people who lived in the Bottoms.

She said she was related to many of them, as her mother’s seven siblings and their families all lived in that area, too.

The Bottoms was “probably the greatest place a young boy could grow up in,” Rodriguez told more than 80 people last month during a Zoom presentation he made, which was arranged by the Shawnee County Historical Society.

He recalled childhood experiences that included swimming in the nearby Kansas River, selling newspapers to make money, going to movies and watching fast-pitch softball games at a local park.

“The best thing about the Bottoms, in a way for me, was there was always somebody to do something with,” Rodriguez said. “Within a five-block area there were probably 60 kids more or less my age, some a little older, some a little younger.”

How welcoming were Bottoms businesses to Black customers?

Before segregation was banned in the U.S. in 1964, Black visitors to Topeka often went to the Bottoms because the businesses there were more likely to serve them.

Fourteen Topeka businesses were identified as welcoming Black travelers in the 1949 version of the Traveler’s Green Book, a publication put out from 1936 to 1966 telling where Black people could find such things as food and lodging in specific cities.

More: Black History 101 Mobile Museum tells of the Black experience while offering a space for dialogue Nine of those businesses were in the Bottoms, including three restaurants, two barber shops, two taverns, one hotel and one service station.

The Bottoms was home to people of various races and ethnicities, Rodriguez said in his book.

“One of the wonderful and unique things about living in the Bottoms was the way that people of so many different races, ethnic groups and cultural differences were able to get along so well for so many years,” he wrote. “Despite major differences in their religions, customers and lifestyles, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, American Indians and Mexican, German and Russian immigrants got along extremely well.”

Why did the Bottoms come to an end?

The Bottoms was temporarily evacuated during Topeka’s 1951 Kansas River flood,

which took its toll in that community.

In the years that followed, Rodriguez said, it became clear that the Bottoms was deteriorating.

Meanwhile, the federal government had made funding available for cities to use to acquire and clear slums, then sell the properties to private developers.

Topeka’s city government in 1956 created an Urban Renewal Agency, which was asked to identify blighted areas where rehabilitation was most urgently needed.

The Topeka State Journal strongly supported the effort.

It said in an editorial, “Those run-down neighborhoods in which people live in filth and sub-human squalor are best cleaned up by private enterprise, for which the federal government has provided a way to get started through the city government acting as a kind of clearance authority.”

The city in October 1956 announced plans to redevelop the 37-block “Keyway” district, which included the Bottoms. The area being redeveloped was then reduced by nine and one-third blocks in 1960.

The process of carrying out Urban Renewal was ridden with problems and characterized by multiple stops and starts, Rodriguez said.

The Sunday Topeka Capital-Journal said in a 1962 editorial, “If ever a community project to improve and modernize a city has traveled a rocky road, Topeka’s Urban Renewal program can certainly vie for this unwanted distinction.”

What did people think about urban renewal?

Urban renewal had support from the “rich people” of Topeka, including bankers, Realtors and elected officials, Rodriguez said.

Jessie Taylor, who lived in the Bottoms, was quoted in a 1959 Topeka State Journal article as saying urban renewal also had support from a “large majority” of the people in that community.

Rodriguez disagrees. He said residents of the Bottoms opposed urban renewal but their lack of political clout left them powerless to prevent it.

Rodriguez’s book noted that newspaper articles published in 1959 reported that: • The Topeka chapter of the NAACP filed an unsuccessful court action seeking to temporarily hold up the process.

• A group of businessmen in the Bottoms sought unsuccessfully to obtain a permanent injunction to stop urban renewal.

• The Topeka Property Owners Association voted 61-4 to oppose urban renewal during the same month the Topeka City Commission voted 4-1 to proceed with it.

No public vote was ever taken on urban renewal.

State and city legal officials said Kansas law prevented citizens from mounting a petition drive seeking to bring about such a vote because participation in the program was an administration function rather than a legislative one.

What did Bottoms residents think of the city’s process of moving them out?

The city paid property owners in the Bottoms what it considered to be a fair price for their properties, and helped residents find new places to live.

A 1960 Topeka State Journal article said Hilario Hernandez responded “It’s Heaven” when she was asked how she liked the East Topeka home to which her family was moved from the Bottoms.

“Their case is typical of many of the families who will be relocated to new homes from the Urban Renewal area,” the article said.

But Rodriguez said his parents felt they had no choice but to accept the payment that city officials said their home was worth.

“We were in debt for years afterward because what they gave us wasn’t enough to get get another house somewhere else,” he said.

What good came from urban renewal?

The city finished depopulating the Bottoms and demolishing its buildings ahead of schedule, then sold most of the properties at auction. Various new buildings were then constructed.

An elevated stretch of Interstate 70 was created in 1963, running through the heart of the former Bottoms area. Today, plans are underway to redesign and rebuild that stretch of highway to make it safer.

In 1967, the Sunday Topeka CapitalJournal published a Special Section that noted that a Hallmark Cards plant and a Ramada Inn had been constructed on land that was formerly part of the Bottoms and that construction would begin soon on a Montgomery Ward store in that area.

The former Montgomery Ward building serves today as the local Law Enforcement Center.

Bottoms reunions will continue until no one if left to attend While the Bottoms has faded into the past, the spirit of camaraderie enjoyed by its former residents lives on.

Those people since 1996 have held annual reunions each October, though last year’s was canceled because of COVID-19 and it isn’t yet clear if this year’s will take place.

https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/history/2021/02/28/urban-renewal-depopulated-downtown-topeka-bottoms-district-1960-s/6828978002/

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Tennessee Town - a brief history Tennessee Town History: From Freedom to the Future In the 1870s, after the Civil War had divided this country north and south, black and white, newly freed slaves began to leave the South to start new lives in the West. That migration became known as the Exoduster Movement. Benjamin “Pap” Singleton is credited with organizing that movement and led many of the freed men, women and families west to Topeka, Kansas.

They went west under the big, broad sky of hope. They crossed the Mississippi, mindful of its breadth and of the oppression its mighty waters would lead to as it meandered south. They arrived in this part of Kansas in the late 1870s. Some of them, who had left Tennessee behind, arrived in Topeka in 1879 and founded Tennessee Town on the southwestern edge of our city in what was known then as King’s Addition.

The Tennessee Town settlement was a result of the Compromise of 1877, which ended Reconstruction and led to the Exoduster Movement. That initial settlement included about 3,000 settlers.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, many Topekans weren’t thrilled with their new neighbors of southern and African ancestry, with their tattered clothes, educations and finances. In fact, Topeka’s Mayor at the time, Michael C. Case, said that, instead of providing assistance to the immigrants to facilitate their efforts to settle, the city should provide assistance through distributing road maps with the routes back to Tennessee highlighted! (He didn’t quite put it that way, but that was his message.)

Relatively undaunted, the settlers built two- and three-room houses to deal with the cold Kansas winters. Help came later in 1879 when a conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church decided to address the settlers’ situation. The First Congregational Church also assisted, including underwriting the construction of the Tennessee Town Congregational Church with the understanding that it would be a relief center as well as a church.

After the settlers built homes, other edifices that housed businesses, schools and churches began to dot the Tennessee Town landscape. In the 1880 Topeka census 880 blacks were found to comprise 31 percent of the city’s population. Of course, lacking finances and city support for their efforts to settle here, living conditions were less than those of the rest of the city. However, during the 1890s Tennessee Town residents began to garden and trade produce they produced for clothes and other necessities.

Wherever there is new development there will be old problems. In the 1890s Jordan Hall was the center of gambling and other activities of an unsavory nature. Andrew Jordan founded the building, which also doubled as a dance hall. It was located at Lincoln and Munson Streets. Munson Street was then called King Street.

Also during the 1890s the first white man to show any real interest in Tennessee Town, Dr. Charles Sheldon, came into the settlement from his post as pastor of Central Congregational Church, which still stands at SW Huntoon and Buchanan Sts. He spent three weeks in Tennessee Town surveying the people and conditions. He found that there

were about 800 people who had migrated here directly after leaving behind plantation life in the South, 100 children between the ages of three and seven who might be considered kindergarten age, and four black churches.

Sheldon thought that Jordan Hall would be a good place to start a kindergarten, and by the spring of 1893 the first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi River was opened. There were three teachers, a principal (Carrie Roberts), and two assistants (Jeanette Miller and Margaret Adams). Mrs. Jane Chapman was instrumental in helping in several projects, including organizing a PTA for the children’s mothers.

Two years later new quarters were found for the kindergarten; it had been such a success that it had outgrown its confines at Jordan Hall. The new kindergarten was housed at the Tennessee Town Congregational Church. The kindergarten, at its new location, taught our children until 1910 when the city -- better late than never -- decided to support it and relocated it at the Buchanan School, now known as the Buchanan Center, at SW 12th and Buchanan Sts. The most prominent graduate of the Tennessee Town kindergarten was the attorney Elisha Scott, who also lived in Tennessee Town on Lane St. Scott’s two sons, John and Charles, both became attorneys also and argued the Kansas portion of the landmark Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case that outlawed segregation in public schools. One of the other graduates of the kindergarten was a long-time Tennessee Town resident, Minus Gentry. He lived at 1191 Lincoln until his death in 1991 at the age of 95.

After the success of the kindergarten a library was established in Tennessee Town; Rev. B.C. Duke was its first librarian.

By the first decade of the 1900s four churches had sank roots in Tennessee Town: Shiloh Baptist (still on the southwest corner of 12th and Buchanan Streets), Mt. Olive Episcopal (now Asbury-Mt. Olive United Methodist Church, on the northeast corner of 12th and Buchanan Streets), The Church of God (now Lane Chapel, at 12th and Lane Streets), and the Christian Church (now Dovetail, at 12th and Washburn Streets).

The Colored Women’s Club was also founded at about that time. It occupied the house at 1149 SW Lincoln St. until a few years ago. The Topeka nonprofit Living the Dream, Inc.’s headquarters now occupy the clubhouse.

Many community leaders emerged in the early 1900s. Mother Emma Gaines, along with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Gaines and Robert Baker, founded Gaines Funeral Home, which used to be located just north of Asbury-Mt. Olive church in the second 1100 block of SW Buchanan. Other community leaders included Betty Patterson, Sally Oglesvie, Annie Gentry, Henry Williams, Andrew Jordan, Rilda Preer, Mrs. Louis Knott, Mrs. Ed Link, Andrew Ferguson, Rev. and Mrs. B.C. Duke, H.I. Monroe and George Graham.

Throughout the next several decades businesses sprang up along Huntoon Street,

including the Caravan Club, which was the favored watering hole for our state legislators for years. Silver’s Furs occupied a storefront along Huntoon for years, too. The Brown v. Board case ended school segregation, but it also ended the existence of Topeka’s historically black schools, including the Buchanan School. Bobo’s Drive In, at SW Huntoon and Lincoln Sts., was an area restaurant and landmark for years. Dibble’s Grocery Store was located in a Tudor-style building at SW Huntoon and Lane Sts. until the late 1970s; Dillon’s is there now. However, the building that now houses WCW Property Management, at 1238 SW Lane, was built in the same style as Dibble’s, which was located across the street. The Topeka and Shawnee County Library, as it’s now called, has been at Tennessee Town’s northwestern border since its inception, as has Stormont-Vail Hospital.

During the 1970s Tennessee Town experienced the first rumblings of a renaissance. The Community Development Block Grant Program, through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, began in Topeka in 1974.

CDBG funds began to come to Topeka as an entitlement to poor neighborhoods like ours.

In 1976, Tennessee Town became the first Neighborhood Improvement Association in the city. Mrs. Lillian Bennett was its first president. She served in that capacity for 10 years.

A group of Kansas State University architecture students came into the neighborhood in about 1980 to conduct a semester-long inventory of housing.

The results of their work were impressive, including recommendations for in-fill housing that included actual prototypes. At about that same time the neighborhood began working with Topeka Metropolitan Planning on a comprehensive look at Tennessee Town, including housing, infrastructure and safety issues. A big manual was compiled, along with an executive summary. Those two efforts to ready the neighborhood for revitalization inspired hope.

The 1980s began the downward spiral of Tennessee Town. Once a proud, vibrant neighborhood inhabited by low- to middleclass folks who often worked two jobs to support their families, lived in modest but well-kept homes and interacted with their neighbors on a daily basis; Tennessee Town became older, less vibrant, more lower-class socioeconomically and less interactive.

As the neighborhood’s senior residents began to die, the neighborhood did, too.

Homes that were formerly owned became rentals, and some of the landlords and renters weren’t too concerned about maintaining their homes. Stable families were often replaced with people who tended to only live here for several months. Older homes were razed, creating vacant lots, but new homes were not built in their places.

The commercial strip along the 1300 block of SW Huntoon St. deteriorated even faster than the housing here did. Silver’s Furs suffered a fire in the 1970s and closed.

Bobo’s closed in the 1980s, as did the Caravan Club. A number of businesses have been in and out of that strip since then. Tennessee

https://tenntownnia.weebly.com/history.html

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Town residents began to lose faith in the proposition that, if they remained vigilant, the city would eventually get to them.

One of the brightest lights during the 1980s was the construction of the Tennessee Town Plaza Apartments through the Topeka Housing Authority. Tennessee Town Plaza’s units are geared to seniors and the physically challenged. Tennessee Town Plaza, since its inception, has been one of THA’s most successful complexes. The first phase of construction, completed in 1983, replaced aged housing in the second 1100 block of SW Buchanan St. and along the 1200 blocks of SW Munson and 12th Sts. The second phase, completed in 2010, replaced aged housing and vacant lots in the second 1100 block of SW Lincoln St. Things began to change in the late 1990s because Tennessee Town’s residents, instead of waiting for the city to “get to them,” decided to chart and pursue their own futures. Beginning in 1998, Tennessee Town began revitalization efforts to halt the neighborhood’s slide into disrepair. By 2001, the NIA’s neighborhood plan was adopted by local government, setting new standards for stability and growth. At the time the neighborhood plan was adopted, the Topeka Planning Department rated Tennessee Town as an “intensive care” neighborhood, meaning that it was one of the city’s neighborhoods “with the most seriously distressed conditions.” All of the city’s neighborhoods were rated, with the most distressed being rated “intensive care,” those with fewer issues “at risk,” those with fewer issues still “outpatient,” and those with few or no issues “healthy.” Planning said that while Tennessee Town had been declining, it had “high revitalization potential, and therefore is considered a high priority for reinvestment.”

Three short years later, in 2004, the Planning Department reexamined the health of all of the city’s neighborhoods, including Tennessee Town. With the addition of 61 new or rehabilitated single- and multi-family housing units created by public and private partners, increased property values and safety, and infrastructure improvements, among other upgrades, Tennessee Town went from being rated “intensive care” to “at risk.” No other Topeka Neighborhood had moved up one whole rating rung in such a short period of time, let along doing it while starting out with the rating characterizing the most distressed neighborhoods in the city.

Now, in 2014, Tennessee Town begins a new journey to improve its “at risk” rating another rung to “outpatient” while building on the diversity that now characterizes it.

Many challenges face the NIA as it seeks to meet that goal, but the determination of its residents, just as it has done for more than 100 years, will help to propel the neighborhood to its goal.

Note: The Topeka Room at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave., has archived copies of the Tennessee Town News, the NIA’s newsletter from 1998 - 2004. Also, there are historical pictures of Tennessee Town and its residents in the vestibule of the Buchanan Center, 1195 SW Buchanan St.

STOP 1

Law Enforcement Center 320 S Kansas Ave

The Bottoms Urban Renewed Area of the 60s Found in The Bottoms The Polk/Quincy Viaduct of I-470 Townsite Plaza - office space The Law Enforcement Center for the Topeka Police Department and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office The Topeka Fire Department Bus Station TFI Family Services The Ramada Inn Other Industrial Businesses Empty Warehouse buildings

DID YOU KNOW . . .

The Department for Dual Language Students and English Learners (EL) offers services and support for district administrators, teachers and families?

This department offers support for all migrant students in the district.

For questions, email or call them at 295-3740, or if you would like for them to stop by to visit, contact Mrs. Anita Curry, Director of EL, Migrant and Dual Language Programs at acurry@tps501.org.

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STOP 2

The Topeka Rescue Mission 600 N Kansas Ave

Serving the Under Served An Overview

Topeka Rescue Mission

• The McKinney-Vento Act provides federal funding to schools to support homeless students. Homeless definition is “Individuals who lack a fixed, adequate and regular nighttime residence” • As of December 2021 , TPS has approximately 170 students identified.

• Identification includes students who meet one or more of the following criteria: • Living in Shelters/Transitional Housing (Homeless shelter, domestic violence shelter, FEMA trailer, transitional housing) • Living in Hotels/Motels • Staying with others (aka “doubled up”) due to loss of housing or economic hardship • Unsheltered: Living/sleeping in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

• Impact Avenues Collaboration McKinney-Vento funds help support homeless by offering assistance with : • Obtaining birth certificates and educational records.

(McKinney-Vento students are immediately enrolled with or without documentation/records.)

• Fee waivers, including enrollment fees/textbook fees • Assistance with funding for fees for seniors: tech fees, college app fees, cap/gown • Assist in obtaining immunization /medical records • Automatic eligibility for free breakfast/lunch • Transportation to school of origin (or as agreed upon by parent/district) • Provide bus passes or transportation options for parents to attend school meetings, PTCs • Provide school supplies, toiletries, sleeping bags, etc.

• Tutor and Mental Health support at the Topeka Rescue Mission • Referral to Impact Avenues or other housing programs.

• Coming soon, emergency hotel stays and cell phones for unaccompanied youth.

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Traumatic experiences impact how students learn!

Topeka Public Schools is a trauma-informed school district. All staff, from administrative assistants to district leadership, are provided the opportunity to understand trauma and its impact on our students. Why is this important? As staff, we understand how trauma impacts the brain, we are better able to recognize signs of trauma and to respond in a way that is safe and fosters learning.

Child Trauma Academy trained staff offer professional development to every TPS building throughout the year. For more information, email our Social Work Coordinators - Regina Franklin at rfranklin@ tps501.org or Susan Mills at smills@tps501. org.

STOP 3

Law Enforcement Center 320 S Kansas Ave

Tennessee Town Start of Brown v. Board of Education An Overview

My goal is simple, Help kids become smart, well-rounded people who love to learn!

--Greg Tang

In the fall of 1950, members of the Topeka, Kansas, Chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) agreed to again challenge the “separate but equal” doctrine governing public education. The strategy was conceived by the chapter president McKinley Burnett, attorneys Charles Scott, John Scott, Charles Bledsoe, Elisha Scott and NAACP chapter secretary Lucinda Todd. (Note: The Scotts were Tennessee Town residents.) For a period of two years prior to legal action Burnett had attempted to persuade Topeka school officials to integrate their schools. This lawsuit was a final attempt.

Their plan involved enlisting the support of fellow NAACP members and personal friends as plaintiffs in what would be a class action suit filed against the Board of Education of Topeka Public Schools. A group of thirteen parents agreed to participate on behalf of twenty of their children. Each plaintiff was to watch the paper for enrollment dates and take their child to the elementary school for white children that was nearest to their home. Once they attempted enrollment and were denied, they were to report back to the NAACP. This provided attorneys with the documentation needed to file a lawsuit against the Topeka School Board.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

--Mark Twain

Give me knowledge, so I may have kindness for all.

--Plains Indian 12

Tennessee Town Neighborhood Improvement Association began work on revitalization in 1996 - Information on their work can be found at https://s3.amazonaws.com/cot-wp-uploads/wp-content/ uploads/planning/tennessee_town.pdf

Scott Dual Language Magnet School 401 SE Market St

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Scott Dual Language Offering Dual Language across the district An Overview Scott Dual Language Magnet students are taught English and Spanish in a classroom settings with half English instruction and half Spanish instruction. Students continue with the dual language program at Landon Middle School and Topeka High School.

The goal is to help students become bilingual and biliterate by the time they graduate from high school, earning a bi-literate seal on their high school diploma.

Classrooms are composed of approximately 50 percent native English speakers and 50 percent native Spanish speakers. The 50/50 ratio enables all students to be language models and second language learners. Half of the classroom instruction is provided in English and half is provided in Spanish. Each teacher speaks only in the designated language and communicates using a range of engaging strategies to promote student understanding and language development. Children at this age are adept at acquiring language in meaningful contexts. All students are taught to read, write, listen and speak two languages.

The dual language model creates an additive bilingual environment for both groups of students because it allows them to maintain and develop their first language while simultaneously acquiring a second language. Although the resources may vary, grade level standards are the same.

Scott Quick Facts • The dual language program integrates native English speaking students with native Spanish speaking students for academic instruction, which is presented in both languages.

• Social and academic learning occurs in an environment that values the language and culture of all students and sets high standards to ultimately achieve academic success in Spanish and English.

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Don’t hesitate.

Don’t wait.

Don’t aspire.

Achieve!

---Amanda Gorman

STOP 5

Pine Ridge Prep Academy 1110 SE Highland Ave

Pine Ridge Prep Serving the Under Served An Overview • Topeka Public Schools has 12 Preschool Sites.

• Three Preschool sites are stand alone sites • Pine Ridge Prep Academy • Shaner Early Learning Academy • Sheldon Child Development Center

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

--Maya Angelou

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Pine Ridge Prep first started as a Parents As Teachers Center in 2011. In 2012 it became a preschool that serves 51 students. A Wellness Center was added in 2015. Funding for Pine Ridge Prep comes from Shawnee County Kansas Preschool Program, Early Learning Communities - Block Grant, United Way of Greater Topeka, and 4 Year Old AtRisk funding. Partners that work together to provide this opportunity for the Pine Ridge families are Topeka Housing Authority, United Way of Greater Topeka, Community Action, Topeka Public School Foundation, Western Hills Baptist Church and Antioch Baptist Church.

Notes

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Reflection

The Bottoms/TRM/ Tennessee Town

Reflection

Scott Dual Language/Pine Ridge

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Academic engagement is an essential component of student success. In Topeka Public Schools, teachers regularly engage students in learning activities that challenge them to think critically and creatively, while working closely in a cooperative group. Through engagement activities students are able to work on both interpersonal and academic skills. Staff work to ensure students are not just compliant, but truly engaged in learning activities every day.

Kagan Cooperative Learning For over a decade, TPS had provided teachers training in Kagan Cooperative Learning structures (www. kaganonline.com). These structures are designed specifically to ensure all students engage with the content being learned, and with each other. The principles that define engagement in the Kagan philosophy include: Positive interdependence, individual accountability, equal participation, and simultaneous interaction.

When an experience includes all principles, students will be engaged, and not just compliant. With positive interdependence, students benefit from working with others. Individual accountability ensures no one person does all the work for the team. Equal participation means the activities have been designed to ensure everyone gets approximately equal time or equal turns throughout the experience, and simultaneous interaction looks at percent engagement in any one moment in time.

Cooperative learning is brain friendly instruction - it provides for a safe environment for all students, as well as time to stop and process information, which leads to retention. Throughout the use of structured activities, students work through a variety of interpersonal skills, like communication, social skills, and decision making. They also experience structures that help them work on knowledge building, critical thinking, and presentation skills. Both interpersonal and academic skills are necessary for success in any student’s next step whether that is transitioning to middle school or into the 86 /////////////// workforce.

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What is Student Engagement?

There are many ways to define the concept of engagement. When students are working in cooperative Angela teams, and the principles of cooperative learning have not been compromised, we have achieved student engagement. Additionally, students can be engaged during independent experiences. Teachers must ensure engagement isn’t simple compliance, in other words, just completing a task to get it finished and turned in.

Engagement can be broken down into three types: behavioral (on task), cognitive (deep learning), and emotional (connection and value). In TPS we work to engage students in all three ways.

EQUITY Topeka Public Schools is committed to educational fairness and opportunity for all racial and ethnic groups and academic excellence and personal success for all students.

Central to this commitment is educational equity. Educational equity means raising the achievement of all students while (1) eradicating the achievement gaps between the lowest and highest performing students and (2) eliminating the racial predictability or disproportionality of which student groups occupy the highest and lowest achievement categories.

Equity Council The Topeka Public Schools Equity Council is a collaborative group of ndividuals who are focused on the assignment of closing the racial achievement gap between minority students and other racial groups, while raising the achievement of all students, narrowing the gaps between highest and lowest performing students, and eliminating the racial predictability and disproportionality of which student groups occupy the highest and lowest achievement categories.

Topeka Public Schools Equity Council members are elected or appointed to serve either a three-year term or a one-year term as described in Topeka Public Schools Equity Council by-laws. During the 2011-2012 school year, our district and building leaders began to explore how race might be impacting our student achievement levels in a negative way. In order to have conversations about race, we needed guidance. We decided to solicit help and advice from Mr. Glenn Singleton with the Pacific Education Group. He co-authored the book “Courageous Conversations about Race” with Mr. Curtis Linton. We began our equity journey by participating in a book study, “Courageous Conversations about Race”.

Each school administrator was put on a team, and each team became the expert of one chapter of the book. They facilitated the conversation about their learning with the whole administrative team. The learning all participants gained were how their own biases and perceptions about race impact decisions they make as leaders. What people believe, right or wrong, does impact what they do or how they act. The administrators also learned how to utilize a series of protocols to engage others in conversations about race. Most importantly, they learned to isolate race when looking at data and asking, “Do these results have anything to do with race”. Our long-term goal is to offer advanced equity training so all staff an have an opportunity to participate and to learn more about how race impacts our student achievement levels. Ultimately, we want all educators to make decisions by looking through the “racial lens” to ensure that our minority students are getting an equitable educational opportunity in Topeka Public Schools. The future will also include training 10 around8 the most promising culturally relevant practices that teachers should be utilizing to engage minority students.

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Magna Award for Equity The Topeka Public Schools Equity Institute program has been recognized by the National School Boards Association by receiving first place for the 2018 Magna Award in the 5,000 to 20,000 student population category. The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Board was created in 2016 as a way for Dr. Tiffany Anderson to receive feedback about college and career readiness opportunities for students in high school. The advisory board has been used to ensure students attending the highest poverty schools have an opportunity to discuss challenges and needs in the community and at their schools. .

In an effort to break the cycle of generational poverty, a mixed gender and race group of students are involved in meeting with Dr. Anderson to share issues, needs and new opportunities with the superintendent that improves access and opportunities, ending generational poverty.

7 /////////////// On June 26, 2020, Topeka Public Schools hosted their first ever Equity Series featuring current and former students.

Ci3T COMPREHENSIVE,

INTEGRATED, THREE-TIERRED MODEL OF PREVENTION

Topeka Public Schools is partnering with The University of Kansas and Dr. Kathleen Lane to implement Ci3T in all schools. Ci3T school plans outline expectations for addressing the academic, behavioral, and social needs of students. Ci3T plans help schools make data based decisions to support students in an inclusive, comprehensive and integrated system. School plans are delivered in an easy to use implementation manual which clearly explains expectations for students, staff, families and administration.

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Implementation Plan Each Topeka Public school’s implementation plan: • Describes Tier 1 (Primary Prevention) plan for social, behavioral and academic responsibilities of all stakeholders including suggested responsibilities for parents.

• Includes an Expectation Matrix for school settings and a Reactive Plan.

• Identifies supports available for students needing Tier II (Secondary) and/or Tier III (Tertiary) supports in academic, social and behavioral areas.

• Is monitored by a building level Ci3T leadership team.

• Is not a “program,” but the umbrella under which the school operates.

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Learn More About It • Visit http://www.ci3t.org and view a brief video introduction to Ci3T: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vyepd_175fg • Make sure that you receive a copy of your school’s Ci3T Implementation manual from your administrator.

• Read the manual so that you will be familiar with your school’s expectations for delivering academic, behavioral and social emotional instruction and support, your school’s behavioral expectations and reinforcement system and which Tier 2 and 3 supports are available in your building.

• If you have any questions, meet with your instructional coach and/or administrator to answer your questions

GENERAL EDUCATION SUPPORT Dr. Rita Pierson was an incredible educator. If you follow her advice, classroom management will be less of an issue.

“We’re educators. We’re born to make a difference.”

“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”

“Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.”

School Counseling • • • • • • • • • •

Provide academic & social/emotional support Direct student instruction (primary) Address truancy/attendance issues, Address bullying issues, paperwork, data tracking General Education Intervention management 504 management Identification of at-risk students Crisis response Behavior Intervention Parent engagement

General Education • • • • • • • • •

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Provide social/emotional support Address bullying issues Connect home-school-community GEI management 504 management Identification of at-risk students Crisis response Behavior intervention Parent engagement

MENTAL HEALTH TEAM The Mental Health Interventionist is a certified teacher working towards becoming a licensed social worker.

The Mental Health Mentors have a bachelor’s degree in a behavioral science area or a degree with experience in the area of behavioral sciences.

Intervention Team • • • • • • • • •

Provide assessment Referral Coordination of mental health services Behavior coaching/support Crisis response Bullying issues Parent engagement Home-school-community connections Identification of at-risk students

Universal Services • Social/emotional instruction (Second Step K-8, Olweus 9-12), teacher-led • Ci3T • Wellness Rooms • Peace Corners • Counseling Lessons, counselor-led • CARE Team • Alternative seating, fidgets, Dojo • Restorative Practices • Restorative Justice • Community Cupboard • Class Meetings 21

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Empowering Student Learning

When teachers are clear in the expectations and instruction, students learn more...teacher clarity [is defined] as “a measure of the clarity of communication between teachers and students in both directions”..

(The Teacher Clarity Playbook, 2019, p.xiv) Topeka Public Schools will continue to focus on the components of Teacher Clarity, as well as research based strategies found in John Hattie’s Visible Learning research.

Family Service & Guidance Center • • • •

Individual, family, group therapy Psychosocial group at school & FSGC Case management, attendant care Medication management and school consultation • Mental Health Intervention Team staff housed in buildings • Preschool consultation Suicide Coalition & FSGC Suicide Prevention group • District representation • Student representation • 5 districts in Shawnee County The University of Kansas • Clinic at Topeka High • Ci3T/Research partner 8 10

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Greenbush

• Professional development • Project Plus • Communities that Care survey

Stormont Vail Behavioral Health • Coordinated communication • Treatment and discharge planning

Kansas Children’s Service League • Center for Restorative Education

Hamler Trust • Funding for psychotherapy

One Heart Project • Partners with JDC, Avondale, CCS, RMS • Mentoring and intervention for atrisk youth and incarcerated youth

SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING Social, Emotional, and Character Development Standards is to provide schools a framework for integrating social-emotional growth (SEG) with character development so that students will learn, practice and model essential personal life habits that contribute to academic, social-emotional and post-secondary success. It is about learning to be caring and civil, to make healthy decisions, to problem solve effectively, to value excellence, to be respectful and responsible, to be good citizens and to be empathetic and ethical individuals.

Social, Emotional, & Character Model Standards 1. Character Development Core Principles Responsible Devision-Making and Problem Solving 2. Personal Development Self-Awareness Self-Management 3. Social Development Social Awareness Interpersonal Skills

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TPS Resources • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Building Mental Health Teams Advisor Base (Middle School) Seminar (High School) Elementary Classroom Guidance Lessons Second Step Curriculum Olweus Curriculum Ci3T Programming Youth Development Program (YDP) via FSG Midland Grief Counseling Bully Prevention Suicide Prevention Protocol Mental Health Intervention Program Individual and Group Sessions

TRAUMA & INFORMED CARE Being Trauma-Informed means knowing what trauma is, how to spot its effects, and knowing how to approach instruction in a trauma-sensitive way. Trauma-informed schools ensure that the policies and culture of each school supports student mental health and safety.

Terrible events are stressful for everyone. Sometimes, the event is severe, the ability to cope is poor, or the event occurs over and over, causing more stress than a person can manage. When this happens, the person has an emotional response called trauma. Possible symptoms of trauma include shock, emotional responses that don’t seem to make sense, negative behaviors, flashbacks, poor social skills, headache, stomachache, and lots of other changes to mood, behavior, and health.

What Can I Do? 1. Learn about how trauma impacts the brain- TPS provides training to ensure you’re educated 2. Know your students and their families- their needs, strengths, interests, family composition 3. Check in often and with curiosity, the more you know, the more you will appreciate the things they have overcome 4. Learn strategies to manage classroom behaviors 5. Know your Ci3T Plan and school discipline policies 6. Advocate for change when you see something that could be done better 7. Utilize your mental health team for consultation- don’t be afraid to ask for help

Common Trauma Triggers • Emotional responses can be triggered by seemingly innocent things in the classroom. Your mental health team can help you to figure out the trigger and how to help. Triggers might include: • An object • A face, outfit, or mannerism • Perceived anger or harm to someone • Loud noises (slamming door, something breaking, arguing, raised voices) • Sounds of pain/fear • Being touched or standing too close

Tips for the Classroom

8 10 24

These essential tips will ensure you’re providing solid prevention on the first day of school: • Create and practice rules and routine • Allow for human error • Create safe space/structure • Reinforce the positive • Integrate social-emotional learning • Model respect • Incorporate self-control practices into daily routine (breathing, mindfulness)

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College & Career Readiness The Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers (TCALC) is all about students solving realworld problems with real tools, used by real professionals, being mentored by real employers, leading to real contributions in the professional area. TCALC is an innovative high school program created through business partnerships. This program provides students with the opportunities to deeply explore professions of high interest through profession-based, inquiry-based, and projectbased curriculum as a junior and/or senior. Students are provided authentic exposure and skill acquisition in high-demand, high-skill 21st century professions.

College Visits/College Fair Topeka Public School hosts a College & Career Fair for students across Shawnee County each October.

More than 100 college/university and career professionals are available to answer students’ questions about college requirements and career paths. High school students and families are encouraged to attend. In addition to hosting a college fair, Topeka Public Schools works alongside community partners, including Gear Up and TRIO, to ensure all students participate in multiple college visits.

College Fair 25

College Prep Academy Awards

College Visit to Washburn University

Early College Prep Student

College Prep Academy The Topeka Public Schools College Prep Academy, which offers accelerated courses in Math and English Language Arts, is housed at TCALC. Scholars in grades 7-11 are bused from their home school to TCALC for courses for a portion of the school day. An Early College Prep Academy at Lowman Hill Elementary School will be opening for the 2020-2021 school year.

Through accelerated coursework and real-world learning, students strengthen their academic skills in preparation for collegiate success. College Prep students develop critical professional skills, such as time management and teamwork by visiting colleges, interning at businesses, and volunteering in the community. College Prep scholars graduate prepared to succeed in the college and career options of their choice.

Early College Prep Academy at Lowman Hill The Topeka Public Schools Early College Prep Academy provides elementary scholars with an inquiry-based enrichment curriculum that fosters critical thinking, develops problem solving skills, and enhances creativity. Scholars also participate in hands-on learning experiences both inside and outside of the classroom so that they visualize their futures as college students and professionals.

Multi-year, individualized support is provided so that scholars, families, teachers, and community partners come together with the main goal of pursuing admittance from a college or university.

AVID Topeka Public Schools has supported the implementation of AVID in seven of our schools some for more than a decade. The AVID program provides staff with training in the use of effective instructional strategies, along with ways to increase awareness of, and promote college and careers to students at each of the AVID sites. Students enrolled in our AVID schools are exposed to instructional strategies that help them become better readers, writers, and deeper thinkers. In the secondary AVID sites students can apply and interview to be part of the AVID Elective class. The AVID Elective is taught by specially trained teachers who provide students with additional opportunities to learn organization and study techniques, and is a place where they truly develop into an AVID “Family”.

TPS AVID Sites Quincy Elementary School Ross Elementary School Chase Middle School Eisenhower Middle School Robinson Middle School Highland Park High School Topeka High School

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A Focus on WICOR • Writing • Inquiry • Collaboration • Organization • Reading

OUR FIVE PILLARS Our five pillars support our instructional vision and serve as a guide for every students to be college and career ready when they complete high school. For each pillar, we have articulated professional outcomes that guide what we will accomplish to ensure students and staff are engaged, prepared, and inspired!

COLLEGE AND CAREER PLACEMENT Implement career pathways and prepare students for career and college placement opportunities.

Outcomes • Build an Innovative Project Based Career Academy (TCALC).

• Offer two years of college courses in high school.

• Implement career placement and internship programs.

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STAFF Recruit, attract, develop and retain highly effective staff to carry out the district’s mission.

Outcomes • Implement innovative recruitment techniques (virtual hiring fairs) • Implement a Teacher Academy training institutute.

• Integrate teaching and learning and professional development programs in human resources.

• Implement a tuition-based preschool service for teachers’ children.

DISTRICT FINANCE Ensure efficient operations and accountability for responsible use of district resources.

Outcomes • Facilities plan: Construct a staff development center, an early childhood center and a career academy as services for students and families across the community.

• Balanced budget: Maintain a balanced budget and secure corporate sponsors and grants.

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SCHOOL CLIMATE AND EQUITY Create a safe and caring learning environment that includes a positive, inclusive school culture and positive collaboration and communication throughout the school and community Outcomes • Student well-being: Implement school-based clinics for dental and health services for students.

• Reduce poverty in Topeka by expanding supports for job placement, mental health and homelessness.

• Implement a Parent Empowerment center to increase parent engagement.Expand equity training for students, parents and staff (includes tiered interventions, trauma training and diversity and inclusion training).

• Expand equity training for students, parents and staff (includes tiered interventions, trauma training and diversity and inclusion training) • Expand student services support systems and implment an alternative school that serves general education students.

STUDENT LEARNING All students will demonstrate academic growth and will have equitable access to academic opportunities.

Outcomes • State-level assessments: Meet or exceed state benchmark standards.

• Subgroup achievement: Implement systems for data utilization, interventions and data driven instruction.

• ACT composite scores: Implement ACT tutoring and testing during the school day to expand participation • Kindergarten Readiness: Open a new early childhood center in 2018-19.

Shaner provides an exciting educational opportunity for three and four-yearolds to prepare them for kindergarten. Shaner is a full day tuition-based preschool taught by certified teachers. Our curriculum focuses on the Kansas early learning standards, but we are believers that students learn through structured play. This means learning emerges from interests and exploration of the children. Children construct knowledge from their interactions with the environment and opportunities around them. We also provide the following opportunities: We provide the following opportunities: • Teacher-directed activities • Dramatic play, using puppets, the kitchen center and acting out simple stories • Music: singing, dancing and rhythms • Gross and fine motor play • Art activities: cutting, pasting, painting and drawing • Activities supporting social and emotional growth Classrooms at Shaner: • All classrooms have a certified teacher and a paraeducator • Rigorous curriculum that is aligned with Topeka Public Schools • Individualized instruction focusing on student need • Emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math through the use of technology, robotics, experiments and hands-on activities • Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided to all students Quick Facts About Shaner: • State-of-the-art playground specifically designed for 3 to 5-year-olds • Indoor playground facility for inclement weather days • 2 parent view classrooms • Parents as Teachers Blue Ribbon Model Affiliate • Tuition spots are available to anyone in Shawnee County

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Topeka Public Schools supports 12 preschool sites with 3 stand alone sites.

One of our sites are a head start facility.

Early childhood has been an ongoing focus and has expanded allowing families to access early childhood services in every neighborhood TPS serves.