Critical race theory has become quite a conversation topic around the country. Currently, there are efforts in 20 states to ban teachers from discussing issues like racism, sexism, and gender equality in the classroom, and Kentucky is one of the latest ones. But what is critical race theory, anyway? As EdWeek puts it, critical race theory (or CRT) is an…
Tag: Kentucky
A new company in Applachia is showing us how to defeat the “skills gap” through education
A new industry in Eastern Kentucky is sending us all an urgent reminder that workforce readiness must be an educational priority. AppHarvest, a sustainable greenhouse company based in Morehead, made its stock market debut last week. In a state with fewer than 20 publicly traded companies, the innovative agritech corporation looks poised to make an immediate impact on some of…
No surprise that Kentucky comes up short in new parent choice index
The Center for Education Reform’s Parent Power! Index is an annual assessment of the educational opportunities afforded to parents across the country. By looking at each state’s charter school laws, school choice programs, teacher quality, and digital learning pathways, the CER aims to inform and empower parents to make decisions about their children’s education. Arizona, Florida, and Indiana claimed the…
If You Care About Educational Justice in Your Community, #GetEducated and #VoteLocal
Focus on what the talking heads have to say and you would think there’s nothing more to this election than donkeys and elephants. Yes, we’re witnessing one of the most contentious presidential elections in history. The outcome will have immediate consequences for a nation struggling to navigate a disastrous public health crisis, an economic recession and racial injustice all at…
Kentucky has selected, but will not yet name, its new education commissioner
If you stayed up late following all of the media updates and Twitter threads last night, you already know the gist of the story. The Kentucky Board of Education met yesterday to interview the three finalists for Kentucky’s education commissioner position, and yes, a decision was reached. But after hours of discussion in closed session, the KBE revealed late last…
Culturally relevant education isn’t about “indoctrination,” it’s the first step towards justice
Back in 2018, I was really fed up with the major incidents of discrimination and hatred going on around the country. (Remember Charlottesville? Or when two Black men were wrongfully arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks?) It led me to write this piece, challenging educators to appropriately call out discrimination when they see it. The feedback was mixed. My message was…
Kentucky schools could reopen in late July
Yes, you read that correctly. Governor Beshear is encouraging school districts to be flexible in their plans to reopen for next school year, and this week, he outlined three possibilities to the Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown for what the timeline may look like. One such possibility would involve an early start to the 2020-2021 school year, with schools opening…
Thinking critically about Kentucky’s next Commissioner of Education
The search is on. In late March, the Kentucky Department of Education finalized a contract with the Greenwood/Asher search firm to help lock in a new education commissioner. Kentucky’s previous education chief, Wayne Lewis, was ousted in December by Gov. Beshear’s new-look Kentucky Board of Education. Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown has overseen the Kentucky Department of Education in the meantime.…
Resources For Learning and Taking Action During Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Over the past month, we’ve all been watching as coronavirus (COVID-19) quickly spreads across state lines and borders. So far, 14 individuals have tested positive in Kentucky, and Governor Andy Beshear’s recommendation to close all schools for two weeks was intended to keep that number low. As a result, school districts are rapidly applying for “non-traditional instruction days” to keep…
Prichard Committee makes ‘Big Bold Ask’ for Kentucky education
During the upcoming legislative session, the Prichard Committee has a Big, Bold Ask: $1 billion in additional funding by 2026 to address critical needs in education – from early childhood to postsecondary. The Prichard Committee, a statewide citizens’ education advocacy organization, is calling on state leaders to move forward with key investments across education, including: Early childhood – Investing in childcare…
Tell Kentucky’s new commissioner to make teacher recruitment a priority
After ousting former commissioner Wayne Lewis, Kentucky’s new-look Board of Education (KBE) is now in the middle of a national search for a new state education chief. And they need your help. Kentucky residents, teachers, and other stakeholders are invited to take this survey to provide direct feedback to the KBE on the qualities they want to see in our…
Kentucky education: 6 things to watch for in 2020
Gone are the days when education is a backburner issue in Kentucky. 2020 is here, and with it comes a host of changes to education in the Bluegrass State. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or someone who simply cares about providing the best education possible to the kids of the Commonwealth, here are six major trends to keep your eye…
Go Teach KY aims to recruit new teachers to the Bluegrass—here’s how it will (and won’t) succeed
Back in the fall, the Kentucky Department of Education officially announced the launch of Go Teach KY, an initiative aiming to recruit new teachers to the Bluegrass. In tandem, KDE also announced plans for a new loan forgiveness program called the Kentucky Academy for Equity in Teaching (KAET) in hopes of diversifying Kentucky’s teaching force. “Ensuring that Kentucky students have…
Andy Beshear is our next governor. So what’s next for Kentucky education?
Last Tuesday night, the majority of Kentucky teachers got their wish: Andy Beshear, the “public education candidate,” defeated incumbent governor Matt Bevin to become the next leader of the Bluegrass. (We think.) Beshear and his educator-turned-running mate Jacqueline Coleman landed their victory thanks in no small part to public education groups like 120United and KEA, who lauded their commitment to…
Kentucky’s accountability system looks set to change again
Trying to keep up with all of the changes to a state’s accountability system is a little like drinking from a waterfall. Thanks to this new bombshell from the Courier-Journal, it appears that Kentucky’s accountability system is looking more and more like Niagara Falls every day. The debacle du jour deals with Kentucky’s identifying labels for schools. If you aren’t…
The good, the bad, and the ugly of Kentucky’s new five-star school rating system
Kentucky’s new school rating system is is set to roll out next month, the Kentucky Department of Education reports. That means that starting in September, you can head on over to the webpage to see exactly how your local school measures up out of five stars. I’ve discussed before how the new five-star rating system presents some clear advantages, but…
Solving Kentucky’s teacher shortage crisis begins and ends with the money
There is no getting around it. Any real solution to Kentucky’s growing teacher shortage must involve higher salaries. It has to. That’s my take on the latest debate to strike Twitter feeds across the Bluegrass. With nearly 5,000 teaching positions still unfilled on this final week of July, Commissioner Lewis and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) officials have become increasingly…
Teacher-Led Advocacy Isn’t a Choice, It’s Just What We Do
Historically, Teacher Appreciation Week has included cute coffee mugs stuffed with candy and treats for beloved teachers. Apple themed gift baskets, Starbucks cards and handmade gifts from students and parents abound. I’m sure in many classrooms across the country, this will continue to be the case. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never turn my nose at a thoughtful gift! However,…
Kentucky Third-Graders Would Have Been Held Back Under This Proposal. Here’s What Changed.
Last week, Kentucky found itself playing a high-stakes game of “Would You Rather?” But this time, it affected a much different demographic than we’re used to: third-graders. Following the lead of states like Ohio, Indiana, and Florida, Kentucky considered adopting a real catch-22 of a policy that would require struggling third-graders to be held back for failing an end-of-the-year reading…
He Never Dreamed Of Being A Teacher. Programs Like This Changed His Entire Career.
Chris Stunson never dreamed of going into education. He wanted to be an engineer, and teaching was the furthest thing from his mind. But in a message he wrote to the Bowling Green Daily News earlier this month, Stunson credited loan forgiveness programs for his surprising start in the classroom. “The minority education scholarships, loan forgiveness programs and positive role models…
Pension Reform Bill Struck Down By Kentucky Supreme Court
For those following the pension reform debacle in Kentucky, we finally have the verdict: Senate Bill 151, the controversial “sewage” bill that stood to make major changes to public pensions, has been struck down. In a unanimous decision made Thursday, the Kentucky Supreme Court stated that the bill “did not comply with the three-reading requirement,” and thus ruled that the…
Poor Curriculum Is a Recipe for Disaster, Here’s How Schools Can Help Teachers Find High-Quality Materials
Lately, I’ve seen a meme that keeps popping up on social media: “Telling a teacher to use a boxed curriculum is like forcing a chef to cook hamburger helper.” I was tempted to like it at first; it seems catchy and does hint at an issue that teachers face regularly: maintaining autonomy and creativity, while using materials that are aligned…
Kentucky’s Proposed Graduation Requirements Strike The Right Balance
If you’ve ever wondered why conversations about improving schools often resort to people talking past each other, there’s a reason: Public K-12 education means different things to different people. On one end, there’s the “college-for-all” mentality, the philosophy of those who argue that the aim of public K-12 education should be to prepare all students for success at a college…
#MeToo Meets Kentucky Schools
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, we’re discovering that sexual assault is a much larger, more widespread issue than we had noticed before. Kentucky schools are not immune. Maybe you saw the breaking news over a Kentucky high school last week. A woman who used to attend the school accused her former teacher of “predatory sexually grooming” of his students,…
What Parents Should Know About Kentucky’s New School Ratings
If there’s one thing Kentucky teachers and administrators have had on their mind this past week, it’s our new school rating system. We just got our first look at last year’s state test scores and our new accountability system, per the Kentucky Department of Education. Teachers and administrators are already in the know about Kentucky’s school ratings, but with all…
Rural Schools Need Equity Too
I just got home from a convening with the rest of the Kentucky State Teacher Fellows, where we had some long, tough conversations on equity in our schools. We’re preparing for later this fall, when schools across the Bluegrass are going to witness a major data collection blast from education groups and teacher leaders. The reason is simple: Kentucky is…
Education Reform Isn’t A 4-Letter Word
If you didn’t know any better, you might think there’s a civil war brewing right now in school systems across the country. It’s called education reform. Education reformers typically support things like school choice and accountability for public schools. Reformers are passionate about closing achievement gaps and building better public schools, but don’t necessarily believe that the conventional methods of…
Kentucky Proves Big Spending Isn’t Always Needed to Help Students Succeed
Lane Wright is the Director of Policy Analysis for Education Post, former press secretary to Governor Rick Scott of Florida, and a father of three living in Tallahassee. An earlier version of this piece appeared in The Courier-Journal. The other day, I imagined myself rich enough to be looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of a plush mansion on the…
Kentucky Drops Master’s Degree Requirement
Earlier today, a waiver that removes Master’s degree requirements from Kentucky teachers was approved by the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB). This is the first major action of the newly-consolidated EPSB, which was formerly an independent board. Per Interim Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis’ recommendation earlier this month, the EPSB was placed under the oversight of the Kentucky Department of…
Standards Can Help Fix Students’ Broken Moral Compass
A recent piece in The Atlantic, Students’ Broken Moral Compasses, describes a teacher’s attempt to help his students develop good character and learn morality and ethics. However, his arguments against the Common Core State Standards are unfounded. High academic standards free teachers and students from skill-and-drill sessions that deaden curiosity, and give students the opportunity to think independently, analyze reading…
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…
Matt Bevin’s War
When Louisville businessman Matt Bevin ran for governor in 2015, he did so on the platform of fiscal responsibility, school choice, and conservative reform. Armed with Tea Party rhetoric and the funding to match it, Bevin did the unthinkable by knocking off establishment candidate James Comer in the GOP primary. His margin of victory was just 83 votes. Shortly after…
The US Is Falling Way Behind in STEM But Kentucky’s Powering the Comeback
Maybe you’re already aware, but the United States isn’t exactly globally competitive in science education. As of 2015, we ranked 24th out of 71 countries included in a major international study. If you’re only concerned with beating out countries like Kazakhstan and Albania, then I’ve got great news. If you want the U.S. to lead the world in science, a lot…