By Brooke Gill, Senior Director of Family Engagement Practice and Policy

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Dr. Sonja Yow, Professor in the College of Education and Applied Human Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University, asked this of her preservice teachers last semester: “As you approach your final semester of school, what is the number one area you still feel least prepared and presents the biggest challenge for you?” Some might expect answers like individualizing learning, student mental health, writing lesson plans, or navigating in-school environments. However, the overwhelming response… (drum roll)… “Working with families.”

“Research points to family and community engagement as one of the most important predictors of student and life success. Yet, research consistently shows that educators have limited opportunities to learn and practice family and community engagement during their preparation and throughout their careers.” –National Association for Families Schools and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) 2022

In the fall of 2022, the KY Collaborative for Families Schools issued a survey to all Kentucky educator preparation programs and found that 74% of preservice programs would improve family engagement components if they were given the tools and resources. However, only 22% of respondents offer a standalone course in family and community partnership best practices. The 2022 Survey Findings Report also revealed the number one challenge is too many other required courses and standards to meet.

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With funding from NAFSCE, we can respond to these national and state survey findings by developing innovative approaches to stronger family partnership coursework and field experiences for preservice teachers.

This project runs now through June 2023 and will be co-led by Dr. Edna Schack, Prichard Committee Member and Professor Emeritus at Morehead State University. Families will serve as advisors in the development of a series of seminars and field experiences for Kentucky preservice teachers and faculty in partnership with Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and Madison County Schools, and Morehead State University (MSU) and Rowan County Schools. Corbin Independent and Menifee County Schools will also serve as field sites for prospective teachers. The conclusion and call to action for all Kentucky educator preparation programs will take place in June at the Kentucky Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (KACTE) annual conference. Kentucky will also join a national community of practice with grantees from the other seven states and NAFSCE researchers.

As result of this work, we hope more Kentucky preservice programs have tools and resources for equipping our rising educators with intentional, high-impact family partnership strategies. Teachers must enter the classroom with a desire to partner with families and the confidence to make the first move in developing those strong and authentic relationships.

We would love support and feedback on our approach to this new and innovative work. Please reach out to learn more!

• Read 2022 Family Engagement in KY Educator Preparation Programs survey findings here
• Email brooke.gill@prichardcommittee.org for more information or to get involved

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DURABLE SKILLS REPORT 2022

FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS, the primary purpose of our schools has been to maximize academic achievement. However, over that time, the world has greatly changed. We believe the purpose of schools today is to ensure students can think critically and creatively, collaborate effectively with others, apply skills and knowledge to solving real problems, and find meaningful, fulfilling ways to contribute to the world and their community.

In an era when technical skills are evolving at an unprecedented pace, there is an important set of durable ‘soft skills’ that last throughout an entire career—how we use what we know (critical thinking, communication, etc.) and our character skills. America Succeeds’ Durable Skills initiative seeks to ensure every individual is prepared with the soft skills necessary for success in the workforce regardless of educational attainment, career path, or industry sector.

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Defining Durable Skills

Our hypothesis is that every job in every sector requires Durable Skills. Based on Lightcast’s database of tens of millions of employer job postings from the past two years, we started by categorizing 100 of the most in-demand Durable Skills into 10 major themes or competencies.

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COMPETENCY DESCRIPTIONS

• Leadership: Directing efforts and delivering results
• Character: personal and professional conduct
• Collaboration: teamwork and connection
• Communication: Information exchange and management
• Creativity: New ideas and novel solutions
• Critical Thinking: Informed ideas and effective solutions
• Metacognition: Self understanding and personal management
• Mindfulness: Interpersonal and self awareness
• Growth Mindset: Improvement and aspiration
• Fortitude: Constitution and inspiration

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View the full report here.

January 10, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‍For more information, contact:
Brooke Gill, Senior Director, Family Engagement Practice and Policy
‍Brooke.gill@prichardcommittee.org

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Prichard Committee partnering with Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University to develop effective and authentic family engagement practices for future teachers

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is one of eight state grantees from the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) that will be developing innovative approaches to develop stronger family partnership coursework and field experiences for preservice teachers.

The project is in response to a 2022 Survey Findings Report on Family Engagement in Kentucky Educator Preparation Programs by the Collaborative for Families and Schools. The survey found 74% of Kentucky educator preparation programs would improve family engagement components if they were given the tools and resources. Currently only 22% of respondents offer a standalone course in family and community partnership best practices.

“Kentucky schools are doing an excellent job opening opportunities for schools and families to partner,” said Dr. Edna Schack, Prichard Committee Member and Professor Emeritus, Morehead State University. “Educator preparation programs are picking up efforts by building stronger family partnership knowledge and experiences into curricula for prospective teachers before they begin their teaching careers. We are grateful to NAFSCE for funding to support these efforts.”

Over the course of the grant, families will serve as advisors in the development of a series of seminars and field experiences for Kentucky preservice teachers and faculty in partnership with Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and Madison County Schools, and Morehead State University (MSU) and Rowan County Schools. Corbin Independent and Menifee County Schools will also serve as field sites for prospective teachers. Family and teacher panel discussions, pre/post surveys, interviews, and monthly learning circles will take place through the 2023 spring semester. The conclusion and call to action for all Kentucky educator preparation programs will take place in June at the Kentucky Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (KACTE) annual conference. Kentucky will also be part of a national community of practice with grantees from the other seven states and NAFSCE researchers.

“Engaging families in their child’s education is a proven strategy to increase student success and student belonging in school,” said Brigitte Blom, president and CEO of the Prichard Committee. “The grant from NAFSCE will help ensure future teachers develop effective skills in family engagement. We are grateful to Prichard Committee member, Dr. Edna Schack, for leading this important work, and for the partnership with EKU and MSU.”

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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.

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Like Marty and Doc in the 1985 science-fiction blockbuster “Back to the Future,” we find ourselves returning to the past to ensure the Big Bold Future we know can be ours!

This year brought blow after blow, showing Kentucky losing ground to other states on important indicators of education progress.

While much of this traces to the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, we started seeing signs of decline in 2017. To get Kentucky back on track, we must focus on COVID recovery, but also rethink education to meet the future with greater strength, resilience— and sustainable progress. Consider the following examples of hard-won progress lost:

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

Because COVID had a disproportionate impact on those with fewer resources, Kentucky, a poor state, was likely hit harder than other states. Our losses could have been worse. We should acknowledge the strength in our systems that kept us from outright free fall — and meet our declines in the rankings with resolve to work smarter and harder — together and without division.

We must also recognize that test scores in reading and mathematics are not all that parents, students, communities, and businesses expect from a world-class public education. The 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act defined seven capacities required of students (with an eighth added in 2000). These include the durable and transferable skills that will serve students in a changing economy and world. Communication, leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration are among these skills.

While we don’t — and arguably shouldn’t — try to boil these skills down to standardized tests, a diploma should ensure meaningful evidence of skill development. Students should practice and be able to articulate how they developed these competencies. A “meaningful diploma” must assure that Kentucky’s students are prepared to succeed.

Our work, as a citizen-led, nonpartisan and independent organization — is the same as ever: striving to create conditions for success and progress. That means advocating for the policy and investment solutions that strengthen our system, like passage of the 2022 Read to Succeed Act and the General Assembly, so far, meeting our six-year Big Bold Ask investment requests for early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary.

It also means supporting and amplifying local solutions to the needs of students and families — a

Groundswell for community and family engagement. Communities need to be at the table.

Sustainable improvement will not be just the work of our school districts, early childhood providers and postsecondary institutions. It requires all of us to be part of the solution.

While we won’t be traveling back to the future in a DeLorean, we are indeed looking for a lightning bolt to restore our momentum. That jolt can come from Kentuckians uniting around a shared commitment, putting the pedal to the metal, and accepting nothing less than reaching that Big Bold Kentucky Future, together!

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Read the full Winter 2022 Perspectives here.

December 8, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
Brigitte Blom, President and CEO
brigitte@prichardcommittee.org

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Big Bold Future: 2022 National Rankings Report Released

Prichard Committee Board of Directors Meet, Launch Center for Best Practice & Innovation to Improve Metrics

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Lexington, KY – Out of the quarterly board of director’s meeting Wednesday, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence released the next biannual report on Kentucky’s progress in education. The Big Bold Future National Rankings report was released first in 2020 after a similar report produced by the Committee, Top 20 by 2020, ended.

The Big Bold Future report includes 12 indicators across 4 areas: early childhood, K12 education, postsecondary, and quality of life. They allow Kentuckians to track Kentucky’s outcomes relative to other states, analyze trends over the years, see results for Kentuckians of varied backgrounds, find cause for celebration, and to recognize areas of concern.

The 2022 Big Bold Future report shows the following rankings for Kentucky in the top 20.

• 3^rd in high school graduations
• 6^th in two-year postsecondary graduations
• 15^th in voter turnout (a proxy for community engagement)

The report also shows areas of significant concern where Kentucky’s ranking has fallen in recent years.

• 29^th in grade 4 reading (KY’s lowest rank since 50 state NAEP participation began)
• 41^st in grade 8 mathematics
• 43^rd children above 200% of poverty
• 38^th preschool participation
• 41^st postsecondary enrollment
• 43^rd overall associate degree or higher attainment
• 44^th median household income

“We expected decline in Kentucky’s rankings coming out of the COVID years, but to be frank, we were seeing declines in these metrics, and sounding the alarm, YEARS before COVID,” said Brigitte Blom, President & CEO of the Prichard Committee. “To return to a place where these metrics are moving in the right direction, we need the General Assembly to follow through in the last year of the Big Bold Ask to realize the additional $1 billion annually invested strategically into education and we need local communities galvanized to improve local metrics.”

On the heels of the Big Bold Future metrics release, the Committee also announced the launch of the Center for Best Practice & Innovation which is designed to be a hub of people, resources, and data which community leaders across the state can use to improve state and local metrics in education. The Center for Best Practice & Innovation will join the Committee’s existing initiative, the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools, to support and network local community efforts to improve outcomes for students and families.

“Prichard Committee members have taken local action to heart, creating after-school mentoring and tutoring programs, strengthening early learning systems locally, designing reading initiatives, educating students about scholarships and grants for college tuition, the list goes on,” said Blom. “As we continue to push for improvement in our state, embracing local innovation and entrepreneurial thinking will be necessary to produce stronger and more effective results for students and families, community by community. Each community success story will spark hope — together they will have far-reaching ripple effects in communities and across the state, ultimately resulting in improvement on the metrics – and a Big Bold Kentucky Future.”

Full report can be found at www.prichardcommittee.org/Big-Bold-Future

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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.

Guest Blog by Superintendent Charles Morton

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As a way to strengthen local efforts to connect with families and students, Harlan Independent School District jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Family Friendly School initiative when we first heard of the program. Recognizing that our district already demonstrated many of the key qualities for the program, our staff wasted little time committing Harlan Independent Schools to the work.

Through our partnership with Partners for Rural Impact, previously known as Partners for Education, I was made aware of the initiative and believed the program aligned with Harlan Independent’s philosophies and mission of serving students and families. Our district has worked hard at strengthening our family connections during and after the pandemic. Whether it was through our communication efforts or the work to provide support and wrap around services to our students, this process helped us formalize much of what we were already doing. It also gave us the framework to enhance and build on the momentum we built during the pandemic.

In January of 2021, the Family Friendly Schools initiative established by the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools notified both schools in the district, Harlan Elementary and Harlan Middle/High School, of their nomination as two of 60 schools to participate in the first cohort of applicants. Both schools, led by Principals Britt Lawson and Tara Posey, developed teams to attend information sessions and begin the collaborative work of module completion and self-assessment in a variety of family focused areas. The process allowed both schools to hear successful strategies others were implementing in their communities and provided an opportunity to self-reflect on efforts already underway. It was through this work that both schools were able to focus their efforts on the partnerships that had already been established to strengthen the effectiveness of those efforts.

Harlan Middle/High Principal, Britt Lawson, noted that the initiative was new to the school at the time I was made aware that a certification process could be available to pursue. I was excited to see that there was a certification process in place recognizing the efforts of family and community engagement for schools. District-wide we take great pride in being a “Family of Dragons” that welcomes our school community to partner with us to provide excellence in schools. The coaching and support our teams had while working through the process was extremely helpful and made the process seamless.

Tara Posey, Harlan Elementary Principal, commented the process gave her school the chance to evaluate what strategies were being most effective in their efforts to be at the center of community activity in Harlan. “Parent engagement in elementary schools is typically easier to accomplish as students are younger, but the key is to provide high-quality, student-centered activities and engagement that impacts student and family outcomes. At Harlan Elementary, we host many activities for families, through this process, we now see that work through a different lens. We know that student performance and outcomes improve when families are engaged and supported and strengthening that engagement is a core value of all of our efforts. This work really helped anchor what we do moving forward so that we are constantly focused on continuous improvement. When that happens, families and communities only get stronger.”

We’ve highlighted the importance of a positive school culture in the district’s efforts to grow community support. Strong communities need strong schools, supporting school efforts to improve the culture and engage families must be a driving force inside our buildings every day. That effort takes a lot of work from everyone that walks through the door and it can never be taken for granted. Our district is committed to keeping this work alive by adjusting and changing to meet the needs of our community every year. As a district, we found several silver linings that we took away from the COVID 19 pandemic. Schools are capable of making bigger adjustments than we previously thought possible. No two years are exactly the same, as school years start and end, people grow and change. In order to meet students and families in the process, the adults in the schools must embrace the journey. When they do and students flourish, it is a beautiful thing to witness. I am really proud that both schools in our district are among the first Kentucky schools to participate in this work. We believe it will make us stronger in the future.

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Guest Blog by Penny Christian – Prichard Committee Member, Vice President Leadership Outreach, KYPTA – Lexington, KY

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n 2021 I was asked to co-present at the Amplify Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Having never heard of it, I did a little research. “Empowering KC’s Educators of Color for Student Success”, is what I read on the website.  Wow; a conference dedicated specifically to educators of color…and an opportunity to talk about parent voice for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC)

My response to Amplify was a visceral one. For me, this was a truly safe space. There were Black and Brown teachers, administrators and superintendents, all there to speak on behalf of our babies. Without question these people felt they could share thoughts and opinions without fear of repercussion or retaliation. We were insulated, yet free.

Before I even left Kansas City I knew I wanted to present again at Amplify. Why? A captive audience like no other. I wanted to speak to educators of color about families of color. I wanted them to share experiences that would confirm what we already know: family engagement can look different in certain neighborhoods and zip codes. We need to acknowledge and accept that.  Our marginalized families are sometimes overlooked; implicit bias, access, language barriers, etc. can all prevent successful partnerships.  That was the topic of my presentation. So, this past weekend I returned to that safe space.  

One of the most important points I needed attendees to understand was that traditional communication and mainstream family engagement strategies are not always effective with Black and Brown families. While possibly not the intent, it is clear that embedded in these strategies is the notion of “unreachable” families. No matter how honest your motives, Dr. Mapp says you do not genuinely believe every parent cares about their child’s education.  To no one’s surprise, every person in that room had either heard-or said- those very words.  It is exactly that mindset which requires us to have this conversation.

As many of you may know, when I present I always share my “why”, my girls.   As proud as I am of my children, I attempted to share a strong truth with my attendees. ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL BIPOC CHILDREN ARE NOT UNICORNS. After the audible gasps in the room subsided, I clarified my statement.  My children are not anomalies or outliers; every Brown baby in every classroom has the potential to be successful. Moreover, every Brown family has the capacity to support its children.  Unfortunately several teachers in the room shared stories where they had seen lowered expectations and limited opportunities due to biases and preconceived notions. If educators do not believe this, partnerships will not be a priority.  

As we celebrate Family Engagement In Education Week, I share this to remind you that, although we have made great strides, we have not arrived.  As one of the conference attendees stated, “I can do more. And in my current role, I can challenge our schools to do more”.  It is my hope that we all desire to do more, for every child.

he Prichard Committee brought together an all-star cast through the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools to create a way to celebrate and highlight Kentucky schools that prioritize family and community partnership. Partners included Learning Grove, National Center for Families Learning, Partners for Rural Impact, Kentucky Department of Education, and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood along with multiple families and educators across the state. This group created the Family Friendly Schools certification process.

Additionally, the group wanted a more structured process for schools to measure how they were doing in welcoming and connecting with families and then make plans to improve engagement efforts in teams with families, educators and community partners. The group accomplished both through the Family Friendly School Certificate which launched in March 2022 for K-12 schools, and in September 2022 for early education centers.

“This is helping us transition from “one-off” family engagement to a system that is integrated and planned,” Kentucky 2022 Family Friendly School Principal.

The opportunity for all students to succeed requires families, teachers, principals, afterschool programs, and others working together to support each child in distinct ways. Each team member much contribute their own expertise to set children on a pathway to success.

Schools and early care centers who apply for Family Friendly certification gain a deeper understanding about the importance of family-school partnerships, examine core beliefs about family-school partnerships, learn and apply concrete strategies for increasing family engagement in their school and analyze the findings from their self-assessment. To receive certification, schools must demonstrate they have reached a level 3 in- relationship building, communication, shared responsibility, advocacy and community partnerships. They must also develop family engagement action teams with action plans and provide evidence for next steps to deepen equitable family engagement in their school and community.

On Monday Nov. 14^th, the KY Collaborative, Governor Andy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman recognized the first 32 schools and one early care center to achieve this extraordinary certification. Certified schools are encouraged to expand on their work and submit applications annually. Early care centers and schools who have not participated in 2022 are encouraged to apply in the 2023 application window which opens May 1^st, 2023.

Multiple principals expressed gratitude for a process that helps them see what they are already doing right and where they can improve. “This is supporting a transition of doing “for families” to a transition of doing “with families”. We’re now having valuable and rich conversations about our family engagement practices,” Tyler Reed, Frankfort High School Principal.

Read which schools were certified in 2022 and more about the Family Friendly Certification process here – https://prichardcommittee.org/familyengagement/
Questions – Brooke.Gill@prichardcommittee.org

Crosstabs! The data files for the Kentucky school report card have crosstabs! Users can now choose an assessment subject and see results sorted by two different factors in students’ lives. This is a powerful upgrade!

As a very first example, these files offer new evidence about whether the continuing issue of lower scores for African American students can be “explained” by lower family incomes. Here’s a 2022 reading display, showing state statewide percent proficient or distinguished, broken out to show African American and white students with and without economic disadvantage. How would you summarize it?

I’d say that family economic resources aren’t enough level to the playing field for African American students. The chart doesn’t show give any evidence about how much of the difference is created in school and how much is created elsewhere. But whatever the social process involved, this evidence shows African American students with relatively solid family finances and white students with low family incomes with very similar results: 40% proficiency compared to 39%. This evidence doesn’t support claims that income differences can “explain” racial ones.

In middle and high school reading, African American students without economic disadvantage and white students with economic disadvantage scored identical levels of proficiency.

In fact, the pattern is fundamentally consistent across six assessments at three levels, as shown in the charts at the bottom of this post.

What can we learn from seeing this? To me, these numbers are powerful added evidence that we still live in a society shaped by enslavement, segregation, and bigotry. Even while many of us now work to build communities where we can all thrive and our children can all flourish, the work isn’t close to being done.

Sharing cross-tabulated data gives us one more way see that. I’m grateful for this upgrade in evidence-sharing from the Department of Education, and looking forward to studying other issues and challenges with these new tools. If you want to join the exploration, visit kyschoolreportcard.com/datasets?year=2022,scroll down to the Accountability section at the bottom. There, clicking on the little plus signs for each subject will let you download the cross-tabulated version of that set of results.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information Contact:
Brigitte Blom, President and CEO
(office) 859-233-9849
(cell) 859-322-8999
brigitte@prichardcommittee.org

Brigitte Blom, Prichard Committee CEO, releases the following statement about 2022 school data released this morning by the Kentucky Department of Education.

Today is a day to own our truth. It is not a day for blame or finger-pointing. It is a day to come together with resolve. We will not let COVID wipe away the hard-fought gains in education of nearly four decades of improvement. Today is a day for community members, parents, and educators to say we are all-in; in partnership with each other to support our young people, accelerate learning recovery, and continue our climb to the top of the nation in education, income, and quality of life. Division is for the weak. Now, is when Kentucky’s unparalleled strength of collaboration and commitment can and must serve us well.

Newly released school assessment results and graduation rates clearly show Kentucky’s need for a groundswell of public action to strengthen Kentucky education.

At the Prichard Committee, we see these as key points in the Kentucky School Report Card data published today:

• 45% of grade 3 students reached reading proficiency as measured by the 2022 Kentucky State Assessment

• 38% of grade 3 students reached mathematics proficiency on that assessment

• 44% of grade 8 students reached reading proficiency, and 36% reached math proficiency

• Across all assessed grades and subjects, the highest level of proficiency was 46% in grade 4 reading, and the lowest was 15% in grade 11 science

• 90% of students graduated within four years, based on tracking students who started grade 9 in the fall of 2019 through to graduation in the 2022 school year

It is important to note, these indicators give only a partial sense of where we stand in our statewide efforts to equip each and every Kentucky student with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to participate fully in the development of our Commonwealth. Some of what matters is not visible in these numbers. For example, problem-solving skills, teamwork, communication capacities, and arts performance are not easily shown in charts and tables. The Prichard Committee supports attention to a full and rich vision of what it means to build a pathway to a larger life – with education at the core.

Even so, this new evidence is a call to action. Results are consistently lower than we saw in 2019, before the many disruptions of the pandemic. Breaking the results out by group underscores that we are not building fully on the strengths and capacities of Kentucky’s economically disadvantaged students, students with identified disabilities, African American students, and Hispanic or Latino students. For a strong and resilient Kentucky, we must ensure every Kentuckian is well prepared to meet the future.

Faced with this new data, we again see clearly that Kentucky needs a groundswell of public action in support of academic success. For every school and district, for every family and every community, it is time to come together to equip our rising generation for full participation in our society and community.

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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.

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Saturday, September 24^th was an agenda filled day for Hispanic families in Northern Kentucky as they attended the 2^nd Annual Hispanic Families Leadership Conference hosted by Learning Grove. Learning Grove Hispanic Family Engagement Coordinator, Theresa Cruz, led the day long event with support from parent leaders, community members and sponsors. Theresa shared the event’s purpose is to “connect the Hispanic community to necessary resources and provide an opportunity for Hispanic families to be seen and heard.”

Prichard Committee Board Member, Leo Calderon served as the Keynote Presenter for the day’s activities. Leo Calderon previously served as the Director of Latino Student Initiatives at Northern Kentucky University, and is a founder of the Esperanza Center in Covington, KY. Leo urged families to unify to address barriers for the Latino community, engage in their student’s education and seek out necessary resources to “be the change”.

Several themes emerged throughout the day. The first, is the need to increase bilingual staff in our schools and communities. Many schools are working to address barriers to language access through English classes and translation of materials, but schools still lack the needed staff that are bilingual. Another theme points to the lack of representation on decision-making bodies and access to opportunities for families who don’t speak English as their first language. Additionally, I witnessed families learning about resources available to them in their communities, for the first time.

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) Fellowship Program, expanded in 2020 to include families who speak Spanish. During 2020, a pilot program was launched with the partnership between the National Center for Families Learning-Family Literacy Program, Learning Grove, Boone County Schools and The Prichard Committee. This partnership increased families’ knowledge of the education system including learning-at-home strategies and engaging in service-learning projects. Through this spectrum of involvement, families were offered the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through CIPL as a pipeline to increase confidence for Hispanic families to serve as leaders in their communities and schools. Several parent leaders from the 2020 class were responsible for the coordination and event planning of the conference. This community effort is critical to address inequitable access to quality education and break down barriers to higher education for Hispanic families and their students.

A detailed summary of this initiative can be found in this blog post from Jacqueline Ceboci, 2022 CIPL Fellow, Boone County Parent and FIESTA member.

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“Sowing Hope and Cultivating Leaders”

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The important thing about this day is to be able to have a space for Latino-Hispanic expression. A space where it is possible to feel all together, where it is possible to think all together.Today I want to share with you, with all of you, who we are:F.I.E.S.T.A;  is a Hispanic community from Northern Kentucky USA. that seeks to give presence, support and voice to our Latino/Hispanic families.Each letter of the word represents the recognition and actions in favor of our Latin American families.

1. F. Family I. Inclusion E. Education S. Society T. Traditions A. Access

Mission:It is to give presence and voice to our Latino\Hispanic Families, promote an Inclusive society, in favor of Education, culture and Tradition of our Society, providing easy Access to existing resources and opportunities, which lead to individual and community transformation.Vision: It is to become an organization that actively advocates for the needs of our community and fair treatment, through the inclusion of the different ranches, associations and social resources.Objectives:

• Provide English language classes for parents.
• Open direct communication channels with schools, government institutions, health centers, churches, libraries, among others.
• Connect and inform with the different associations with a Hispanic presence dedicated to benefiting our community with opportunities and resources.
• Training and support in the education and well-being of our children, through knowledge of the existing programs.  CIPL for its acronym in English Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, is a program for parents to learn more. We need you. We need more parents who actively advocate and represent our children in and out of their schools.

Also:

• Connect with people from the Hispanic community.
• Actively promote inclusion between cultures.
• Form a great family where we can support each other with respect and freedom.

The members that make up F.I.E.S.T.A are parents, people from different community organizations, schools, state government, agencies, private corporations, religious institutions and higher education.

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence recently hosted a week-long series of discussions on racial equity in Kentucky’s public schools. The series, titled Black Minds Matter, focused on formulating solutions on how to close academic achievement gaps and postsecondary attainment gaps between African American students and their peers at the state and local levels.

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“Through this series on racial equity in education we focused on solutions – specifically finding ways that policymakers, educators, parents, students, and communities can work together to ensure we are delivering on the promise of public education for each and every student,” said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey. “In 2015, 45 percent of our entering African American students were reported fully ready for kindergarten, but by 2019, we had equipped only 30 percent of them to score proficient or above in K-PREP reading.”

Blom Ramsey says Kentucky education data also show that our education system isn’t preparing Black students for college and career at the same rate as their White peers.

“In 2019, there was a 32.5 percent gap between Kentucky White and Black students on transition readiness,” she said. “This is clearly a failure of our system to deliver the education that our Black students need to thrive in our economy, and we must collectively own our truths in order to address this inequity.”

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Ways to take action

The first installment in a series of Community Toolkits from the Prichard Committee is also available for download. It details what Kentuckians can do in their own communities, schools and districts to help to support the unique needs of students and put an end to systemic barriers that serve to hold students back.

The Prichard Committee has formalized a standing coalition for Equity in Education: Early Childhood through Postsecondary. The coalition will be open to all citizens interested in repair longstanding failures to deliver educational excellence for students who have been marginalized or historically disadvantaged by our systems. An online signup form is available at prichardcommittee.org/equity-coalition.

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Black Minds Matter Video Conversations
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