Elevating Extension: Five Things to Get Into PEARS Before Oct. 1
Sept. 1, 2026
Submitted by Erin Martinez
The 2026 program year closes Oct. 1. Anything not entered in PEARS by then won't be reflected in what we take to legislators and stakeholders in the coming months, and that matters more than usual this year.
This is the data we will use to show extension's reach and impact across Kansas, and it's the foundation for our legislative engagement this fall. When we sit down with legislators and stakeholders, we won't be asking them to take our word for it: We'll show them what we did, county by county, critical issue by critical issue.
If it isn't in PEARS, we have nothing to show them.
Additionally, President Linton has requested a one-page report for each county in Kansas this year. We're building those reports for you, so you won't be asked to design or produce anything extra. Your part is simpler, and more important.
What we need from you
- Everyone: Enter your PEARS data before Oct. 1.
- Local unit directors: Watch for a survey asking for your top-line impact stories from the 2026 program year.
What to prioritize, in order
- Quarterly effort reports. All agents, specialists and administrators complete these at the close of each quarter. If you have any outstanding from this year, finish them by Oct. 1.
- Program activities. Direct education delivered to groups. If you collected evaluation data, enter it. An evaluated activity tells a far stronger story than a headcount.
- Direct contacts. Your one-on-one educational contacts: phone calls, emails, individual visits. These are chronically underreported system-wide, and they're a real, countable part of our impact.
- Indirect activities. Newsletters, radio, social media, YouTube, TV, fact sheets and other materials you distributed. Count the specific number, like how many flyers went out at a field day or health fair. It adds up, and it counts.
- Success stories. The narrative, human side of our impact.
Reporting is part of the job, not an extra, and it's the only part that makes the rest of the work visible. Between now and Oct. 1, look back at what you've done this year and get it into PEARS. It's the difference between extension's work being visible and it disappearing into a black hole of unreported effort.
Tips and Support
Getting this done takes all of us.
- Hold a reporting day. Set aside time office- or district-wide. Get in the same room, help each other out, and finish it together. Wear comfy clothes, have a potluck or order pizza, brew the coffee extra strong, and celebrate when you're done.
- Block your own time. Start a new habit now and block recurring time on your calendar for reporting. Treat it like an appointment with a funder – that’s one you’d never cancel!
- Use the supports already built for this:
- K-State Extension Employee Resources – Reporting Impact, which has step-by-step PDF instructions and links to PEARS support.
- PEARS Support Homepage.
- Phone a friend. Know a local PEARS guru? Call them and thank them when you're done.
- Ask for help from your director, regional director, regional or state specialists, or our statewide PEARS guru, Mary Hellmer (mary58@ksu.edu).
- Finally, send me your ideas. We're always working to improve the process and support for reporting our impact, and the best ideas come from the people doing the reporting. If something's broken, confusing, or getting in your way, I want to hear it. Email, Teams, text, or call me…whatever's easiest.
***
