A Fragile Ecosystem V – Kentucky Voters Demand Action on the Child Care Crisis

This report, A Fragile Ecosystem V: Kentucky Voters Demand Action on the Child Care Crisis, demonstrates broad public consensus on the need for Kentucky’s General Assembly to deliver key investment and policy changes required to sustain gains in access and quality and grow access to quality early education for more of Kentucky’s 3 and 4-year old population. A Fragile Ecosystem V demonstrates the importance of child care, Kentucky’s workforce behind the workforce, to developing an early childhood sector reflective of the need to keep parents in the workforce by providing children with the strong start required for success in school, career, and life.

Download the report

After working for years on supporting early childhood improvements, including the Big Bold Ask’s $331 million in annual added investment, I realized early in 2023 that I hadn’t understood the scale of our challenges. I hadn’t taken in how we are from child care capacity reaching all our under-fives, from state child care assistance reaching all our low-income under fives, or from state preschool serving all the children who qualify for it.

In this post, I’ll share the newest version of the numbers that startled me. Readers who know this field well will find this information familiar, of course. For others, this post is a chance to join me in surprise and (I hope) new energy for strengthening support for the youngest Kentuckians.

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Big Round Numbers

Kentucky has roughly:

• 265,000 children under 5
• 125,000 children 5 and in low-income households

That’s based on American Community Survey’s 2021 five-year estimates, the most recent available that will also let us look at county level age data.

To support those kids, Kentucky has about:

• 163,000 child care openings
• 26,000 CCAP (Child Care Assistance Program) recipients
• 22,000 preschool participants

Those figures come from 2023 Early Childhood Profiles recently released by the Kentucky Center for Statistics. Each is better than the equivalent number reported in 2022, but still weak. Head Start numbers deserve equal consideration here, but this year’s Profiles do not include that data.

These numbers don’t match up as I hoped they would because:

• 165,000 child care slots misses a lot of those 265,000 young children.
• 26,000 CCAP beneficiaries leaves a lot of those 125,000 with lower incomes unassisted.
• 22,000 in state funded preschool leaves out a lot of eligible children. Even though I don’t have a precise source, I think we might have around 39,000 children who meet the eligibility rules.

Coming next, some added detail on the programs, improved numbers after early pandemic lows, and a look at how these challenges map out over Kentucky’s 120 counties.

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Young Children with Low Incomes

47% of Kentucky’s youngest children have household incomes below 200% of the poverty level. That’s about 125,000 of the 265,000 under 5.

The challenge of low family incomes isn’t spread evenly across the state, though. Here’s a map showing county-level differences.

More than 80% of young children in Lee, McCreary, and Wolfe live in low-income houses, spotlighted in darker orange. In a set of lighter orange counties, located mainly east of I-75, more than 60% of children face that economic disadvantage. In contrast, the counties in green –where less than 40% face that challenge– are mostly in the northcentral part of the state. Do note that Jefferson and Fayette (our two largest counties) have rates of 44% and 43%, only a little better off than the statewide 47%.

Because these numbers are five-year estimates, they combine American Community Survey data from 2017 to 2021. They combine pre-pandemic and early pandemic rates. New estimates that add in 2022 data and first recovery-impacts will be available this December.

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Child Care Capacity

Kentucky’s childcare capacity can serve about 61% of our children under five. The new Early Childhood Profiles show 2021-22 capacity to serve roughly 163,000 children. In last year’s report, we had only 151,000 seats, so there’s some nice growth there. Even so, we’re well short of enough seats for our 265,000 children too young for kindergarten. Importantly, those seats aren’t evenly distributed, as shown in the next map.

Here, every county shown in yellow, light orange, and darker orange is below that 61% statewide level. In nearly every eastern county, families face higher challenges finding care. Families in and near Jefferson, Fayette, Warren and Northern Kentucky may find it at least a little easier.

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Child Care Assistance

In 2021-22, about 21,000 children benefited from CCAP, the program designed to support care for low-income children and workforce participation for their parents. That’s out out of more than 125,000 chlidren with incomes below 200% of poverty. It’s an important improvement over 21,000 a year earlier, but it’s still alarmingly low. Roughly, about 21% of Kentucky’s low-income children benefit from CCAP.

The low state figures convert to a pretty grim map at the county level, one that pretty much only shows low assistance levels. Jefferson, Fayette, Northern Kentucky, and some places nearby have better rates than most of the state, even though no place has rates that count as high or very high.

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State Preschool

Since 1990, Kentucky has offered state-funded preschool for four-year-olds from low-income households and for threes and fours with identified disabilities or developmental delays. The Early Childhood profiles show that program serving about 22,000 kids in 2021-22, up from around 18,000 a year earlier.

That’s about 9% of children under five, or about 26,000 kids. Very loosely, another 13,000 might be eligible: that’s my estimate based on about 18,000 eligible based on income, 17,000 based on disabilities/delays, and 4,000 eligible under both criteria.

Mapping by counties, Jefferson, Fayette, Northern Kentucky, and nearby areas have lower preschool rates than most counties shown, and the strongest participation levels are mostly to the south. Their child care strength and preschool weakness may be connected., perhaps because many parents are choosing year-round care over school-year-only preschool. However, Eastern Kentucky stands out with many of the lowest preschool participation rates clustered in that region.

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Moving Forward

For Kentucky to build a Big Bold Future, our youngest children must flourish, and their parents must be active contributors to our workforce and our communities. As I said at the outset, my head nearly exploded when I realized how far our key supports for those kids and families are from meeting their needs. These numbers illustrate again the need for new investments, including the $331 million in annual upgrades for early childhood called in the Big Bold Ask.

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One more note: these weaknesses will get sharply worse in the coming months if Kentucky does not commit to added investment. As federal pandemic dollars end, there will be too few dollars to sustain even current child care supports. Without added preschool funding, rates per child are dropping, and that program may also become unsustainable. Learn more about this fragile ecosystem here.

October 12, 2023
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‍Courtney Daniel, Director of Communications and External Affairs
courtney@prichardcommittee.org

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Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence Announces 16 School District Awardees for the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative

The Prichard Committee will channel nearly $1.5 million to each district over five years

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LLEXINGTON, Ky. — The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence announced today 16 school districts that will join the transformative Kentucky Community Schools Initiative, bringing the total to 20 participating districts statewide.

The Prichard Committee was awarded a $47 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education last year, and it will channel $30 million of the grant directly into the Kentucky education system through the implementation of full-service community schools, known as the Kentucky Community School Initiative.

“This is a pivotal moment for education in Kentucky. Our expansion to include new districts in the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative underscores our commitment to improving student futures through community-driven solutions,” said Brigitte Blom, President/CEO of the Prichard Committee. “Each selected district shows promise and shares our vision. We are eager to see the positive change that unfolds in these communities.”

The Kentucky Community Schools Initiative champions community-led educational solutions tailored specifically for Kentucky students and their families. When implemented effectively, the community schools model has been proven to boost student outcomes, increase college enrollments, and contribute to the overall well-being of students, especially in high-poverty schools.

The 20 districts included in this initiative are:

• Bracken County
• Carter County
• Christian County
• Clark County
• Covington Independent
• Danville Independent
• Daviess County*
• Dayton Independent
• Fayette County
• Hopkins County
• Jefferson County*
• McCracken County
• Owensboro Independent*
• Paducah Independent
• Rockcastle County
• Rowan County*
• Scott County
• Shelby County
• Warren County
• Washington County

* Pilot Districts

With the joint efforts of these districts and the resources provided through the grant, the Prichard Committee is supporting a community-centered approach to education, tailored to the unique needs of each district.

This work will be supported by a state steering committee and the University of Kentucky College of Education Center for Evaluation.

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led organization working to improve education in Kentucky – early childhood through postsecondary.

Igniting a Literacy Renaissance in Kentucky with the Read to Succeed Act

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Reading was always essential in my growing up. My dad read all the time and, as a very young child, I wanted to learn to read more than anything. Prestonsburg first grade was a great experience with Miss Elsie, but I was taught only to guess and memorize words. That did not give me the basis for higher reading levels, but I made it — even though I had to work harder than others at Randolph-Macon Women’s College to succeed!

As a young parent, I saw that my young first born was not learning to read, even though he was obviously very intelligent. It was imperative that our three sons be good readers, so I, along with other Knott County parents, founded the dyslexia program at the Hindman Settlement School forty years ago. We stumbled on the Orton-Gillingham instructional method and learned that reading can be taught systematically, using multisensory, explicit, structured techniques. In current terms, it is the Science of Reading.

For years, we struggled to find ways to inject the Orton-Gillingham approach into our public schools to help dyslexic students who were not learning to read. Now we are learning that Science of Reading helps not only dyslexic students, but many others who are not dyslexic.

Kentucky’s students deserve to be taught reading using Science of Reading, which incorporates methods that activate the auditory system in the brain. Current neuroscience validates using evidence-based programs to stimulate the brain’s reading pathways. In simple words, this involves teaching kids how to decode new words to access word recognition and comprehension.

Recently, our commitment to advancing literacy reached a new milestone here in Knott County with the initiation of the Honor Cadre’s Professional Development program, a collaboration between the Knott County Educational Endowment Trust Fund and Hindman Settlement School. This cadre, including administrators, teachers, and a special ed instructor are participating in the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) program to learn the Science of Reading, as many others across the state are doing so as well.

With the passing of the Read to Succeed Act (Senate Bill 9) in 2022, the Legislature equipped the Kentucky Department of Education with, among several policy shifts, tools to offer additional instruction for teachers and administrators via LETRS professional learning, which is offered at no cost, to ensure teachers have access to the current research of reading instruction.

Encouragingly, over 1,800 Kentucky educators across the commonwealth were registered for Kentucky Reading Academies in cohort 1 of the professional learning in 2022-23. Currently, over 2,600 educators have registered for cohort 2, beginning in October 2023.

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The work began as soon as the bill passed. In the 2022-2023 school year, colleges and universities that offer teacher preparation programs for interdisciplinary early childhood education or elementary regular education, began including evidenced-based reading instructional programming. This includes the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary decoding and comprehension.

Senate Bill 9 also outlined the timeline for setting up universal reading screeners for K-3, which begins with this school year. The screener will be given in the first 45 days of the school year for all kindergarten students and in the first 30 days of the school year for grades 1-3. If the screener shows that a student may fall behind in reading, measures and supports to students will be provided.

Mississippi already embarked on this path, making big investments in Science of Reading instruction, and it’s paying off in steadily rising reading scores. For example, on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), Mississippi has created a 9-point improvement in percent proficient from 2011 to 2022. Over the same years, Kentucky saw a 4-point proficiency drop.

Kentucky doesn’t need to be last in reading. Our educational institutions can give teachers the tools to change, and our school districts can offer their students reading approaches that work. Kentucky kids shouldn’t have to work harder than their peers to succeed in life, like I once did. We now have the research and the policy to ensure every young learner can READ to SUCCEED, and be prepared for success in school and in life.

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Lois Combs Weinberg, an Eastern Kentucky native, has a M.A. from Harvard University in Education and has worked teaching dyslexic students to read for forty years. Weinberg has served on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, and the Kentucky Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

Will my application be rejected if a FRYSC coordinator is shared between two or more schools?
No, this is a recommendation; not a requirement. Applicants will have an opportunity to provide rationale in narrative sections.

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When is the District Director expected to begin?
Dec. 1st 2023

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How can the grant funds be spent?
– Up to $150,000 per year is allocated for a Community Schools District Director position salary and fringe
– Up to $150,000 is allocated for 2 school budgets ( $75,000 for each of the two schools).
– School budgets will be determined by community and school needs assessments and data.

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Can a district apply if the district is made up of only one school?
Yes

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Can an early childhood center be included as a “school” in a district?
No, but early childhood can be mentioned throughout the narrative portions of the application and program funding can be allocated to these services since this qualifies as one or more pipeline services.

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If my district is already receiving funding from a Full-Service Community Schools grant, should we apply?
Not at this time.

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If my district applied for the 2023/4 Full-Service Community Schools grant (recipients will be notified in Dec. 2023), should we apply?
Yes. If you are selected as a Prichard Committee District in September and then awarded by USED in December we will evaluate next steps at that time.

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Do the two schools that are chosen have to be feeder schools or a particular grade level?
No

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Does the Prichard Committee hire the District Director?
No, Prichard Committee provides a template for the job description and funding for this cabinet-level position to be hired at the district-level. This person is accountable to grant deliverables, data requirements, and routine check-ins with Prichard Committee staff but reports to the District Superintendent.

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What support will the Prichard Committee be providing?
See MOA in application

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If you have other questions, please see the MOA in the application or reach out to Travis Marcum, Sr Director of Community Schools with the Prichard Committee at: travis@prichardcommittee.org

July 27, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE‍

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The Prichard Committee Calls on Cabinet to Stabilize Child Care Now

Certainty crucial for little learners and working families‍‍

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Early care and education programs play a vital role in supporting Kentucky’s workforce, allowing parents to work while providing children with safe, enriching learning environments. However, Kentucky’s child care system is facing a significant challenge as the funding to stabilize child care businesses from the American Rescue Plan Act is scheduled to end on September 30.

The early child care community has been working to raise awareness about the potential impact of this approaching deadline, and it is concerning that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services has not yet committed to a plan to address this issue, as mentioned in a meeting of the Interim Committee on Families and Children this week. We’ve discussed our concern previously with the cabinet and have yet to see a plan publicized, leaving child care providers in a state of extreme uncertainty.

We strongly urge the cabinet to prioritize Kentucky’s child care providers and take immediate action by issuing an additional stabilization payment before the deadline. Timely and transparent communication with child care business owners and working families is of utmost importance, enabling them to make well-informed decisions that contribute to the well-being of Kentucky’s children and overall economic stability.

Without this necessary support, providers could face closures, layoffs and disruptions that ultimately jeopardize the safety and well-being of children, as well as Kentucky’s economy. Child care business owners and working families need action and answers now to navigate this challenging situation effectively.

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Contact:
Courtney Daniel, Director of Communications and External Affairs
courtney@prichardcommittee.org

What are Durable Skills, and why do Kentuckian learners need them?

Tim Taylor, Co-Founder & President, America Succeeds

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You have an important presentation to give at 11 AM today. As you are driving on the freeway into work, your car breaks down, and you jump into action to ensure that your colleague is prepared to present in your absence. You email them your slide deck, complete with talking points, so they can present without you, and contact the partners of your organization to apologize for the inconvenience.

The actions taken to mitigate your absence help the presentation continue without interrupting too many schedules, and you follow up later to the group with action steps, jumping right back into your rhythm and responsibilities.

In this scenario, you are demonstrating a range of valuable “Durable Skills,” encompassing problem-solving, tenacity, adaptability, accountability, coordination, and collaboration, among others. While you likely highlighted these skills during your job interview, the reality is that many recent high school and college graduates lack them, hindering their entry into the workforce and the start of their careers.

At America Succeeds, we are committed to changing that.

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In today’s economy, the key to achieving financial freedom lies in developing a combination of sought-after technical and soft skills essential for jobs of the future. Astonishingly, there are 11.4 million open job positions, yet 80% of HR leaders struggle to find suitable candidates. As employers increasingly embrace skills-based hiring to establish a broader and fairer talent pool, they often face challenges in recognizing “high-quality” non-degree paths, deciphering and translating skills, and assessing applicant readiness for the workforce.

Our goal is to ensure that every student in America not only possesses durable skills but can articulate and leverage them effectively. This commitment is backed by concrete evidence—Lightcast’s extensive database of 80 million employer job postings from the past two years reveals that 7 out of the 10 most requested skills by employers are durable skills.

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The need for inclusive, durable skills-based education and hiring was apparent long before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has significantly accelerated these existing trends. As we strive for economic recovery and address the exacerbated inequities of the past years, it becomes increasingly critical to equip individuals with the durable skills necessary for long-term success in the workforce. By prioritizing common competencies over diverse technical requirements, we can empower a wider and more diverse group of learners and workers to advance along successful career pathways, benefiting both employees and employers.

Currently, America Succeeds is collaborating with CompTIA to develop a rubric that measures the acquisition of durable skills through various educational pathways. This rubric will encompass classroom-based learning for future workers and employee training for individuals already in the workforce, ensuring their preparedness for successful careers and contributions to their communities.

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“We believe helping students better develop their innate durable skills at an early age will help them compete, contribute, and thrive in their careers,” – Todd Thibodeaux, President and CEO of CompTIA

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There is widespread alignment among employers, parents, educators, and state leaders, all sharing the desire to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary for their success. We invite you to join them and support the Durable Skills movement today.

June 13, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE‍

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Media Advisory: The Prichard Committee Hosts Annual Groundswell Summit

More than 250 stakeholders will be in attendance

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‍‍Lexington, KY - The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is holding its annual Groundswell Summit in Floyd County on June 14-15. The summit will bring together more than 250 education leaders, stakeholders, educators and families from across the state to discuss key challenges and opportunities in education.The summit will feature a lineup of educational speakers, panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. Attendees will have the chance to engage in thought-provoking conversations, share innovative ideas and explore collaborative strategies in education.We invite members of the media to attend and cover the Groundswell Summit on June 15. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest trends and initiatives in education.

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Highlights:

• The Great Schools Showcase: 9:30-11:30 a.m.
• Hometown Achievers Spotlight: 12:45-1:30 p.m.
• 2023 Statewide Groundswell Awards 1:30-2:15 p.m.
• National Education Speakers: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

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Media Opportunities:

• Listen to education experts and thought leaders discuss pressing educational challenges.
• Capture visuals and footage of education professionals engaging in workshops and networking sessions.
• Interviews available upon request.

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Event Details:

• Date: June 15
• Time: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Location: Floyd Central High School

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RSVP

‍To RSVP, please contact Courtney Daniel at courtney@prichardcommittee.org or 859-338-358.For more information about the Groundswell Summit, please visit www.prichardcommittee.org.

May 16, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Statement from Prichard Committee President on the Kentucky gubernatorial primary election

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“The Kentucky primary election for governor tonight serves as a reminder of the urgent need to address our declining education outcomes and to halt the divisive partisan rhetoric surrounding this critical issue. As both candidates for governor clearly prioritize education, it is crucial that the plans they put forth focus on returning Kentucky’s education outcomes to a state of progress.

Since 2015, the Prichard Committee has reported continual declining outcomes nationally. Our state, once ranked 8th in 4th-grade reading, has dropped to 29th. In 8th-grade mathematics, our ranking has never exceeded 33rd and currently places us at 41st. While we are ranked 3rd in the nation for high school graduation rates, the diploma carries little weight in the labor market – or as indication of likely success in college. Despite reaching 6th place in the nation for 2-year degrees, Kentucky’s college-going rate is declining, and the state has persistently ranked near the bottom in national poverty rankings for decades. The future is not bright.

Further, our young people and the workforce are suffering for lack of early childhood opportunities that support working families and prepare our youngest Kentuckians for success in school.

Yet, even with these stark statistics, there are bright spots to be found in schools and communities across the state, working diligently to improve education outcomes and reverse learning loss. Educators are working quietly to deepen meaningful learning in classrooms, ensuring students not only excel in reading and mathematics but also develop durable skills that align with the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s economy. Effective political plans for progress, will be built upon these promising approaches.

Gubernatorial education platforms must prioritize evidenced-based strategies and innovations that enable the state to return to its rightful place leading the nation – as we did in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Investing in our education system – early childhood through postsecondary – is an imperative for individuals, families, communities and our state as a whole. As each candidate expressed tonight, there is nothing more important to drive economic growth and ensure the economic well-being of Kentuckians all across our state. We urge each candidate to put forth a solid plan to achieve this goal.”

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Contact:
Courtney Daniel, Director of Communications and External Affairs
courtney@prichardcommittee.org

With the 2023 Legislative Session behind us, Kentucky’s continued decline in education outcomes continues to sound alarm bells for our future. In just the last decade Kentucky has fallen to:

• 29th in the nation fourth-grade reading — a fall from 22nd in 2019 and a high of 8th in the nation in 2015,
• 28th in the nation in eighth-grade reading — a drop from 25th in 2019 and a peak at 12th in 2011,
• 34th in the nation in fourth-grade math — a fall from 30th in 2019 and 21st in 2015,
• and 41st in the nation in eighth-grade math — down from 36th in 2019 after reaching 33rd in the nation in 2011.

Despite Kentucky’s downward slump in education outcomes, the Prichard Committee celebrates the steps taken by the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly to return Kentucky to a place where education outcomes are improving.

Particularly, steps taken in the following successful pieces of legislation move the needle in providing a Big Bold Future for all Kentuckians:

• House Bill 319, An act relating to teacher shortages, sponsored by House Education Chairman James Tipton (R-53);
• Senate Bill 156, An act relating to a statewide reading research center, sponsored by Senate Education Chairman Stephen West (R-27);
• Senate Bill 70, An act relating to relating to a pilot program for performance-based professional development, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens (R-09); and
• Senate Joint Resolution 98, A resolution directing the Council on Postsecondary Education to study the placement and services provided by public universities and community and technical colleges in the Commonwealth, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers (R-25).

Take a look at each of the pieces of legislation below, where we break down the details and explain how they can help provide a Big Bold Future for all Kentuckians.

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House Bill 319, An act relating to teacher shortages, sponsored by House Education Chairman James Tipton (R-53)

Chairman Tipton’s House Bill 319 is designed to address Kentucky’s teacher shortage. The bill is divided into four policy items:

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I. Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact

The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact is like a shortcut for teachers who want to work in a different state. It makes it easier for them to get their license and move to a new state to teach. The idea is to support teachers by providing them with a new pathway to licensure that enhances their ability to move across state lines.

Policy Goals:

• Enhance the power of state and district level education officials to hire qualified, competent teachers by removing barriers to the employment of out-of-state teachers,
• Create a streamlined pathway to licensure mobility for teachers,
• Support the relocation of eligible military spouses,
• Facilitate and enhance the exchange of teacher licensure, investigative, and disciplinary information between the member states,
• Support the retention of teachers in the profession by removing barriers to re-licensure in a new state, and
• Maintain state sovereignty in the regulation of the teaching profession.

To learn more about the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, read more here from EdWeek.

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II. Exit Surveys for School Personnel Leaving Employment

To help with teacher recruitment and retention, teachers or other school personnel will be asked to complete an exit survey when they leave their job voluntarily. The survey responses will be anonymous. To keep track of the data, KDE will create a system for reporting the survey results.

Policy Goals:

Information submitted by an employee and reported to the department includes:

• the position vacated,
• the employee’s years of service in the position and in the district,
• if the employee is taking a similar position in another district,
• and the reason or reasons provided for leaving the district.

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III. Kentucky Educator Placement Service System

The Kentucky Educator Placement Service System is an online job board run by the KDE for local school districts and public charter schools. It lets job seekers apply online for open positions and upload their application materials. School districts and public charter schools can then access and download these applications. Local districts can also have their own job boards in addition to the statewide platform run by KDE.

Policy Goals:

• The Kentucky Department of Education shall operate and maintain the system to ensure:
  • that job postings are current, including tracking each unique position posted,
  • monitored for repeated position postings,
  • outdated postings are removed,
  • and that accurate data is collected about employment in public schools.
• KDE shall prepare a report detailing data from the system and its implications for the status of employment in public schools including:
  • the number and type of unique and duplicate job postings,
  • how often postings are viewed by the public,
  • and positions that are remaining vacant by type, certification requirement, and location.
  • The report shall be submitted to the Interim Joint Committee on Education each year.

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IV. Technical Changes to Kentucky Teacher Scholarship Program

Changes include:

• A drop to 8% interest rate for repayment purposes, down from 12%.
• A requirement for the scholarship authority to:
  • submit a report on the number of teacher scholarships provided in each fiscal year,
  • the program of study in which recipients are enrolled,
  • recipient retention rates,
  • total number of applications, and
  • reporting of scholarship recruitment strategies to the Interim Joint Committee on Education.
• A process for candidates to obtain an eligible for hire letter from the Education Professional Standards Board, should the certification option require employment prior to certification.

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Senate Bill 156, An act relating to a statewide reading research center, sponsored by Senate Education Chairman Stephen West (R-27)

Chairman Stephen West’s Senate Bill 156 is designed to establish a statewide reading research center. The center will support educators in implementing evidence-based reading programs. The legislation builds upon Senator West’s successful passage and implementation of the Kentucky Read to Succeed Act in 2022.

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I. Purposes of Statewide Reading Research Center

The center is designed to support educators in implementing reading programs that are:

• Reliable
• Replicable, and
• Evidence-based

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II. Collaboration between the Center and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE)

• The Center and KDE will set annual goals and performance objectives and report on the effects of those activities on state performance levels in reading and writing, and the outcomes of all annual goals and performance objectives.
• Based on the annual outcomes, KDE will make programming and funding recommendations to the Governor, the Legislative Research Commission (LRC), and the Interim Joint Committee on Education by October 1 of each year.
• Additionally, KDE will select the administrator of the statewide reading research center for approval by the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE). The selected administrator will be contracted for 5 years unless funding is not available.

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Senate Bill 70, An act relating to a pilot program for performance-based professional development, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens (R-09)

President Pro Tempore David Givens’ Senate Bill 70 permits teachers in local school districts the ability to develop and implement a performance-based professional development project designed to produce measurable outcomes of positive impact on student performance.

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I. Program Requirements

The pilot program requires 2 or more teachers to design an instructional practice or strategy project to address a school or district academic or nonacademic classroom problem. The program will run from the 2023-2024 school year to the 2025-2026 school year.

Successful completion of a project under this section shall satisfy up to 3 days of the requirement to complete 4 days of professional development.

A local board of education may award a teacher a stipend for successful completion of a project.

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II. Local Board of Education Responsibilities

Local boards of education determine the following:

• Project application process.
• Review and approval of project proposals.
• Submission of completed project analysis and results.
• Evaluation of completed projects.
• The awarding of professional development credit, including the amount of the credit and when it will be credited.
• The awarding of a stipend, if applicable.

Additionally, KDE will study the completed pilot projects for their impact on schools and districts to determine the attributes of quality performance-based professional development and the best practices for measuring its effectiveness.

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Senate Joint Resolution 98, A resolution, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers (R-25)

Senate President Robert Stivers’ Joint Resolution 98 directs the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) to study placements and services provided by public universities and community and technical colleges. The President of the Council on Postsecondary Education will report the study with findings and recommendations by December 1, 2023.

The resolution directs CPE to undertake the following actions:

• Study the projected needs of the state over the next 20 years in terms of postsecondary education attainment, workforce, and economic needs.
• Provide recommendations on changes needed to the state’s postsecondary governance structure that would be essential to meet identified needs and ensure the best delivery of postsecondary educational services to students.
• Study the impact and feasibility of establishing a regional, residential, four-year public university in southeastern Kentucky.
• Study the feasibility of having the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTS) continue to be responsible for technical education programs but transfer responsibility for traditional academic subjects to the regional universities.

While much work remains in the mission to return Kentucky to a place where education outcomes are improving, The Prichard Committee applauds these positive steps forward championed by Representative Tipton, Senator West, Senator Givens, and Senate President Stivers.

I was on hand at the Prichard Committee annual meeting last fall when the Division of Family Resource and Youth Services Center (DFRYSC) was recognized with an Award of Excellence. Brigitte Blom, President and CEO of the Prichard Committee stated that FRYSCs were the true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. And I completely agree.

FRYSCs were established as a component of the historic Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990. The mission of these school-based Centers is to help academically at-risk students succeed in school by helping to minimize or eliminate non-cognitive barriers to learning. Today in KY, there are 888 FRYSCs in over 1,200 schools.

FRYSCs coordinated over 49,000 home visits during the school closure (March-June 2020). The majority of these were likely to deliver food, household supplies and NTI packets. For comparison, during the same period in the previous year, FRYSCs coordinated 8,000 home visits.

The work of the center coordinators and administrative division is a team effort, and this recognition means so much to our team. My participation in early focus groups as a business leader, being in the legislative chambers the day the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was passed, and then implementing the first FRYSCs in Rowan County led to a very unexpected 31-year career with FRYSC. Bringing schools, communities, business, industry and faith-based partners together collaboratively was brilliant for both the Prichard Committee and the founding principles of DFRYSC. And it continues to be nationally recognized as the model for implementation.

Less than two months after DFRYSC and its staff were honored, the Prichard Committee in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education and DFRYSC received a 5-year grant from the US Department of Education to establish effective and evidenced-based “community schools” in collaboration with identified local schools and communities.

Under Melissa Goin’s leadership and the entire FRYSC staff, coordinators and partners DFRYSC has broadened with vitality and strength to sustain the original vision as the national standard for excellence in providing school-based student and family services. I’m excited about the opportunities that this grant provides for our Commonwealth to meet the whole needs of Kentucky students and families.

Press Release link.

May 11, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Prichard Committee Releases Meaningful Diploma Series

Reinforces Importance of Durable Skills in Education

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Lexington, KY – The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence announced the release of its illuminating Meaningful Diploma Series today. This follows the earlier release of its report, The High Demand for Durable Skills. Together, these publications provide a comprehensive roadmap for enhancing education in Kentucky by focusing on the development of durable skills and fostering deeper learning.

“We are excited to elevate the important work educators are doing now to give their students the best possible start in life,” said Prichard Committee President Brigitte Blom. “While educational rankings can give us one piece of the puzzle, it is clear that the true measure of success lies in the combination of content mastery and real-life skills, like communication, leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration.”

The Meaningful Diploma Series consists of four reports that examine how durable skills — attributes that set students up for achievement in the workforce — are being incorporated into classrooms across the state and what that means for long-term success.

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Examples of classrooms across Kentucky developing durable skills are not hard to find. At Tilden Hogge Elementary in Morehead, fifth-graders explored the various uses of public spaces in their community, with a special focus on ways to enhance their own school playground. Meanwhile, at Rowan County Senior High, chemistry students conducted lab experiments to test the properties of water and other substances as part of a project centered on the essential ingredients for supporting life. Over at Allen County Intermediate, fourth-graders explored the necessary community services to restore after a natural disaster strikes. And students at Belfry High delved into a project aimed at transforming manure and food scraps into nutrient-rich fertilizer.

“As the former president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), I saw firsthand the transformative power of education when it’s coupled with the development of durable skills,” said Dr. Jay Box, former KCTCS president and member of the Prichard Committee Board of Directors. “Integrating durable skills can help ensure our students are not just academically proficient but also equipped with the critical skills needed to navigate and excel in our ever-evolving economy.”

Despite the positive steps being taken in Kentucky, significant challenges remain in breaking the status quo, including disparities in educational attainment, persistent achievement gaps between students of color and their white peers, and ongoing teacher shortages in critical subject areas.

“While we know foundational literacy and numeracy skills remain important for our students’ future success, they alone are not enough to ensure our economic prosperity and quality of life in the fast-moving economy that our children will inherit,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass. “If we can count on anything, it is that the forces shaping commerce right now are only going to accelerate in the years to come. This calls on us to reimagine education and create deeper and richer learning experiences for our students that prepare them for the world that awaits them. The Prichard Committee’s efforts around Meaningful Diplomas and bringing authentic and deep learning experiences to our students are important as we work to redesign education at scale in Kentucky, and prepare our students for their futures.”

The Prichard Committee collaborated with America Succeeds, a national nonprofit that aims to involve business leaders in enhancing access and opportunity in education, to produce a Kentucky-specific report. The study analyzed nearly 900,000 job postings from the past two years in 20 different industries and found that at least one durable skill is required in 74 percent of Kentucky jobs.

“The collaboration with the Prichard Committee has allowed us to further delve into the pressing need for durable skills in today’s ever-changing job market,” said Tim Taylor, Co-Founder and President of America Succeeds. “Our findings nationwide have revealed a significant demand for these skills, emphasizing the urgent need to integrate them into our education system.”

For more information on the Durable Skills Report and our Meaningful Diploma series, visit the Prichard Committee’s website at www.prichardcommittee.org.

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The Meaningful Diploma Series was authored by journalist Lonnie Harp who has covered education issues for the Courier Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky, and as a reporter and editor at Education Week in Washington, D.C.

Contact: Courtney Daniel, Director of Communications and External Affairs
‍courtney@prichardcommittee.org