Documentaries

Our college has produced a series of documentaries on various topics related to educational themes of interest to our faculty and students.

Heartbeat of the Neighborhood: The Future is in Our Schools

“Heartbeat of the Neighborhood: The Future is in Our Schools” is a powerful documentary that sheds light on the incredible impact that educators have on our communities. This eye-opening film takes you on a journey through one Kansas school that highlights the impact just a single teacher can have in their community. We hope this documentary will encourage you to take part in your community and uplift the children in your local schools!

Revive: Solving the Challenges of Teacher Retention

“Revive: Solving the Challenges of Teacher Retention” is an upcoming feature length documentary on teacher retention in the United States. Filmed in three diverse school districts in Kansas, this documentary sheds light on the challenges faced by educators, as well as the innovative solutions implemented to address teacher shortages and retention.

Beyond Fences and Fields

Rural Education is a vital part of the United States educational system but often gets overlooked. In Beyond Fences and Fields, we capture the stories of three rural school districts across Kansas. While each districts situation is unique, they all show the power that educators can have in supporting and growing rural communities. They also show us what makes these communities such great places to live and teach in.

Kansans Can School Redesign Series

In 2015 the Kansas State Department of Education traveled across Kansas to ask families, businesses, community partners, and educators what they wanted to see in successful high school graduates, and what role K-12 schools should play in developing youth? From this tour KSDE gathered thousands of responses to help create the Kansas Can School Redesign model. The journey has not been easy, but schools will tell you it has been worth it. Join us as we share six of these of compelling redesign stories.

Becoming Trauma Responsive

Our film documents the experiences of three different schools in Kansas and Missouri during the pandemic (preschool through high school) to see how each has adapted and changed to meet the needs of their students. We also interviewed trauma experts who have spent decades in the field of therapy, brain science, and counseling to learn how to teach kids resiliency despite hardships and traumatic events in their lives.

"A Walk in My Shoes" Series

The College of Education developed the video series “A Walk in My Shoes” to create awareness about the diversity, the challenges, the opportunities and the benefits each student brings to campus.

A Long Road: 150 Years of Collective Experience from Five African-American K-State Alumni

This moving documentary highlights the experiences of five African-American K-State icons. One desegregated a Kansas swimming pool, another integrated a neighborhood, and one began a football career as the first Black football player at Kansas State and ended it with the Green Bay Packers. Stories include Dr. Martin Luther King’s visit to K-State, the impact of his assassination, and a motivational segment that encourages us all, “If it is to be, it is up to me!”

Dawn of Day: Stories from the Underground Railroad

Dawn of Day is a historical documentary about the Underground Railroad in Kansas that brings to light Wabaunsee County’s unsung heroes who traversed one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s history. Faith, family, and politics united a community of neighbors who lived and died to ensure Kansas was a free state.

Humanity Looks Good on Everyone

In 2008 Dr. Marilyn Kaff, a K-State special education associate professor, went on her first trip to Tanzania. Her goal was to help improve special education and teacher training at the Sebastion Kolowa University College. During that time she traveled to a number of villages and small communities where schools were being set up to help youth with severe disabilities including autism. What she discovered there inspired her to give of her time and talents. But her trip was limited, and she knew she needed to come back. Since that time she has returned each year with teams of volunteer students from K-State to help identify autistic children, and then to train the local teachers and parents how to teach them.

I Was a Buffalo Soldier: The Story of Nolan Self

Nolan Self (1918-2016), a Buffalo Soldier who served in the 9th and 10th Cavalry at the turn of World War II, recounts his life-changing experiences coming into and serving in the military in this biographical documentary.

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project

In the fall of 1999, a rural Kansas teacher encouraged three students to work on a year-long National History Day project which would, among other things, extend the boundaries of the classroom to families in the community, contribute to history learning, teach respect and tolerance, and meet their classroom motto, “He who changes one person, changes the world entire.”

Refuge in the Heartland

A landmark film sharing the experiences of refugee students, families, educators, resettlement agencies, policy makers, and community partners in an effort to assist people around the world in their work with refugee children and their families.

Vale la Pena: Revolutionizing Hearts, Minds, and Communities

This documentary features the many voices of our Go Teacher and master's programs, including stories from and about our K-State family, partner universities, Ecuadorian government officials, people from Manhattan and surrounding communities.

Wamego's Response: A COVID-19 Story

On March 17, 2020, schools across Kansas closed for the safety of their students and communities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts were given approximately one week to formulate plans to remote teach for the remainder of the school year. This is the story of how one rural school district in Kansas met those needs.

BESITOS

This documentary highlights the stories of five educators whose individual narratives reflect their personal journeys to becoming teachers as part of the K-State BESITOS Program that graduated more than 100 teachers of color who now serve and lead in schools across Kansas and beyond.

International Rural School Leadership Project

This documentary is based on a collaborative effort to create a forum for educational leaders from rural communities as varied as the American heartland, Appalachia and a coastal community near the Great Barrier Reef.