TEACHERS’ CREATIVE ENERGY FUELS ENGAGEMENT

BENTON — Once school is out and middle school teacher Kalli Colley is dealing with regular life, she notices interesting learning opportunities almost everywhere: In the decisions people make, in news stories, in everyday work, and even ordinary forces of nature.

In the Marshall County school district, teachers who can combine academic standards and real-life applications are in demand. For many students in the district, learning often involves experiences and activities that reach across subject areas, pull in relevant events or tasks, and spark interaction with adults and the community. For Colley, the off-time brainstorming flows easily into the classroom.

“My husband and I were planning a vacation and starting to discuss where we might go, what we’d like to do, Airbnb versus hotel, and reading carefully about options,” she explained. That slice of her own life almost fully explains the activity underway in her language arts classroom at South Marshall Middle.

Small teams of students worked as travel planners. Colley created 10 “client profiles” describing fictional people eager to enjoy leisure time. The profiles listed desired trip length, budget, activities, and other pertinent notes or preferences.

For instance, Sam and Mary, the fictional retired couple in the group, wanted to spend $3,000 or less for a five-night getaway. Sam likes taking nature photos but doesn’t want to walk too much because of achy knees. Mary is picky about restaurants and only eats out at places with mostly positive reviews. Colley’s profiles included stock photos of each set of “clients.”

Students scanned the internet and bounced ideas off family or friends to devise a trip that met the clients’ specifications. The assignment involved research, targeting a specific audience, informational writing, organizing a presentation, and more. Math and geography content was involved. Colley said the project also let her see how well students were understanding inferences, being accurate and precise in their work, and recognizing the difference between wants and needs.

After suggesting an ideal destination and itinerary for the clients, student teams turned their findings into a presentation promoting their recommended destination. It was presented to adults including local tourism and chamber of commerce officials for questions and feedback.

Colley said that designing engaging learning projects with student work worthy of an outside audience leads students and educators to gain more from classwork.

“The good experiences I had in school were ones that were memorable,” she said. “We say that if what we do in here makes it to the kitchen table, we taught them something.”

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HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER MARTY VAUGHAN EXPLAINS AN ASSIGNMENT, which is also recorded for students to view later, for a writing workshop at the STEAM Academy in Lexington.

At South Marshall, middle school students and families can choose to enroll in the Explore team, where Colley teaches. Explore focuses on education experiences that incorporate students’ personal interests and learning styles. Stressing real-life skills, examples, and community resources, the goal is rich understanding of key academic content.

Colley said the approach has changed her view of teaching.

“This involves a learning curve for teachers and adjusting when things don’t work, but it also leads to so much success,” she said. “Students aren’t doing an assignment and only getting a grade that ends up in the grade book and then, no matter what they make, we move on. If there are lingering gaps in their understanding, those are still my responsibility. We try again with a new approach — a third, fourth, or fifth time if necessary.”

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EDUCATORS GAIN A NEW LENS ON LEARNING

“Deeper learning” strategies are known for seeking student ownership and engagement. However, the success of the active experiences also elevates teachers, requiring careful planning and creative design.

Many Kentucky educators describe their own increased ownership and engagement as a powerful step forward.

In Marshall County, educators seeking to boost student proficiency first looked into deeper learning seven years ago. The district promised support for teachers willing to pursue new approaches. In addition, leaders drafted a graduate profile pledging that all classrooms would work toward applying academics through skills connected with adult success.

The profile calls for students to develop communication, creativity and innovation, character, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, and citizenship as they learn core knowledge,

Jackie Reid, Marshall County’s supervisor of instruction, said that seeing students engaged in authentic learning experiences, demonstrating their work, and reflecting on the skills gained has created a big change in the way educators view teaching, learning, assessment, and success.

“When I started as a principal, our schools had some of the highest test scores in the state. That’s how you gained recognition.” Feeling satisfied, however, disappeared after Marshall educators joined a Kentucky delegation that visited Wisconsin schools focused on student ownership, personalized learning, and durable skills.

“It was almost a kick in the gut,” Reid said. “Watching the students there, I felt a pit in my stomach — like you know that what you’ve been doing is wrong. We saw all of these ideas in place, and there was no question that those kids would have a major advantage over Marshall County kids. They were doing so many things that we should be doing. At that time, our kids had no idea how to problem-solve or work with each other. “

Marshall leaders held local meetings with community leaders and employers. “We asked what they expect of entry-level workers and started hearing all of these things, knowing that we were not teaching it,” Reid said.

The district found many teachers and administrators eager to dive into deeper classroom learning. Navigating the new emphasis has been a professional learning experience here and in many Kentucky districts.

Transforming academics and classrooms “to equip students to be in the real world” is a major change for teachers and school leaders, said Chris Flores, director of the STEAM Academy, a high school program for Fayette County students launched in 2013 around deeper learning and durable skills.

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Sometimes teachers have an idea but may not fully know how to bring it to fruition or make it authentic, so we spend more time in collaborative mode, working with each other.

— Chris Flores, STEAM Academy director, Fayette County

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Teachers fill the gap between academic concepts and how they are applied. Getting students more involved and reaching a solid level of understanding tests educators with new roles as motivators, facilitators and coaches in areas like communication or problem solving.

“We ask a lot. We want students to be seen and heard. When we see deficiencies, we want to help them through that,” Flores said. “The teachers who want to be here want to challenge what education was when we went to school.”

Success in deeper learning requires educators to become more flexible and reflective, he said. Creating a cooperative workplace is a must.

“Sometimes teachers have an idea but may not fully know how to bring it to fruition or make it authentic, so we spend more time in collaborative mode, working with each other,” Flores said.

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‘I SAW AN OPPORTUNITY TO QUESTION NORMS AND INNOVATE’

At the STEAM Academy’s open, artsy space in north Lexington, students in Marty Vaughan’s English I class gathered in a lounge space outside the classroom or found quiet areas in a session set aside as a writing workshop. Some wrote new sections. Others revised their own work, or reviewed one another’s pieces, or consulted with Vaughan.

As the period progressed, their teacher found time to record a short presentation sharing his guidance for the assignment — a tutorial that students could access online any time. A few students watched as he recorded the video, picking up on his advice.

This setting and structure offers plenty of freedom for students, meaning progress at various stages of completion. Vaughan said that teachers here learn to juggle technology, student questions and struggles, and help teens adjust to the learning atmosphere built around deeper interaction with academic concepts, real-life connections, and explaining results.

“Differentiation is at a whole new level here,” he said.

The English I class is a full-year course, versus the semester classes common at STEAM. The full-year English schedule the transition for students arriving from traditional middle schools across the Fayette County system. “In a lot of cases, it’s a shock.”

The facility, opened by the Fayette district in 2013, is a partnership with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Next Generation Leadership in the College of Education and includes built-in early college courses, community internships, and project-based learning.

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Students need as many experiences as possible in how academics are applied. Otherwise, we’re not giving kids the skills necessary to succeed in a world that’s going to change before they are even out of high school.

— Gary DeBorde, STEAM Academy teacher

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Vaughan said that while new approaches pose challenges, the goal of engaged students moves the job of teaching much closer to the creativity and learning breakthroughs that led many teachers into education.

“I saw too much wrong with the typical American high school classroom,” Vaughan said. “It’s a broken system. Here, I saw the opportunity to question norms and innovate. We’re give the freedom to try and fail forward. It’s a pretty cool place to be.”

Gary DeBorde, an engineering teacher at STEAM since the program began, said he was drawn to principles of design-thinking, where hands-on assignments are built for an authentic customer or end-user. School should encourage students to be thoughtful and results-oriented, he said.  Beyond producing work in line with a project or assignment, students need to be able to justify their choices along the way and explain the final product.

His freshman engineering class offers a grab-bag of challenges — designing fashion, creating board games, building a carbon dioxide powered drag racing vehicle, and more. Using specifications from a national technology student group, DeBorde advises and equips teams of students who work to produce and refine pieces that can ultimately be judged in state or national competitions.

Many educators involved in the push for greater student engagement point to new partnerships and interactions with employers and community members as a step that has expanded their professional focus. The emphasis opens ways for students and teachers to see how academic concepts are actually used.

“Students need as many experiences as possible in how academics are applied. Otherwise, we’re not giving kids the skills necessary to succeed in a world that’s going to change before they are even out of high school,” DeBorde said.

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PLANNING AND REFLECTING ALL DAY

In Marshall County, upgrading teaching through professional collaboration has become an all-day, everyday experience for fourth-grade teachers Shannon Hamlet and Amanda Murphy at Sharpe Elementary.

After seeing the results a pair of teachers in a Wisconsin school achieved using a flexible space to creatively group students, collaborate, and juggle varied experiences throughout the day, Hamlet and a colleague asked to try it. The district arranged to take out a wall at Sharpe to create the giant space where Hamlet and Murphy now work together with 65 students.

Hamlet and Murphy are enthusiastic about using project-based learning to create central themes that prompt new thinking and work from students. In the fall, their fourth-graders spent weeks on the book “The Wild Robot,” about a robot that awakens alone on an island, unaware of what to do next.

It proved an amazing diving board.

“We studied camouflage and adaptations in science, read fiction and nonfiction texts in language arts, researched animals and biomes to write a feature article,” the teachers explained. “We used engineering to create dioramas of biomes and learned about maps and landforms in social studies. We even covered math standards.”

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AT SHARPE ELEMENTARY IN MARSHALL COUNTY, fourth-grade teachers Shannon Hamlet, foreground, and Amanda Murphy work in a combined classroom where 65 students work in flexible groups and teachers collaborate throughout the day.

At an exhibition for parents and family members at the end of the weeks-long project — featuring a robot that students built in honor or Roz, the title character — students discussed what they had learned and how topics connected.

“We just stood back and watched,” Murphy said. “Parents talked about how passionate their children had been. They were proud the children had done so much work.” The large robot in the gym lobby made the project a buzzy topic in the school.

Hamlet said that the co-teaching arrangement and focus on projects has enhanced her potential as a teacher.

“Teaching is a lot about planning and reflecting, and we can do that all day,” Hamlet said. “We can create small groups for students as we see that is needed, and when a lesson is going south or not clicking, we are a tag team. It’s constant planning in motion all day where we are also continually assessing kids and ourselves.”

Hamlet is energized by conceiving projects that grip students and allow them to learn across subject areas.

“Hands-on learning has been very important to me from the beginning of my teaching career,” she said. “It’s the way I like to do things.”

Seeing the sense of discovery in students has become a driving force.

“Students who struggle get a chance to shine when it connects to life, and they feel more freedom,” Hamlet said. “Seeing the a-ha moments of connecting and pulling in so many standards is a big payoff. And we can go bigger.”

The day after the parent exhibition on the robot project, Murphy and Hamlet were already thinking ahead to January, mulling the next big unit. Still on the table: a biography project — maybe a wax museum.

“We’re proud of what we can put together and so proud of what the kids can do,” Hamlet said.

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TOP PHOTO: South Marshall Middle School teacher Kalli Colley talks with eighth grade students planning a presentation.

CAN SKILLS, DEEPER LEARNING CRACK THE STATUS QUO?

SCOTTSVILLE — The feel of sixth-grade social studies last fall at the Allen County Intermediate Center was definitely not “textbook.”

Teachers introduced a new unit where local history and regional economic development took center stage for students. Their premise was that opening imaginations to the future — plus a major creative burst of cardboard art — would drive teams of 11-year-olds to suggest new enterprises that could enhance local pride and nurture community life, complete with imaginative makeshift prototypes.

Academic standards usually yield generic lessons and faraway references. Teachers here reconceived the opening chunk of sixth-grade content as a set of active, team-focused, hands-on explorations closely tied to the local community and its economic challenges.

The experience sparked proposals for a train depot museum, a livestock market, a shopping mall, and other ventures that would honor local culture and boost economic and social opportunities. Students proposed a drive-in theater complete with an extensive snack bar, a photo booth and a supersized abominable snowman statue. The drive-in and train depot became the themes of a pair of Christmas parade floats representing the school and pulled up South Court Street by a tractor.

The plunge into more engaging and relevant student learning and incorporating skills like collaboration and communication made a strong impression.

“It’s amazing because we get a voice. It makes us think about that we can make a change in the county,” said Ay’Den Grainger, part of the group of five students researching and creating the prototype for the drive-in theater.

The drive-in was appealing because it could draw people of all ages, explained Henry Harper. He said it is also needed. The nearest drive-in screen is 25 miles away in Franklin. The closest movie theater is further — in Bowling Green.

Gracie Chandler said that the unique assignment motivated her classmates in interesting ways: “It’s about how to overcome challenges, identify problems, and get stuff done.” She liked doing creative work in teams.

Allen County teachers were among 255 across Kentucky who participated in free project-based learning training ahead of this school year. Turning academic standards into hands-on, student-driven investigations is part of a three-year state grant to promote achievement and skills for adult success through relevant, engaging student work.

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FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS at Allen County Intermediate work on a project that involved mapping, geometry and habitat content as they planned what community services would need to be restored after a natural catastrophe.

Veteran sixth-grade teacher Amanda Minix joined the training based on enthusiasm from district and school leaders. “I was really skeptical when they told us about the training,” she recalled. “After 22 years, I know that we tend to jump on bandwagons, so I thought this was something else that would come and go.” Putting the approach into action made her an enthusiast.

“As we got started with this unit, I saw how this could work,” Minix added. She said students became more eager to be at school, behavior issues declined, classroom conversations were more focused, and adults and students alike saw how the learning could fuel success beyond school.

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STATE GRANT AIMS TO SPREAD ‘VIBRANT’ LEARNING

State officials expect the number of teachers involved in the project-based learning training to grow significantly this summer. Regional sessions are planned. All eight regional education cooperatives have added staff to actively coach and support educators in active learning experiences.

The push toward new classroom approaches is key to the state education department’s United We Learn strategic plan, drafted in 2021 following meetings with educators, students, families, and business leaders across the state. It calls for delivering more vibrant learning experiences for students, creating innovation in assessment, and establishing greater collaboration between educators and communities.

Pandemic shutdowns in 2020 and 2021 fueled wide reflection about the outcomes of students’ learning experiences and the need to produce results beyond a narrow focus on multiple-choice and short-answer state tests, educators said.

“There’s been a growing feeling that it’s time to move toward the systems kids need to have to be prepared for life,” said Robb Smith, now the statewide director of deeper learning for the Kentucky Association of Educational Cooperatives and a retired superintendent. The co-ops combined to win a $24.5 million three-year grant to support deeper learning experiences. Of 171 Kentucky school districts, 167 joined the effort.

“We want to build stronger partnerships with business people, families, and citizens — we have a responsibility to meet the needs of our communities,” Smith said.

More engaging and relevant learning experiences have been expanding steadily.

In 2010, district-level and community involvement to engage all students in more active learning led the University of Kentucky College of Education to start its Next Generation Leadership Academy for school teams seeking new approaches. In the 12 years since, the academies have involved about 1,200 educators from 75 districts.

Lawmakers in 2012 enacted innovation provisions allowing districts and schools to implement programs to improve student learning and achievement. The state education department created an innovation division to work with interested districts and expand personalized learning.

In the fall of 2021, the state education department launched its Local Laboratories of Learning to collaborate with school districts in a network of community projects to redefine essential student outcomes, overhaul teaching and learning, and explore assessment and accountability alternatives.

Seven districts joined the first year. (Allen, Jefferson, Fleming, Shelby, Logan, and Johnson counties, along with the Frankfort independent district.) Six more joined in the spring of 2022. (Boone, Bullitt, Lawrence, and Greenup counties, as well as Berea and Corbin.) Five more districts joined last fall. (Carter, Floyd, Washington, Rowan, and LaRue counties.)

More broadly, 43 Kentucky districts have become part of the state’s Innovative Learning Network, a professional learning outreach effort to offer technical assistance and support on deeper learning efforts.

“The demand is there from communities — they recognize the importance of skills for lifelong learning well beyond education,” said Sarah Snipes, innovative strategies manager at the state education department. “In schools and in communities, people know that we need something different for students.”

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The demand is there from communities — they recognize the importance of skills for lifelong learning well beyond education. … People know that we need something different for students.

— Sarah Snipes, Kentucky Department of Education

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The state’s assistance is designed to combine community understanding with education system changes to assure wide and lasting input and support. Snipes said that deeper learning changes mark a big shift for schools.

“What makes the work of last two years look different is seeing community collaboration mobilize and take hold differently,” Snipes said. “Educators and community representatives see themselves making something together and see that come alive in classrooms.”

“Making sure everyone is at the table has been really powerful,” added Travis Hamby, superintendent of the Allen County district, part of the first cohort involved in the Local Laboratories of Learning program. Wide community input helped Allen County’s educators define larger goals for students — expectations that spelled out the need for all students to become resilient learners, creative problem solvers, accountable collaborators and more. “We got what the community said they want,” Hamby said.

“It comes back to why we all got into education to begin with — to make a difference with students and create engaging activities. Learning is about curiosity and asking questions,” Hamby said. “To go down this path, we recognize that we had lost some of that. But when you start talking about the possibilities of engaging with kids in the learning process, and building up everyone’s skills and passions, that resonates with people.”

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SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES AWAIT

As interested administrators and a team of deeper learning coaches nurture growing interest in schools, educators who have been at the forefront of such programs point to the need for policy changes and new approaches.

Some challenging areas where educators say new approaches will be vital:

> Redefining assessment and accountability. State tests focus on multiple-choice and short-answer questions in single content areas. Meanwhile, an accountability system that classifies schools based on that narrow snapshot reinforces test-driven teaching and learning. Can state leaders find measures and a system that will not only permit — but measure and recognize — well-rounded students who can produce and explain meaningful work?

> Addressing professional preparation. Rigid certification and training rules classify teachers as subject- and grade-level specialists, with teacher prep programs necessarily following that mold. How can current and prospective teachers become strong designers of powerful learning experiences? How do preparation programs train teachers to cover teamwork, presentation skills, and interdisciplinary content?

> Coordinating succession and team building. Dynamic school environments are often the product of maverick or charismatic individual leaders. How can schools and districts develop teams of skilled educators and administrators prepared to build upon stronger learning experiences and innovation successes?

> Garnering solid legislative support. The budding emphasis on developing durable skills and student engagement clearly connects to labor market and economic development needs. How does the education system work with legislative champions to assure statutory and regulatory support for significant changes in student learning and testing?

> Sharpening outreach and communication. Public schools are deeply wrapped in tradition. How do schools, districts and the larger system coordinate and succeed in reframing needs and solutions to win public support and involve citizens, family members, business leaders, and others as advocates?

“What will be needed is an attractive alternative that’s easily understood by educators and the community,” said Justin Bathon, associate professor and chair of the educational leadership studies department at UK.

Bathon has faced the challenges of moving beyond the status quo as a co-founder of the STEAM Academy high school in Lexington, a designer of UK’s deeper learning academy, a developer of school leaders, and a public school parent.

“Over the last 25 years, we’ve told everyone that education means a deeply measurable, simplified thing,” he said. “It’s difficult to ask a system under pressure and that doesn’t have resources make this kind of major shift.”

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Over the last 25 years, we’ve told everyone that education means a deeply measurable, simplified thing. It’s difficult to make a system under pressure and that doesn’t have resources make this kind of major shift.

— Justin Bathon, University of Kentucky College of Education

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His experience with the STEAM Academy, a partnership with the Fayette County school district, involved a mix of challenges. “It can be hard to hold the ground you have achieved,” Bathon said. “We almost need to define a new type of school as living in a different category for district and board choices to be different. Right now, there is no category for schools that have broken the mold where we’ve provided long-term supports to be sustainably different.”

Carmen Coleman, director of deeper learning for the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative in Shelbyville, said that the growing interest in what students need to be successful as adults opens big possibilities. “We’ve got an opportunity with forces coming together that we haven’t had, so it’s a really important moment in time.”

Coleman was previously chief academic officer of the state’s largest school district, implementing Jefferson County’s Backpack of Success Skills program beginning in 2018. She also worked with Bathon at UK and was superintendent of one of the state’s original Districts of Innovation.

Achieving a more meaningful school experience will require changing the power of test scores in the public’s mind and in educators’ careers, Coleman said.

“The districts that we are working with all want to do something differently — they see the need for change and a different kind of student experience for successful futures. There’s no argument about the need,” she said.

As local schools move toward more rigorous and relevant learning, the requirements and routines of the education system are due for a makeover, Coleman said.

“We are getting what the system is designed to produce, and we need drastic changes on that front,” Coleman said. “Teaching is so focused on individual standards. People lose jobs over state test scores. And the teachers most inexperienced are just trying to survive. People are understandably nervous about doing anything away from the norm.”

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STUDENT OUTCOMES, VOICES ILLUMINATE NEEDS

While standardized tests or course-taking indicate how many students are “proficient” or “ready” by graduation day, the data fail to register how students fare in actual settings. After a decade of deeper learning efforts, however, many recent graduates are eager to reflect on the impact of school experiences.

As a senior at Fern Creek High School in Louisville in the spring of 2019, Keilen Frazier was in the first group of Jefferson County students to make a presentation explaining how high school learning and achievements equipped him to move forward.

Learning defenses, where students present to a panel of teachers and community members, are a component of district’s Backpack of Success Skills program as students leave elementary, middle and high school.

Frazier was an early fan the district’s move to provide students challenging experiences, reflect on their work, and practice skills beyond academic recall.

“A lot of seniors, I think, aren’t ready to graduate,” Frazier explained in a 2019 interview. “In their head, they think they are, but deep down inside they know they aren’t. They just want to get out even though they don’t know what they’re getting out into. I feel like the Backpack really does help us center ourselves to figure out what we’re going to do next — that next chapter. I wish we had something like this our freshman year.”

Weeks before graduating, Frazier said many students see standardized tests as a poor measure of what matters for success. “The Backpack gives you more opportunity to show what you do than standardized testing. I struggled academically my freshman year,” he explained. “I do better when I can actually do things. I’ve learned more outside the building than I have inside.”

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IN A 2019 PHOTO, FERN CREEK HIGH senior Keilen Frazier was among the first group of Jefferson County high school students to make a presentation about how classwork and experiences demonstrated command of skills like critical thinking, collaboration and leadership. Now a photojournalism major at Western Kentucky University, he said the experience in Jefferson County was good preparation for college and succeeding in internships.

Now a photojournalism major at Western Kentucky University, Frazier said he still appreciates the changes he saw in his final years in Jefferson County. The emphasis on presentations defending one’s work turned out to be common in many college assignments. He also liked that students could gain recognition for acquiring skills beyond their classwork through extracurricular activities and team competitions. In college, he has focused on landing a series of internships to gain a professional edge beyond college.

“Leadership can translate to any organization,” Frazier said in a recent interview. “Understanding how to work together, knowing what’s expected, and how to move things forward — that’s how things work in classes, in student organizations, in teams, and on the job. You’ve got to know how to solve problems and get to the end zone, which is what the Backpack program is about.”

Frazier said schools need to build students’ opportunities and abilities to work together, solve problems, and communicate.

Jaley Adkins, preparing for early graduation after her third year at the University of Louisville, said that the opportunity to do original research and be involved in hands-on projects at Belfry High School in Pike County were enormous advantages in college and as she focuses on postgraduate programs.

During her senior year of high school, Adkins and a classmate earned a spot at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in California.

In short, their project examined whether extracts of natural products — including kudzu flowers picked from vines growing on a hill beside the school parking lot — could capture gold or silver nanoparticles from an acid compound and possibly replace commonly used chemical solutions in medicine. (Gold and silver nanoparticles are adept at bonding with cancer cells, making them a tool for locating cancer cells in MRIs, for example, or delivering highly targeted treatments.)

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IN A 2020 PHOTO, BELFRY HIGH seniors Jaley Adkins, left, Madison Slone, and teacher Haridas Chandran discussed the students’ research testing whether kudzu extract can capture gold or silver nanoparticles potentially useful in cancer diagnosis. Adkins, now a student at the University of Louisville, said her in-depth high school learning experience inspired ongoing interest in medical research.

The experience connected Adkins with U of L. Her research has continued there, leading to plans for graduate school and a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry and engineering.

“Based on my experience at Belfry, teachers and schools trying to make learning more engaging is easily one of the most beneficial things that can be done for students,” Adkins said in a recent interview. “Without teachers like Doc, I would not be where I am today. Making learning more engaging truly brings students into it and makes them feel like they are playing an active part in their learning.”

Haridas “Doc” Chandran, the Belfry High science and engineering teacher and leader of the school’s STEAM lab, said in a 2020 interview that one of his first discoveries as a teacher was that schoolwork was deeply disconnected from adult life and local realities.

“The education the kids received was not related to the workforce and the economy we have, which was going down. I thought I should motivate these kids to go beyond what they might normally know — the 21st century workforce is not the thing they had 30 years ago.” Drones, 3-D printers, and investigations into medicine, construction and energy became focal points.

“I just mentor — give them directions,” Chandran said. “They take that initiative and do it by themselves. If something happens, they come and ask me. It’s research, understand, and complete the work. That’s the learning process.”

Adkins said that engaging challenges are essential to producing motivated students.

“I think schools should step up to help students find their passions sooner,” Adkins said. “Too often now, schools are focused on teaching for exams, not teaching for love. That is what happens when there is applied learning. Like me, students can find what they love through these applied experiences.”

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TOP PHOTO: Sixth grade students at Allen County Intermediate Center add details to a cardboard model of their proposed drive-in theater, complete with cotton to suggest an all-season entertainment destination.

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SCHOOLS CONNECT TO MODERN MODES OF WORK

SHELBYVILLE — It’s nine years before high school graduation (May 2032) for Elijah Mabrey and his third-grade classmates at Heritage Elementary on the eastern edge of Shelby County. However, that distant horizon hasn’t stopped Elijah or Heritage from getting ready. Efforts to meet Shelby County’s new goals for graduates are in high gear across the elementary grades.

In front of a hallway display their class created last year — as second graders — Mabrey and classmates Stella Franklin and Dallas Husband explained the district’s hexagon-shaped “graduate profile” diagram in terms that would make sense to even the youngest Heritage students.

Stella said that young students need to know that part of becoming a lifelong learner means knowing that people grow from their mistakes.

Elijah pointed out the blue wedge on the poster that says “a global citizen.”

“The community would get worse if we didn’t make good choices like being involved, like picking up trash,” the eight-year-old explained. “We can grow up to be really good. Like getting people to share.”

Dallas, also 8, noted the wedge that symbolizes “an effective communicator.”

He looked at the reporter intently, speaking slowly. “One thing that’s important is eye contact,” he said without blinking. “You have to make eye contact so a person knows that you are talking to them.”

Preparing students to use what they know is driving districts across Kentucky to rethink the skills that students should gain in their school years. The emerging graduate profiles often involve districts seeking increased input from educators, community members, employers, and students themselves. The process is also calling attention to measures of achievement that go beyond state test scores or basic credit hours earned.

In Shelby County, priority outcomes now include developing all students as critical thinkers, responsible collaborators, lifelong learners, effective communicators, global citizens, and inspired innovators.

That focus was evident as fourth grade teacher Taylor Shaver posed warm-up questions ahead of a reading assignment.

The whiteboard at the front of the room showed the day’s academic standards: Reading text with attention to what the characters desire and obstacles they face. Also, analyzing characters’ actions, thoughts, and words throughout the text.

Shaver projected a photo on a screen — a statue of the explorer York. He stands facing the Ohio River on the downtown Louisville Belvedere. York, an enslaved man on the Lewis and Clark expedition, is depicted in bronze. He holds a rifle and carries a brace of ducks. He is outfitted with a hatchet and hunting pouch.

“What inferences do you make from the character in this statue?” the teacher asked.

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A FOURTH GRADE STUDENT AT HERITAGE ELEMENTARY in Shelby County prepares to respond to a question in teacher Taylor Shaver’s class.

One student said the man looks brave. The teacher asked what skills the class could use to analyze the image. “We can be critical thinkers by asking questions, like what it means to be brave,” one student said. Classmates noted that being brave can mean someone is fearless or confident.

The teacher said it is important to be on the lookout for telling details in reading and to think critically about how characters respond to situations and surroundings.

Xander Kleiner, one of the fourth graders in the pre-reading discussion, said that the Shelby County graduate profile is a common source for school discussions. “We use it to see that by asking questions, we are thinking flexibly. We know we are responsible collaborators when we talk to each other and share each other’s ideas.”

“When we think in creative ways, it helps us be a well-rounded person,” he noted.

“In math we use critical thinking a lot,” added Julia Swinford, another fourth grader. “It’s what happens when we try again, or know we need to find a stronger justification.”

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GRADUATE PROFILES REFLECT LOCAL NEEDS

The Shelby County graduate profile now influences classroom work and serves as a focal point for the district’s public outreach.

“This was created by the community,” said Sally Sugg, the Shelby County superintendent. A series of community forums, input from families and students, and in-school conversations produced the profile’s goals. As administrators have connected in-school experiences and new workplace learning to the skills, continuing community meetings are used to monitor how well progress is being communicated and understood.

“Everybody involved values these competencies to a great degree,” Sugg said of the profile. “We’ve heard repeatedly how people don’t lose jobs because they don’t have knowledge, they lose them because they don’t have skills.”

Based on community connections, the district has created a work-based learning liaison position, career workshops for students, and more support for high school students working in local jobs.

At the state level, increased community collaboration is one of three priority areas in the education department’s new strategic priorities known as United We Learn, introduced in late 2021.  Community partnerships are also a focus of a deeper learning grant initiative by Kentucky’s education cooperatives.

“Opportunities to engage communities and create deep and meaningful learning experiences for students abound in our Commonwealth,” Education Commissioner Jason Glass wrote in 2021.

Mike Hesketh, owner of an industrial powder coating company in Shelby County, said it was more than six years ago that local employers and Shelby County education leaders began realizing independently that important skills were missing in the local workforce.

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We’ve heard repeatedly how people don’t lose jobs because they don’t have knowledge, they lose them because they don’t have skills.

— Sally Sugg, Shelby County superintendent

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“It was a challenge filling new positions, and several business owners started discussing our challenges in finding the workforce we needed. We learned that the school district was working on those same areas in its graduate profile, and we said, ‘Boy, this is timely,’ ” he recalled. “They were willing to listen and update their strategic plan.”

“A high school diploma is nice, and we understand the big push for assessment and accountability with state testing or the ACT, but we see plenty of extremely bright, motivated students who don’t test well,” Hesketh said. There are also many honor roll students who struggle outside of school because they lack an ability to communicate or adapt to changing circumstances.

Hesketh said that the most impressive sign he’s seen in his recent work with schools was a third grader in a school board meeting presenting his “learning defense” — an activity taking hold in many schools focused on deeper learning. In front of a panel of adults, students share their best work and describe how they’ve grown. They explain what skills have become strengths and areas where they want to improve .

“This third grader was telling how he was a critical thinker. He talked about projects he’d done and about solving a problem — ‘this is what I found out’; ‘this is what I did’ — it was amazing,” Hesketh said.

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SKILLS UPDATE GROWS FROM A DECADE OF ACTION

Learning defenses and electronic portfolios of students’ best work from real-world projects are growing as a way to measure students’ skills.

In 2018, Jefferson County launched its Backpack of Success Skills program (its own graduate profile) and a partnership with Google to create a digital backpack for every student to collect student work. Students in 5th, 8th, and 12th grade make official presentations to a panel of educators and community members to showcase their work and describe gains on the “Backpack” skills. Panelists also get time to ask students questions.

Through the pandemic, Jefferson County’s emphasis continued with virtual presentations. Last school year, 20,625 student defense presentations were held across Jefferson County. In the first six weeks of this school year, district officials said that about 40,000 examples of school work were loaded by students into individual digital backpacks.

Many schools and districts have used the last decade to make impressive gains in overhauling learning environments to focus more on student input, local economic connections, and more engaging work.

The single-campus Eminence independent district in Henry County is a pioneer in student-driven learning experiences dating back to 2010. It increased high-tech connections and more rigorous classes after interviewing students about how school could improve. The district’s makeover also emphasized “surprise and delight” as qualities that inspire effort and creativity from staff and students, boosting achievement.

The vibe permeates. The elementary dining space at Eminence looks more like a cafe than a lunchroom. A looping slide connects the second floor with the ground-level cafeteria. An airy, multi-purpose addition resembles a high-tech corporate training retreat more than a school.

“The biggest thing for us was we wanted our diploma to mean something,” Superintendent Buddy Berry explained in a June webcast for superintendents held by the state education department. “We thought we needed something bigger than a program. We needed … something for our town to rally around.” He said the outcome was “a completely personalized, technology-rich, authentic, passion-based learning environment where kids couldn’t wait to be at school every day.”

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It was a challenge filling new positions, and several business owners started discussing our challenges in finding the workforce we needed. We learned that the school district was working on those same areas in its graduate profile, and we said, ‘Boy, this is timely.’

— Mike Hesketh, Shelby County business owner

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Over about the same timeframe, districts across Eastern Kentucky have embraced the connection between education and economic development. The emphasis has prompted courses and career training that offer creative responses to needs in Appalachian communities and local resources.

Active, applied learning approaches have been championed and spread by the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, which promoted enterprising Appalachian school programs as part of a renaissance “to lift the region out of generational poverty and historically poor educational outcomes.”

Teachers have eagerly shared creative learning opportunities.

> At a KVEC regional conference four years ago, for example, a Knott County elementary teacher explained how she added software coding lessons for her third grade math class, allowing students to program robots. She explained seeing the connection between coding and math after learning that computer science jobs were growing far faster than the qualified workforce.

> Under carpentry teacher Don Page, Phelps High School in Pike County has become well-known for annually designing and selling new “tiny houses,” an enterprise now popular in area technology centers.

> At Belfry High School, also in Pike County, the STEAM Lab led by science and engineering teacher Haridas Chandran, known as “Doc,” has gained a reputation for in-depth projects with local applications.

His class resembles an inventor’s workshop. Students have examined chemical compositions that exist in coal, measured water quality in local wells, examined local medical trends and needs, even testing kudzu for medicinal qualities and as a building material.

“I want my students to learn more than what I have learned — I want them to be No. 1 in the world and compete with anybody,” Chandran said in a 2020 interview. “We’ve built a program where students can gain knowledge that fits the 21st century workforce — where they can take initiative, and they gain motivation to want to start something to help in this area.”

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STUDENT VOICE, COMMUNITY INPUT GROW

Hesketh of Shelby County has high hopes for what business leaders and deeper learning proponents can accomplish to equip students with skills that match the times.

“This is definitely having an impact,” he said. “Our industries are not the industries of the old days. Everyone is reluctant to change, but we need to take this message out to everyone in the county.”

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TEACHER HARIDAS CHANDRAN AT BELFRY HIGH checks on students in his STEAM Lab as they work on a prototype biodigester which will convert manure and food scraps into fertilizer. 2020 photo.

Charlie Reeves, now a sixth grader at East Middle School in Shelby County, said that his experience with graduate profile skills that connected to classwork helped him become a better student. He said that the learning defense presentation he made last year at Heritage Elementary allowed him to stand out in a way tests couldn’t.

“I’m really shy, but I got to show myself. It was just me,” he recalled. “I’ve become more responsible. I’m five times more confident. I’ve grown a large amount.”

Shaver, the fourth-grade teacher, said that he has been impressed at how thoughtful students have been about connecting graduate profile skills with life beyond school.

“I have found it extremely powerful when a child can tell me how they’ve been a responsible collaborator during scouts, on their baseball team, or in church,” Shaver said.

J.J. Black, principal at Heritage Elementary, said the graduate profile presents students with important new challenges. The district’s expectations encourage students to make their voices heard and to recognize their roles as contributors to the school and their own success.

“The profile has given kids license to be an advocate for themselves and push us at times,” the principal said. “It’s been about educating the whole student to realize that their world isn’t in these four walls.”

Black said the district now has a thorough plan for stressing the graduate profile and challenging academic work.

“The skills aren’t something we see in a silo or as an extra,” she said. “They are naturally a part of who people are and what we should work toward.”

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TOP PHOTO: Stella Franklin, Dallas Husband and Elijah Mabrey stand in front of a poster that their second grade class at Heritage Elementary in Shelby County created last year. It explains the district’s “graduate profile” skills in language young students can understand.

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NEW ENERGY BOOSTS RELEVANT LEARNING, SKILLS

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MOREHEAD — For chemistry students at Rowan County Senior High, lab experiments testing properties of water will produce more than scores for a teacher’s grade book. Students’ findings and questions are designed to spark lively conversations — in this case about aliens, telescopes scanning for inhabitable planets, and the challenges of colonizing distant moons.

Turning chemistry into investigations built around storylines that grab students’ interests are now a fixture for building a deeper understanding of academic standards. Teachers April Adkins and Brianna Greenhill make chemistry a catalyst for compelling student interaction.

Last school year, nearby Carter Caves became the surprise classroom to study intermolecular forces — a field trip to explore how rainwater and limestone interact to carve massive underground chambers, trails and habitat.

Water experiments this fall were part of a chemistry unit asking students to look for patterns in molecules like carbohydrates, enzyme proteins, metal ions, and more that are building blocks of life on Earth. Students reported patterns of elements, charged particles, and water present across the samples. That knowledge helps students understand discoveries from the infrared astronomy of the new James Webb Space Telescope, and how it uses spectroscopy to analyze the atmosphere of distant planets.

“They are hooked,” said Adkins, a 12-year teacher. “We are hearing from parents and the community that kids are talking about chemistry at home, which is unbelievable.”

Weaving academic content and relevant topics into engaging learning experiences also promotes other skills: Using evidence and findings to generate questions, design investigations, function as a team, regroup at dead ends, and present results — all now part of high school chemistry in Morehead.

“Problem-solving, communication and research are just parts of the learning process,” said Greenhill, now in her 14th year teaching. “These are things that can happen when students are absorbing content knowledge more.“

“These are skills that will last through their lives,” Adkins added.

Curiosity and creativity are taking root in an increasing number of Kentucky schools and districts as fuel for stronger academic understanding and high-demand problem-solving skills.

Hands-on “deeper learning” can be a spark for educators seeking outcomes beyond mere passing grades. Such experiences fit well with existing efforts to assure student mastery of academic standards, provide re-teaching to make sure that students fully understand fundamentals, and address individual learning styles and needs.

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MATH TEACHER ALISSA NANNIE works with students on the properties of similar figures at Grace James Academy of Excellence in Jefferson County.

More engaging learning experiences are also rooted in local desires to deliver more meaningful education experiences and a diploma that connects with adult success.

In response to an interconnected, technological world, Kentucky schools and districts have been drafting new “graduate profiles.” As a result, skills like problem solving, communication, adaptability, citizenship, and more are becoming part of the goal of academic achievement.

In Rowan County, the focus on deeper student learning has grown over the past four years. It has encouraged both in-depth projects like those created by the high school chemistry teachers and the district’s graduate profile, stating its intent to equip all students as lifelong learners, effective communicators, global citizens, critical thinkers, and active collaborators.

“We started down this road by asking what we are expecting students to master and what skills our community is wanting in high school students,” explained Brandy Carver, the former Rowan County Senior High principal who now serves as the district’s director of professional learning and districtwide programs.

Carver said that the updated focus points educators toward stronger connections with employers and the community while boosting student engagement.

She said that the district is committed to producing graduates better prepared for the world beyond high school.

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DURABLE SKILLS IN HIGH DEMAND

While proficiency in reading, writing, math, science, and other academic fundamentals is essential, good grades are an inadequate measure of the know-how needed to thrive as adults.

Examining 82 million job postings in 2019 and 2020, the group America Succeeds, based in Denver, found that skills in communication, leadership, self-management, and critical thinking were the most common attributes sought in postings across all job categories.

The non-profit group developed a list of “durable skills” most needed in today’s workforce. Employers want to see that job candidates can apply knowledge — collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking — along with characteristics like leadership, fortitude, character, growth mindset, self-awareness, and personal management.

The group said that in an economy that values agility, “students and workers will need to commit to ‘up-skilling’ and ‘re-skilling’ as they respond to economic shifts and disruptions.”

In its 2021 report, “The High Demand for Durable Skills,” America Succeeds calls on state policymakers and school leaders to ensure students are ready for the job market.

“The best preparation in the face of uncertainty and rapid innovation is a combination of academics, digital literacy, and durable skills,” the report stated. “We need intentional, strategic policies and practices that strengthen the linkages between education and workforce.”

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We started down this road by asking what we are expecting students to master and what skills our community is wanting in high school students.

— Brandy Carver, Rowan County Schools

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Many Kentucky schools are moving in that direction.

Last summer, the state’s eight regional education cooperatives — groups that provide support services for school districts — launched a major campaign to train and support educators in spreading “deeper learning” experiences and assessments. The co-ops won a $24.5 million grant from the state’s education-focused COVID-relief funds for a three-year effort to support local “deeper learning” experiences. Of 171 Kentucky school districts, 167 joined the effort.

“We see this as a collaborative response to reimagine school for all and accelerate student learning,” said Bart Flener, a former superintendent who directs the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative in Bowling Green. Pandemic shutdowns and remote learning caused administrators to consider new approaches that would improve student success, he said. For co-op leaders, spreading concepts like durable skills and more interesting learning experiences fit the moment.

Observers say that the drive for more meaningful school outcomes is well underway in many areas. Education leaders have been initiating local conversations about essential skills, expanding internships and community service opportunities to connect schools and communities, and supporting classroom outcomes that stretch beyond one-dimensional test scores or an outdated high school diploma.

“We’ve got an opportunity right now to say let’s look at success in a different way,” Flener said. “Vibrant learning experiences — more collaboration and innovation — are about how students can use what they know in new situations they are going to face in real life.”

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EDUCATION BEYOND THE ASSEMBLY LINE

A school culture of student engagement, empowerment, and sense of belonging were top goals in Jefferson County three years ago when it established Grace James Academy of Excellence, a new middle school that will grow to encompass high school years.

Better systems to monitor student achievement, lessons steeped in project-based learning, and a personalized classroom approach are ways the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) magnet school for girls builds involvement and academic results.

Skills like collaboration, resilience, originality and willingness are also bedrocks, even in off-campus experiences that connect students to career pathways and practitioners.

Principal Ronda Cosby said that relevant academics that emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking and the focus on collaboration and communication are a good fit for students, who she describes as eager for more active, involved learning and skill-building connected to a fast-moving economy.

She said that adapting to current economic needs and future demands are often a tougher shift for adults in the system accustomed to a rigid assembly-line model of education.

“School does not reflect the generation that we currently serve,” Cosby explained. “Seats in rows, stand-and-deliver teaching, apathetic kids? Students are excited and ready to learn. We need to be wide open to what school can and should be for today’s students.”

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Seats in rows, stand-and-deliver teaching, apathetic kids? Students are excited and ready to learn. We need to be wide open to what school can and should be for today’s students.

— Ronda Cosby, principal of Grace James Academy of Excellence in Jefferson County

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At Grace James, the new approach has made student perspective a prime focus for adults, which has produced greater attention to classrooms that are comfortable and appealing to students — from furniture to layout and atmosphere. Meanwhile, serious student discourse is a goal for what teaching produces in classrooms.

“Our whole job is not to school students, it’s to educate them,” Cosby said. “We school them to death, then they learn the game of school and become compliant, ritualistic learners. We need learners who are engaged and who own it when it comes to the outcome and performance. We are creating a school that empowers, activates and illuminates academic excellence.”

Planning for outcomes that include skills and student engagement is a major change, said math teacher Alissa Nannie.

“Personalized learning has really helped me grow,” she said. It requires a stronger connection with students, openness to different approaches and even different answers, a clear focus on the daily goal, and a readiness to keep working to help students understand key ideas, Nannie added.

“I’m ready to provide so many opportunities for you to show me you’ve mastered what you need to know,” she said.

Abigail Seow, an eighth grader, said that the school helps students see their academic progress and areas where more work is needed. At the same time, it gives students experiences that help them have “a more open mind” to future careers and ways of being involved.

Fellow eighth grader Diamond Barnes said that the school’s eagerness to hear students’ voices is important. Encouraging students’ interests also makes her pleased to be at Grace James. “We have deeper connections than just learn and go home,” she said.

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EXPANDING EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS, EDUCATORS

This fall in Rowan County, fifth graders at Tilden Hogge Elementary in the rolling hills north of Morehead had the school playground on their minds like never before.

Far from daydreaming, students were tackling issues previously handled by adults running schools. When the co-ops’ grant offered training for teachers in planning and delivering project-based learning over the summer, six of the 10 teachers at Tilden Hogge volunteered and then trained their colleagues.

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FIFTH GRADERS AT TILDEN HOGGE ELEMENTARY spent part of the fall learning about community uses of public spaces, focusing on ways to improve the school playground. Pictured are (from left) Ellie Kidd, Jaida Mays, Milyn Mason, (front) Joel Howard and Colton Branham.

After the training, the school planned projects at each grade level about decision making and community involvement, covering academic standards throughout the process.

Fifth graders at the 200-student school explored how community spaces bring people together. The school’s playground was a focal point.

“We are thinking about our school’s space and what we should do with it,” explained Milyn Mason. Personally, she liked the idea of a bigger see-saw. She said the idea of space to accommodate a movie night for locals came up. Students discussed possibilities in class, examined the space, and asked parents, families, and classmates for input. They’ve also learned about strategies for gaining wider input from the community.

Students studied the challenge of creating and measuring responses to open-ended questions versus a set list when designing a survey. They found that interview responses often provided the best input. “It’s been really interesting to learn about what a survey researcher does,” said Joel Howard. He hoped that a new swing set would make the cut once the group reached a final conclusion, which the group said would come with charts to back up their recommendations.

“You need data to create new things,” noted Colton Branham. He said that students discussed space and how things might fit. They were also mindful of safety issues and costs before they present final recommendations.

Principal Brandy Breeze said the process has covered academic standards while reaching into the community, giving students a new taste of ownership and deep involvement as they learn. “It will grow from here,” she said.

“There’s a lot of reading to do, but I’ve been excited,” fifth-grader Jaida Mays said of the school space project. She enjoys reading as well as solving problems in math. “I didn’t know it was going to be fun. We’re pretty lucky — I don’t think kids at many schools have gotten to do this before.”

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TOP PHOTO: Chemistry students at Rowan County Senior High test properties of water and other materials in lab experiments as part of a project focused on the ingredients required to support life.

This year marks a significant milestone for the Prichard Committee, as we gear up to utilize a $47 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. We will channel $30 million of this grant directly into the Kentucky education system through the implementation of full-service community schools, known as the Kentucky Community School Initiative, across 20 school districts.

This initiative will be driven by deep community engagement and comprehensive planning that aims to better coordinate existing community resources and develop new ones that have been proven to support student success. We are actively seeking 16 additional school districts to join us in this transformative mission for Kentucky education.

If you believe your school district would be a great fit for this initiative, we encourage you to continue reading this blog, check out the resources linked below, and fill out the interest survey to receive future information.

The initiative is built on an evidence-based model that has been shown to significantly improve educational outcomes. The research demonstrates that effectively implemented community schools result in improved student achievement, reduced dropout rates, higher college enrollment, and better overall health and well-being for students and families—especially in high-poverty schools.

The model is structured around four foundational pillars for student success and includes:

• Active family and community engagement
• Expanded and enriched learning times
• Integrated Supports
• Collaborative leadership and practices to support high-quality teaching

These pillars will be supported with an array of pipeline services shown to enhance student success, like early childhood programs and support for postsecondary and workforce readiness. For a more detailed understanding of the approach, we recommend reading the Prichard Committee KCSI brief.

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The development of full-service community schools in 20 districts across Kentucky will be supported by a state steering committee and the University of Kentucky College of Education Center for Evaluation. Through this collaborative effort, we aim to contribute to the research literature on effective community-school models and scale promising approaches statewide. We believe that this initiative has the potential to be truly transformational, removing non-academic barriers to student success and ensuring improved outcomes for Kentucky’s young people.

We are grateful for the support of our partners, the Kentucky Department of Education, the Family Resource Youth Service Centers, and the UK Center for Evaluation. We encourage interested school districts to indicate their interest and follow the link to the interest form.

The first meeting of the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative Steering Committee will be held at the Groundswell Summit in Floyd County on June 14 and 15. The Summit will showcase the Great Schools Showcase, a platform for passionate educators and community members to share their innovative ideas for enhancing school performance. Additionally, we are honored to host distinguished speakers, including Vito J. Borrello, the first Executive Director for NAFSCE; Anne Henderson, Vice Chair of NAFSCE’s Board of Directors; and Dr. Donnie Ray Hale, Jr. Ed.D., Regional Deputy Director, Southern Regional TAC.

For more information, please reach out to Brooke Gill, Vice President & Director of the Collaborative for Families and Schools, at brooke.gill@prichardcommittee.org or Travis M. Marcum, Director of Kentucky Community Schools, at travis@prichardcommittee.org.

April 25, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Prichard Committee President Brigitte Blom Receives Distinguished Alumni Award from UK’s Martin School of Public Policy

‍Blom is a 20-year Education Leader in Kentucky

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Lexington, KY – Prichard Committee President Brigitte Blom, a 2007 Martin School graduate with a master’s degree in public policy, has been named the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award. The award recognizes Martin School alumni who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen career path within public service.

Blom has been a leader in the education field for over 20 years, serving as director of public policy for United Way of Greater Cincinnati before being named to lead the Prichard Committee in 2015. She also spent a decade as an elected member of the Board of Education in Pendleton County and is the former vice chair of the Kentucky State Board of Education.

“Graduates from the University of Kentucky Martin School leave prepared to take on the challenges facing Kentucky and the nation. Attending the Martin School was a formative experience for me, both in my career and in my commitment to the power of public service to ensure positive change in our communities,” said Blom. “Attending the Martin School was instrumental in my lifelong dedication to bringing together coalitions to improve education and the economic well-being of Kentuckians.”

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The Martin School Board of Visitors selected Blom as the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. The award is presented each year at the Alumni and Friends event to Martin School alumni who have excelled in their leadership roles across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

“Brigitte is widely respected for her efforts in both the public and private sector to affect policy decisions that result in an improved quality of life,” Zimmer said.  “Over the course of her career, she has worked on a variety of important public policy issues ranging from early childhood education and poverty to state taxes and budgets. We are very proud to claim her as a graduate of the Martin School.”

Blom was recognized at the 2023 Alumni and Friends event on April 14, 2023. She was awarded alongside late Gov. Edward T. (Ned) Breathitt Jr. and State Sen. Gerald Neal as the newest members of the Kentucky Public Service Hall of Fame.

For more information about the Prichard Committee, visit www.prichardcommittee.org.

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

Es un placer para mi compartir lo mucho que hemos aprendido junto a padres y maestros en nuestra comunidad Hispana.

Mi nombre es Ana Reid, de origen hondureño, casada, también soy mama de 3 niñas y 1 niño

Participe de muchos programas en las escuelas de mis hijos. Comprendí la importancia de trabajar en equipo. Cabe resaltar que también soy madre de un hijo con autismo. lo que en su momento fue duro para aceptarlo. Pero agradezco a Dios y al sistema que atreves de estos programas nos ayudan a luchar en pro de lo mejor para nuestros niños.  me comprometí cada vez más y aproveché cada oportunidad que llegaba a mí. aunque a veces con temores, pero seguí firme y enfocada en ayudar a mi familia y servir a mi comunidad.

Aquí ¡Nacen las oportunidades para mí de ser un facilitador del programa Family Service Learning, y dije hagámoslo!

comenzamos con 12 familias, tomamos una lluvia de ideas para realizar un proyecto en nuestra comunidad de habla hispana, y ahí es donde nace la idea de un día de Campamento al que nombramos “CAMPAMENTO CELEBRANDO FAMILIAS HISPANAS” 2022.

¿Por qué este proyecto era una oportunidad importante para nuestra comunidad hispana?

La idea de todos estos programas tiene un solo fin. Buscar lo mejor para que todas las familias y niños tengan el mejor desempeño posible. ¡Partiendo de esto!

Lo normal en la cultura americana es que los padres conocen sobre los campamentos de verano por que verano significa el fin del curso escolar y el inicio de dos meses por delante, donde el ocio y el tiempo libre son los protagonistas para los pequeños de la casa. Ante tantas horas para pasarlo bien y sin obligaciones, muchos padres optan por apuntar a sus hijos a una escuela o campamento de verano, por los múltiples beneficios que ello aporta al niño tanto a nivel físico como emocional.
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La cultura hispana desconocía formalmente la experiencia de lo que significa un campamento de verano y sus beneficios. Y tomaban opciones como:

• muchas familias envíen a sus hijos para que visiten a sus tíos, abuelos y primos en los países de origen.
• si no hay presupuesto para este viaje, pasan horas día y noche frente a un video juego.
• También debo reconocer que los padres hispanos son muy celosos y desconfiados por esta razón les asusta enviar a sus hijos con desconocidos.
• Para la mayoría de las familias que emigran a Estados Unidos es para trabajar y llevar lo mejor a casa y ayudar a los quedaron en su país. Por esta razón son muy contadas las familias que disponen de un presupuesto para ir de vacaciones aun que sea 1 vez al año. Entonces esta deja de ser una opción para sacar a sus hijos de la Rutina.

Basándonos en esta breve explicación. Pensamos en tener un día de campamento padres e hijos para que pudieran experimentar y confiar a donde llevar a sus hijos y que también los niños crearan altas expectativas lo divertido que esto podía ser con otros chicos de sus mismas edades. Y que puedan prepararse con tiempo suficiente para poder cubrir de una manera más organizada estos costos del campamento.

Nuestra meta era que conocieran las alternativas para que luego dependiera únicamente de ellos ayudar a sus hijos. ¡Por que aprendimos que cuando se quiere hacer algo! Buscamos con Pasión. ¡Y encontramos!

Un gran problema fue todos estos campamentos eran muy caros para brindar esta experiencia de un día a padres e hijos. Y nosotros no teníamos los medios para crearlo nosotros mismo, ni las instalaciones. recuerdo que se tocaron las puertas de YMCA CAMP EARNST y nos dijo a la primera que si a nuestro proyecto y cuando se hablaron de costos era una maravilla porque era simbólico 1$ por persona s.  Y ahí comenzó la segunda parte de la aventura. Necesitábamos comida y una iglesia la dono. Luego YMCA nos llamó y dijo que ese dólar que iba a cobrar por persona también lo donaría a nuestro proyecto lo que aprovechamos para comprar algunas cosas que necesitaríamos ese día. Luego pensamos que debíamos juntar las familias para ir en un bus y vivir la experiencia de principio a fin. Tal y como llegan los chicos a un campamento. la escuela R.A. Jones nos colaboró con varios buses. Eran grandes logros por todos estos padres organizando tal evento. Ellos descubrieron capacidades que no sabían que tenían y sintieron ese orgullo de ser parte de este proyecto. Cuando revisamos las inscripciones teníamos 150 personas para nuestro día de campamento. Era increíble.

Recuerdo que la emoción aumento y prepararon pasarelas con trajes típicos de sus países, días previos al campamento elaboraron piñatas de las que disfrutaron romper ese día Hicimos arco y flecha, paseos en poni y ccaballo, caminatas, manualidades, juegos al aire libre y deportes, paseamos e canoas y deslizamos entre túneles.Tuvimos las más hermosas experiencias al lado de nuestros hijos, ver esas sonrisas en sus rostros y saber que eran momentos de calidad a nuestras familias para abrir sus ojos y hacer provisión de seguir dándoles lo mejor a sus hijos a nivel emocional y físico. En esos tiempos de vacaciones ayudándolos a canalizar de una mejor manera sus pequeñas vidas. Para crear hombres y mujeres que aporten a su entorno con cada habilidad que posean.

Un día fue muy corto, pero les sembramos esa semilla que se sostiene en el saber de cómo pueden ayudar a sus hijos de aquí en adelante y pasar la voz de esa hermosa experiencia. Gracias a todas esas personas que colaboraron a nuestra gran familia hispana.

¡LA SEMILLA ESTA PLANTADA!  VEREMOS SUS FRUTOS PRONTO.

Ana Reid

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It is a pleasure for me to share how much we have learned together with parents and teachers in our Hispanic community.

My name is Ana Reid, of Honduran origin, married, I am also the mother of 3 girls and 1 boy.

I participated in many programs in my children’s schools to work together with the teachers. I understood the importance of teamwork. It should be noted that I am also the mother of a son with autism, which at the time was hard to accept. But I thank God and the system that through these programs they help us fight for the best for our children. I committed myself more and more and took advantage of every opportunity that came my way. Although sometimes with fears, but I remained firm and focused on helping my family and serving my community.

Here the opportunities for me to be a facilitator of the Family Service-Learning program are born, and I said let’s do it!

We started with 12 families, we brainstormed ideas to carry out a project in our Spanish-speaking community, and that is where the idea of ​​a day of Camp was born, which we named “CAMP CELEBRATING HISPANIC FAMILIES” 2022.

Why was this project an important opportunity for our Hispanic community?

The idea of ​​all these programs has a single purpose. Seek the best so that all families and children have the best performance possible. Starting from this!

The normal thing in American culture is that parents know about summer camps because summer means the end of the school year and the beginning of two months ahead, where leisure and free time are the protagonists for the little ones in the house. Faced with so many hours to have fun and without obligations, many parents choose to enroll their children in a school or summer camp, due to the multiple benefits that this brings to the child, both physically and emotionally.
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The Hispanic culture was formally unaware of the experience of what a summer camp means and its benefits. And they took options like:

• many families send their children to visit their uncles, grandparents, and cousins ​​in their countries of origin.
• If there is no budget for this trip, they spend hours day and night in front of a video game
• I must also admit that Hispanic parents are very jealous and distrustful, for this reason they are afraid of sending their children with strangers.
• For the majority of families that emigrate to the United States, it is to work and take the best things home and help those who remain in their country. For this reason, there are very few families that have a budget to go on vacation even if it is once a year. So, this is no longer an option to get your children out of the routine.

Based on this brief explanation. We thought of having a parent-child camp day so that they could experience and trust where to take their children and that the children also create high expectations of how much fun this could be with other children of the same age. And that they can prepare with enough time to be able to cover these camp costs in a more organized way.

Our goal was for them to know the alternatives, so that later it would depend solely on them to help their children. Because we learned that when you want to do somethingwe search with passion. And we find!

One big problem was all these camps were too expensive to provide this one-day experience for parents and children to do the same thing. And we did not have the means to create it ourselves, nor the facilities. I remember they knocked on the doors of YMCA CAMP EARNST and they said yes to our project the first time and when they talked about costs it was wonderful because it was symbolic $1 per person. And there began the second part of the adventure. We needed food and a church donated it. Then the YMCA called us and said that that dollar that they were going to charge per person would also be donated to our project, which we used to buy some things that we would need that day. Then we thought that we should get the families together to go on a bus and live the experience from beginning to end. Just like the kids arriving at a camp. The R.A. Jones school helped us with several buses. That was a great achievement for all these parents organizing such an event. They discovered capabilities they didn’t know they had and felt the pride of being part of this project. When we checked the registrations, we had 150 people for our day of camp. It was amazing.

I remember that the excitement increased, and they prepared catwalks with typical costumes from their countries, days before the camp they made piñatas that they enjoyed breaking that day.

We made bow and arrows, took horse and pony rides, went on walks, made crafts, had outdoor games and sports, and went on canoe rides. We had the most beautiful experiences with our children, seeing those smiles on their faces and knowing that these were quality moments for our families to open their eyes and make provision to continue giving their children the best on an emotional and physical level. In those vacation times helping them channel their little lives in a better way. To create men and women who contribute to their environment with every skill they possess.

One day was very short, but we planted that seed that is sustained by knowing how they can help their children from now on and spread the word about this beautiful experience. Thanks to all those people who contributed to our great Hispanic family.

THE SEED IS PLANTED! WE WILL SEE THEIR FRUITS SOON.

Ana Reid

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Question: Have Kentucky public schools seen an enrollment decline based on parents choosing private or home school options after the pandemic disruption?

‍Short Answer: If that change is happening, it isn’t very big. I don’t think it can involve more than 2% of public elementary school enrollment. The elementary enrollment decline is only 4% from 2019 to 2022, and part of that has to be from lower birth rates.

Long Answer: Here’s why it can’t be very big.Let me start with a caveat. A few years back, Kentucky changed the kindergarten entry age from being five by October 1 to being five by August 1. That gave us a lean year and a fat year for kindergarten enrollment. First, the kids who turned 5 in August and September 2016 weren’t part of the 2016-2017 class unless they got a waiver to attend. Then, those kids joined the 2017-18 class—along with kids a full year younger. That complicates any quick comparisons to years before the 2019 school year. In the charts that follow, I’m showing the 2017 and 2018 school years, but when I calculate percent change, I’ll base those changes on comparing 2019 and 2022. Now, the data.From the 2019 academic year to the 2022 academic year, Kentucky’s K-12 public enrollment declined 2%, from 668,505 to 656,157.
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Looking at grade levels, Kentucky public schools had 2019 to 2022 changes of:

• 4.1% decline for elementary grades
• 1.7% decline for middle grades
• 1.4% growth for high schools (including grade 14 students with IEPs where grade level isn’t counted)

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Here’s an important added fact: much off that decline in numbers has to come from declining births. Comparing 2008 births to 2016, Kentucky saw a 6% drop off, a trend that flows through into reduction in who became eligible to start school from fall 2013 to fall 2021.
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Accordingly, some moving away from public education after pandemic disruption may be happening, but it can’t be huge. As a sandlot maximum, it might be 2% of elementary kids—half the decline from 2019 to 2022, with the other half coming from lower numbers of births.Implication: The change-to-other-schools trend can’t be very large. For policy analysis, it’s probably more important to think about how each level of education will need to adjust as they have fewer students in the coming years.

LOCAL MOMENTUM BUILDS TO DELIVER UPDATED SKILLS, RELEVANT LEARNING

Schools across Kentucky are in the midst of a pivotal overhaul: moving beyond the outdated world of worksheets, multiple-choice tests, and sit-still-for-a-long-lecture learning. Groups of teachers, entire schools and some districts are opting for a fast-forward to meet a pair of fundamental needs:

>   Employers report that new workers are seriously ill-prepared for modern productivity. Collaborative and flexible workplaces need nimble employees who can analyze situations and information, work together to solve problems, and be ready to make changes or customize products. Those skills have taken hold in higher education, civic enterprises, and social interaction. However, schools working in a subject-by-subject, passive mode where facts are disconnected from current conditions, controversies or curiosities are out of sync with the world of work.

>   Today’s generation of students are known as tech-savvy natural networkers. They find information in new ways from unexpected sources and binge on interests at all hours. Yet, schools working in a subject-by-subject, passive mode where facts are disconnected from current conditions, controversies or curiosities are out of sync with the students they serve.

Realizing that schools are out of tune — and that testing and accountability plus state laws and regulations reinforce traditional approaches — many educators are opting for updates that redefine expectations and engage students. Their goals are better preparation, stronger achievement, and schooling that draws students and teachers into explorations rooted in community and current issues.

The Prichard Committee is focused on state and local movement toward a more meaningful diploma. It is vital to update the system to better serve all students and deliver the fundamentals — and provide advantages — for adult success.

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SPECIAL REPORTING SERIES AVAILABLE NOW

Starting last fall, we visited innovative classrooms across the state. Interviews with dozens of teachers, students, administrators, employers and more are captured in a series of four stories offering an up-close view of new approaches. Go inside classrooms bringing learning to life while practicing modern fundamentals of productivity. The series showcases emerging issues, new techniques and challenges involved in making durable skills and deeper learning available to all students.

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The stories cover key topics:

RETHINKING NECESSARY SKILLS AND ENGAGING EXPERIENCES to better prepare students for challenges to learn, work and thrive beyond high school. Visits to schools in Rowan and Jefferson counties offer glimpses of active, relevant learning experiences and how educators are equipping students as communicators, collaborators, problem solvers and more.

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UPDATING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS with local “graduate profiles,” greater student voice, and new connections to employers and communities. The Shelby County district is working with even its youngest students to reset expectations and classroom experiences. Over the past decade, the growing move toward deeper learning and durable skills has grown from grassroots conversations about local needs and how schools can better serve students and communities.

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RENEWING PROFESSIONAL POSSIBILITIES as educators explore creative options for learning experiences and personalized connections that will spark student interest. The experiences of teachers in Marshall and Fayette counties show how creating deeper learning for students also boosts engagement and relevance for educators.

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MAKING STRONGER PERFORMANCE MAINSTREAM by expanding engaging and effective learning environments to replace outdated approaches and preparation. Bringing learning to life and delivering durable skills is now a priority in the state education department’s strategic plan. Regional education cooperatives are playing a key role with school-level coaching and support. A visit to Allen County shows 11-year-olds using local economic development issues as a focal point for social studies concepts. Leaders in the move toward transforming schools share challenges to making promising approaches a fixture of teaching and learning.

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The Prichard Committee emphasizes excellence in education and the path to a larger life. The Meaningful Diploma series informs an important conversation with up-close examples and explanations of key issues. It’s a topic gaining steam and overdue in Kentucky’s drive to make sure students and communities prosper.

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February 8, 2023
‍FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‍For More Information Contact:
Suzetta Creech, Chief of Staff
screech@prichardcommittee.org

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The Steele-Reese Foundation provides Prichard Committee grant to Survey Teachers in Appalachia Kentucky

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LEXINGTON, KY –The Steele-Reese Foundation has committed multi-year support to the Prichard Committee to develop a study of post-COVID recovery strategies for and by teachers in Appalachia Kentucky.

Since its inception, the Steele-Reese Foundation has maintained a focus on the unique challenges of rural living and on helping people build healthy, successful, and sustainable communities. Eleanor Steele Reese, daughter of Charles Steele – a banker, lawyer, and business associate of J.P. Morgan – created The Steele-Reese Foundation in 1955. The Foundation’s name honors Eleanor’s family as well as the family of her husband, Emmet Reese, who grew up in the Appalachian foothill’s community of East Bernstadt, KY.

The grant to the Prichard Committee will assist in establishing a team of teachers that will design and distribute a survey to teachers in Appalachia Kentucky. Along with quantitative collection of data, stories of resilience, challenges, and bright spots will be captured and published in a report. The Appalachia Educator Alliance, led by Allison Slone from Rowan County includes Dr. Emmanuel Anama-Green, Carly Baldwin, Brison Harvey, Kera Howard, and Tiffany Perkins.

“Steele-Reese’s support will help build a new foundation for education. It allows us to ask those closest to the process what resources and supports they need to meet students and families where they are and to ensure student learning catches up and persists in the months and years ahead,” said Brigitte Blom, President and CEO of the Prichard Committee. “We honor Steele-Reese’s commitment to supporting teachers who are dedicated to improving educational attainment in Kentucky’s Appalachian communities.”

“Our board does not see this grant as a “gift” to the Prichard Committee but rather as an investment,” said Judy Owens, Appalachian Director for the Steele-Reese Foundation. “Steele-Reese hopes to place tools in the hands of pragmatic problem solvers as they build a community that loves and cares for children.”

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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.

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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