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| Kansas Scholastic Press Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kansas Scholastic Press Association |
| Formation | 1924 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Topeka, Kansas |
| Region served | Kansas |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Kansas Scholastic Press Association is an organization that supports student journalism, scholastic media advisers, and student publications across Kansas. Founded in 1924, it serves high school and middle school newspapers, yearbooks, and online media through contests, workshops, and accreditation. The association works with state and national bodies to promote journalistic standards and student press rights.
The association traces roots to early 20th-century efforts involving William Allen White, Kansas State Teachers Association, University of Kansas, Washburn University, Topeka High School (Kansas), and regional press figures. In the 1920s the group formed amid wider movements associated with National Scholastic Press Association, American Society of Newspaper Editors, High School Press Association of America, and state-level counterparts in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas. Key milestones include wartime adaptations during World War II, expansions linked to the Civil Rights Movement, and alignment with legal precedents such as Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District and Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, which influenced scholastic-advisor practices. Influential Kansas educators and journalists such as Ernest Hemingway-era correspondents in the Midwest and press advocates like E.W. Scripps figures contributed to regional press culture that shaped the association.
The association's mission emphasizes student-led reporting, editorial freedom, ethical standards, and media literacy, connecting to organizations like Poynter Institute, Society of Professional Journalists, Knight Foundation, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and Associated Press. Regular activities include judging scholastic publications for design, reporting, photography, and editorial writing, modeled after protocols used by Pulitzer Prize juries and collegiate competitions such as College Media Association events. The association partners with state agencies including Kansas State Department of Education and cultural institutions like Kansas Historical Society and Hall Center for the Humanities to integrate Kansas history and civics into curricula and media projects.
Membership consists of advisers and student media programs from public and private schools across counties including Sedgwick County, Kansas, Johnson County, Kansas, Shawnee County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, and Wyandotte County, Kansas. The structure mirrors nonprofit associations such as National Federation of State High School Associations, with an executive director, board of directors, regional representatives, and committees similar to those in Phi Beta Kappa or NASSP. Member schools range from urban districts like Wichita Public Schools and Olathe Public Schools to rural districts such as USD 259 and USD 245, and include tribal school programs connected to Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation educational initiatives.
The association publishes critiques, style guides, and award lists; it issues critiques modeled after Associated Press Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, and pedagogy from Teaching Tolerance (now Learning for Justice). Awards include top honors for best page design, investigative reporting, feature writing, photography, and online media, analogous to recognitions from Hearst Journalism Awards Program, James Beard Foundation student contests, and Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards. Scholastic magazines and yearbooks that have placed highly in its contests have been compared to finalists in National Scholastic Press Association competitions and to campus publications recognized by The New York Times student journalism programs.
The association organizes summer workshops, winter conventions, and annual state press days featuring sessions on reporting, legal issues, layout, photography, and broadcasting. Trainers have included representatives from Poynter Institute, Associated Press, NPR, Reuters, ABC News, and collegiate faculty from University of Kansas School of Journalism and Kansas State University. Conferences attract guest speakers ranging from national editors and Pulitzer winners to local civic leaders, and incorporate hands-on labs similar to programs at National High School Journalism Conference and Columbia College Chicago summer institutes.
Governance is by an elected board with bylaws modeled on nonprofit standards used by organizations such as National Scholastic Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Funding sources include member dues, contest fees, grants from foundations like the E. W. Scripps Foundation and Knight Foundation, sponsorships from media companies including The Wichita Eagle, Topeka Capital-Journal, and corporate underwriting from Gannett-affiliated entities or local business partners. Additional support has historically come from university partnerships with University of Kansas and donor gifts tied to Kansas philanthropic families like the Mellon-era benefactors.
The association has influenced student journalists who later joined professional newsrooms at outlets such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and regional papers including The Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star. Notable alumni who began in Kansas scholastic media include journalists and media figures associated with Pulitzer recognition, congressional correspondents, and broadcast anchors with ties to ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News. The association's programs helped launch careers of writers and editors who attended University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, and professional training at Poynter Institute.
Category:Student newspapers in Kansas Category:Journalism organizations in the United States