We saw what happened back in the spring when “pension reform” was all the buzz in Kentucky. Teachers got a sewage bill, Frankfort got a whole lot of protesters, and Matt Bevin got sued. Teachers unions like the Kentucky Education Association (KEA) were critical opponents of that debacle in this year’s General Assembly, and now, they are bracing themselves yet…
Category: Blog
Kentucky Valedictorian Tricks Audience With Trump Quote – Just Kidding, It’s Obama
The school year has wrapped up almost everywhere in the Bluegrass State, and naturally, outgoing seniors enjoy taking the opportunity to say one final goodbye to the high schools they’ve called home for the past 4 years. Enter Bell County’s Ben Bowling, the valedictorian of Bell County High School’s Class of 2018, who had his own unique way to bid…
Live From Rural Kentucky, It’s The Belief Gap!
Mass media has an unmistakable impact on our impressions of people and places. Take, for example, shows like Baywatch and 90210, which color our perceptions of Los Angeles. When I think of the City of Angels, I see endless sunshine, luxury, and Kardashian-esque mansions. When I think of The Big Apple, songs like Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and Alicia…
This Is LeBron James’ Greatest Achievement
LeBron James is the best basketball player on the planet. He is a 3-time NBA champion, a 4-time league MVP, and he’s now been to 8 straight Finals. That means that for nearly a decade, the road to an NBA championship has gone through LeBron. He literally does everything. LeBron scores at will, like a lion on a court of…
#KYGoDigital Tour Starts Off With A Bang In Western KY
Yesterday kicked off the beginning of the #KYGoDigital Summer Tour, which is taking the Bluegrass by storm. Hundreds of teachers leaders, administrators, and instructional coaches from across Western Kentucky made their way to Murray State University, where experts from across the region met to deliver high-quality and user-friendly professional learning. It might be summer, but teaching and learning never stop…
The Rural-Urban Divide: Responses To School Shootings Show Us Two Sides Of America
When then-candidate Barack Obama was still seeking the Democratic nomination back in 2008, one of his most notable gaffes of the primary campaign trail was an ill-worded assessment of blue-collar culture. Speaking to a wealthy fundraiser crowd, Obama suggested that rural residents of Pennsylvania were bitter, and that they were inclined to “cling to guns or religion” as a result…
If The Boys Really Aren’t Alright, We Have Work To Do
When Michael Ian Black published an op-ed entitled “The Boys Are Not Alright” for The New York Times back in February, it garnered a lot of attention from educators, parents, and advocates of young people. Black’s analysis of young men and masculinity didn’t pull any punches. He referenced the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 high school students…
This Teacher’s Twitter Thread Went Viral, And For Good Reason
If you were on the Twitterverse yesterday, you may have seen this amazing thread that’s going viral. (I was one of the first to retweet, just saying.) It’s from Monte Syrie, a high school English teacher in Washington State. I’ve “storified” the thread he shared about his student, Meg, with his permission. It’s a great read that I think you’ll…
Inside the Project-Based Program That’s Turning Refugees Into High School Grads
Innocent is one of the fastest students in the class. When I need to get something somewhere in a hurry, he is the man for the job. I call his name, explain the task and hand him the book to return to the library or the cord to the computer needed in a room one floor below. He accepts the…
Kentucky’s ESSA Plan Was Just Approved. Here’s What That Means.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has just approved Kentucky’s new education plan under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). For Kentucky schools, that means new changes in accountability, school ratings, and student success are coming. Kentucky’s Interim Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis was optimistic about what the new plan means for Kentucky students. In a statement released May 7, Lewis said,…