Thank You for Reporting (and How to Keep It Going)
October 6, 2026
Submitted by Erin Martinez
Thank you. Thank you for reporting, for taking this seriously, and for doing everything you can to make sure our system is represented as strongly as possible in the upcoming legislative session.
Your contributions have not gone unnoticed. I know this year's push has been unprecedented, but I can't emphasize this enough: it matters, and it has made a difference.
The numbers show it.
- As of Friday morning, 88% of reporting-relevant extension professionals had completed their Quarterly Effort Reports for the 2025-2026 programming year, up from approximately 74% last year.
- Agents reached over 99% compliance statewide for the entire year.
- Specialists achieved 82% compliance this quarter alone, compared to a three-year average of 16%.
- Program Activity entries increased by 32%, and participant reach grew by 31%.
- Indirect Contact entries rose by 67%, and Indirect Contact reach more than doubled, up 147% over last year.
And there's still time. Although data for the President's reports has been pulled, PEARS remains open for 2025-2026 entries through Oct. 15 at 6:59 p.m. CT, when 2026-2027 data entry goes live. No data is wasted. Everything entered by the deadline will be used in Making a Difference Reports, USDA NIFA reports, the National Land Grant Impacts Database, and more.
Now, I heard some of y'all thought PEARS was a black hole! I hate to break it to you, but it's not. Everything you put in comes back out as the story of K-State Extension's impact, told to the people who make decisions about our future.
Keeping the Momentum
Quarterly Effort Reports are due at the beginning of January, April, July, and October, and the next program year ends Sept. 30. That doesn't mean data entry should spike on deadline day. These habits can help:
- Ask for help. When you have questions, contact Mary Hellmer, Extension Programs project coordinator (mary58@ksu.edu), me, your regional director, or a colleague. We're all in this together.
- Know your definitions. As the new reporting year begins, refresh yourself on the difference between program activities, direct contacts, and indirect contacts so our data stays consistent statewide. All of that information can be found on the PEARS support page: https://support.pears.io/.
- Make a reporting plan. Once a week, once every two weeks, something. Block recurring reporting time on your calendar and protect it.
- Enter while it's fresh. Details fade fast, and prompt entry is more accurate and much less painful. And it helps us respond to urgent requests for impact data.
- Find tricks that work for you. Some people keep a notepad on their desk and tally direct contacts as they come in. Others have built fantastic spreadsheets to track the details. Some use counter apps on their phones to count every educational exchange with fairgoers. Yes, those are direct contacts!
- Make evaluations easy to say yes to. Some agents have a signature line for passing out evaluations, such as, "Please take a moment to fill this out as a thank-you to the Kansas taxpayers who made today's program possible." Others use a well-timed and appropriate joke (which always gives me a good laugh). Find what works for you.
- Coordinate with co-facilitators. Decide up front who enters each activity so programs aren't double-counted or missed. If you host an event, enter it in PEARS and add contributing agents and specialists. If you're part of an event team and are a PEARS guru, volunteer to enter the program activity on everyone's behalf.
- Capture stories, not just numbers. Jot down quotes and success stories when they happen. Legislators remember a good story.
Making the System Work Better
We know reporting isn't always easy, and we're working on it. Better integration with Wildcat Scholar and All Things Kansas is underway because we want our systems to connect, make sense and tell our story. If you have ideas for improvement, please email me or send me a Teams message. Knowing what will help you helps us all in the long run.
Finally, we never know when legislators and stakeholders will request data, so accurate, timely, and consistent reporting is critical. Thank you again for the work you do and for making sure it counts.
***
