Join our family of curious Kansas Citians

Discover unheard stories about Kansas City, every Thursday.

Thank you for subscribing!

Check your inbox, you should see something from us.

Sign Me Up
Hit enter to search or ESC to close

KC Educator Loves Serving Immigrant Families KC Changemakers

Share this story
Above image credit: Ryan Rumpf leads Kansas City Public Schools' Global Academy, which serves immigrant and refugee children. (Ji Stribling | Flatland)
Sponsor Message Become a Flatland sponsor
2 minute read

On the day after Labor Day last year, Kansas City Public Schools embarked on a mission to better serve the immigrant and refugee children coming through its doors. It was then that the district opened its Global Academy, which serves elementary school-aged children.

Ryan Rumpf leads the initiative as the program administrator, and he is passionate about making the academy a launching pad for the success of these new Americans.

“We want them to grow, to be literate, to be bilingual, and to be respected. And we want to be the center that makes all of it happen,” said Rumpf, who has spent nearly two decades in education, including time at an international school in Vietnam and at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).


Changemakers: Ryan Rumpf


The academy launched with 35 students and it was just a matter of months before it reached capacity with more than 100 students. The academy, located at the district’s International Welcome Center at 711 Woodland Ave., works with four elementary schools in the Historic Northeast section of the city.

It was at DESE where Rumpf recognized the disparate quality of English-as-a-second-language programs around the state. He sees the academy as a prototype for others to follow.

“What drives me,” he said, “is to really be a model to show Missouri, to show the Midwest, what can be done with this particular group of students.”

And perhaps, Rumpf said, the academy’s influence can expand even farther as it tailors services to its wide range of students. Some of the students have never heard English before, some have a strong academic background and some do not. The academy has the opportunity to develop skills for the students in English and their home language.

Changemakers in Kansas City

Changemakers is a series spotlighting emerging nonprofit leaders within our community. Flatland is publishing the stories on Mondays between Nov. 7 and Jan. 9. The videos will also air frequently between shows on Kansas City PBS. Changemakers is a partnership between Kansas City PBS, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and Network Connectors, a nonprofit based in Kansas City, Missouri. You can learn more about Network Connectors at networkconnectors.org.

“If we can pull that off,” he said, “we would be a model for many districts around the country.”

The Global Academy also heavily involves parents.

Students of the Global Academy come from many countries in Latin America as well as from Africa. Specific countries of origin include Afghanistan, Morocco and Cuba.

Pushing to assimilate those new to America, the academy offers more than an education, such as transporting the students to and from their home school, getting them to the doctor, and even getting mental health counseling for the students to help them work through past experiences.

Therapy is one area where there is room for improvement at the academy, Rumpf said, “because 100% of our students have experienced more trauma than anyone living here could probably imagine.”

Rumpf has walked families to a nearby clinic to ensure they are comfortable walking through the doors and that they get to the right area. He will also drive the bus to get the students to the academy.

“The Global Academy is the best school that I’ve ever been a part of, the best culture,” Rumpf said. “It is a place where everybody genuinely wants to help our families and our students be successful, and you don’t get that everywhere. So, it’s a lot more than a school.”

Aubrey Hughes is a reporter for the Kansas City Call. John McGrath is a video producer for Kansas City PBS.

Like what you are reading?

Discover more unheard stories about Kansas City, every Thursday.

Thank you for subscribing!

Check your inbox, you should see something from us.

Enter Email
Your support helps Flatland’s storytellers cover the issues that matter to this community. Give what you can to help in-depth, nonprofit journalism thrive in Kansas City. Support Local Journalism
Sponsor Message Become a Flatland sponsor

Ready to read next

Civic Leaders Pursue Plan to Safeguard Plaza for Another Century

Read Story

Leave a Reply