Alana McWilliams

Alana McWilliams earned a high school diploma from Maize High School and a bachelor's degree from Newman University in 2008. McWilliams' career experience includes working in small business.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running for the Kansas State Board of Education to close the instructional gaps that are holding Kansas children back.

As a mother of two children with disabilities, I know firsthand that structured literacy is not optional, it is essential. When children receive the right instruction at the right time, they get back on grade level. When they don't, the consequences follow them for life.

Kansas passed HB 2485, setting a 90% literacy proficiency goal. But a law doesn't teach a child to read, a trained teacher does. My focus is on getting proven tools and training into teachers' hands, holding districts accountable to honest reporting, and making sure every Kansas child has a real shot at a future of their choosing.

Strong Readers. Strong Families. Strong Kansas.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Teachers with the Right Tools: Kansas teachers are asking for proven reading instruction. Alana will fight for training and curriculum that gets structured literacy into every K–3 classroom, not just adopted on paper.Accountability Parents Can See: Kansas families deserve clear answers about student achievement. Alana will champion transparent, easy-to-understand reporting that focuses on student outcomes.Real Goals, Honest Reporting: HB 2485 sets a target: 90% of Kansas students reading at grade level by 2033. Alana will treat that as a commitment and refuse to move the bar when the numbers are uncomfortable.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I bring an uncommon combination of perspectives to this work. My background spans research, policy, and business. At the same time I was writing graduate-level curriculum, I was sitting on the board of a spiritual life center and fighting for my own child's IEP. Those experiences didn't happen in sequence, they happened simultaneously, and they shaped how I see the intersection of policy, community, and families.

Literacy is the issue I am most passionate about, because illiteracy is a life sentence. When we fail to close the skills gap in school, everyone pays a higher price: the child, the family, and the state.