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.…
Tag: Stephen Pruitt
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…
Who Loves Ya, Dr. Pruitt? (Kentucky Teachers, That’s Who.)
In a special post he wrote a few months ago for KyForward, now-former Education Commissioner Dr. Stephen Pruitt invoked the spirit of a 1970’s TV drama to share his love for public education. Here are some excerpts: Back in the 1970s, there was a TV drama called “Kojak.” The show’s star, Telly Savalas, was bald and almost always seen with…
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…
Kentucky’s Changing How Schools Are Judged and Here’s Why You Should Care
With the adoption of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the marquee educational law that Congress passed in 2015, Kentucky stands ready to dramatically shift its approach to accountability. Designed to replace the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, ESSA gives states more freedom to set goals for their students’ achievement. Kentucky opened the floodgates for that earlier this…