Truman Grads Make a Difference at Kansas City Charter School

Three Truman alumnae are making an impact at the Missouri Charter School of the Year—a school that looks forward to seeing its graduates impact the world in a big way.

By Hannah Litwiller (’16)

Perseverance. Results. Empathy. Passion. These four values embody the Ewing Marion Kauffman School, a free charter school serving urban Kansas City residents in the fifth through ninth grades. Combined with the dedication and hard work from students, faculty and staff – including three Truman State University alumnae – Kauffman was named 2015 Missouri Charter School of the Year and continues to excel academically throughout the state.

Alumni Emily Randall (’06), Nina Pulatie (’07, ’08) and Bethany Goldammer (’10, ’11) have different backgrounds, but they do have three things in common ­­— their enthusiasm for education, passion for students at Kauffman and desire to make a difference in the world.

“I feel like I am finally where I need to be, doing what I always should have done,” Randall said.

Originally a journalism major, Randall, completed her Missouri teaching certificate in 2015 and began working as a guided reading teacher for the sixth grade. She chose to work at Kauffman due to her passion for students in urban Kansas City areas and said the most rewarding experience has been seeing her students advance two levels in reading since the beginning of the school year.

“Our kids outpaced the growth we needed to see from them by 50 percent,” she said. “I am so proud to help students achieve that amazing growth.”

The school was founded in 2011 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Students are selected by a lottery process and must be entering the fifth grade. They are expected to stay until they graduate from high school. Kauffman’s mission is simple: to prepare students for college and apply their unique talents in the outside world. Due to its strong academic performance, Kauffman was named the Missouri Charter School of the Year in 2015.

Eighth-grade students at Kauffman scored well above average in math, science and communication arts, a huge achievement considering most students arrive at the school three years behind grade level.

“When kids have structure, and feel safe, they succeed,” said Pulatie.

Pulatie, a former Teach for America volunteer, is applying the broad education she received at Truman by working as the building-wide substitute. She said the most rewarding experience has been helping children discover the supportive environment that Kauffman creates.

“My students couldn’t say anything but great things about Kauffman,” Pulatie said. “This is a dead giveaway for a great school.”

Faculty members and students alike work hard to achieve such praise. Students attend school from 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m., participate in extracurricular activities and have hours of homework every night. Teachers have 12-hour workdays, including weekends, as well as observation meetings and intensive professional development training. The school’s “flight simulator” model of professional development puts teachers through intensive sessions practicing specific classroom skills.

“I’ve learned so much,” said Goldammer, a textual content analyzer for the sixth grade. “The tiered leadership translates to more one-on-one professional development geared toward my specific goals in the classroom.”

For Goldammer, a former history major and MAE graduate, the most rewarding experience at Kauffman has been the relationships built with students and the small moments in the classroom where students excel in challenging content.

“Their success is infectious,” she said.

By 2018, Kauffman will have 1,100 students enrolled in the fifth through 12th grades. The school aims to see all students attend college and looks forward to seeing its graduates impact the world in a big way.

“I have no doubt that our kids will go to college and become leaders,” Randall said. “They will make change in Kansas City one day.”