Ed.
5 min read

Welcoming All? Equity Evidence in Kentucky’s 2023 School Report Card

Welcoming All? Equity Evidence in Kentucky’s 2023 School Report Card
Written by
The Prichard Committee
Published on
November 8, 2023

How has Kentucky done recently at welcoming and empowering all Kentucky’s K-12 learners? This week, after Brigitte Blom’s call to action, I’ve summarized 2023 overall test scores and shared a snapshot of those results by group. Here, I want to share other kinds of evidence about how well we have been supporting students of varied backgrounds on the path to a large life.

History tells us our schools were once designed to exclude children of color and children with disabilities, channel children from low-income families into low-income futures, and provide sharply different opportunities based on gender.

Have we broken all that down and reshaped schools to value and develop all children’s capacities fully? No, we have not. That work is unfinished, and those differences cast shadows over our hopes for a big bold future.

Here, I’ll support that claim with seven kinds of evidence from the recently released 2023 Kentucky School Report Card. I’ll use charts to show patterns by race and share a downloadable table showing the related patterns based on English learner status, disability identification, economic disadvantage, and gender. I’m giving race first attention because many people find those issues the most uncomfortable to engage, but I invite every reader to puzzle over the full set of patterns.

1. Chronic Absenteeism

Student absences count as chronic when they miss seventeen days of school or more in one year. In addition to obvious learning impacts, that level of absence warrants concerns that students may not be connecting fully as class members.

30% of Kentucky students had chronic absences last year. That warrants big concern for our learners. The rates varied considerably by student group, with African American students having a 35% chronic rate.

2. Classroom Removals

When students are removed from their classrooms for disciplinary reasons, that surely affects their sense of belonging and engagement. Last year, Kentucky schools had 27 removals for every 100 students. I’ve calculated that by adding up reported expulsions, suspensions, and in-school removals and then dividing by enrollment. Those removals aren’t distributed anything like evenly: African American students experienced 64 removals per 100 students. That’s notably better than their experience before the pandemic, but it’s still grounds for great concern.

3. Identification of Gifted and Talented Students

Kentucky has committed to providing distinctive learning opportunities and individual education plans for exceptional students. Last year, 22% of students were recognized as gifted and talented learners ready for those supports, but there were sharp differences in identification by group. African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students received far fewer opportunities than students of other backgrounds.

4. Identification of Students with Disabilities

Kentucky students with identified disabilities should receive accommodations and supports to strengthen their learning opportunities.

Over-identification has sometimes been used to push marginalized groups to one side. It’s good news that the chart below shows very similar identification rates for African America and white students.

Under-identification can also be harmful: students who could benefit from individualized learning approaches may not be offered those opportunities. The chart below invites concern about whether Asian students, Hispanic or Latino Students, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students are being fully served.

5 and 6. Dual Credit Enrollment and Success Rates

Inviting students to try college-level work in high school is now a major Kentucky strategy for adding rigor to current learning and encouraging future postsecondary study.

Dual-credit courses allow a student to meet high school requirements in classes that can also count toward a postsecondary degree or credential. The charts below look at two aspects of these opportunities: who is included in the classes and who receives grades that qualify for dual credit. The first shows quite low inclusion for African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. The second shows extra-low rates of receiving grades that qualify for college credit.

Advanced Placement work, where students prepare for tests that can qualify for college credit, warrants at least as much concern. That kind of coursework is now less common than dual credit, but I’ve included those comparisons in the summary table.

7. Kindergarten to Grade 3 Reading

My final chart links fall kindergarten readiness data to spring reading proficiency levels four years later. When the Prichard team shared similar charts before the pandemic, most groups showed third grade results higher than their readiness rates. This time, the Kentucky School Report Card shows most groups reading less well than we would have expected based on their earlier readiness levels.

For Hispanic or Latino students, the upward movement stands out. That seems important enough to celebrate and explore, though that group’s reading proficiency remains lower than many other groups.

For African American students, the downward movement was sharper than for any other group. Starting kindergarten, there was an 8 point gap between those students and their white classmates. Near the end of grade 3, the gap had ballooned to 25 points.

This isn’t a new pattern. African American students experienced a drop in the past versions that showed a rise for pretty much every other group we track.

It isn’t new, but it is disturbing. Something happens for African American children that doesn’t happen for others, and it happens after they start school. I don’t want the explanation to be that what happens is school. I don’t want the explanation to be that those children aren’t as welcome in our schools as others. I really don’t. After seeing this pattern for repeat over many years, the thing is that I don’t have any other explanation. This worries me, and it should worry us all.

Welcome for Other Groups?

Across these seven kinds of evidence, there are signs of lesser welcome and support for English learners, students with disabilities, and students from economically disadvantaged homes. There are high classroom removals for male students and low identification of disabilities for female students. The 2023 data on these seven issues for all groups can be seen in this one-page summary.

A Concluding Note

Our schools should provide robust opportunities and support for each and every child. The path to a larger life should be wide open for us all. We haven’t yet created that part of our big bold future yet, and I hope that looking straight at this evidence can be one important step in rising to the important challenge of welcoming and empowering all Kentucky learners.

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From Policy to Partnership: How Communities Will Shape What Comes Next
5 min read

From Policy to Partnership: How Communities Will Shape What Comes Next

The 2025 legislative session came at a time when Kentuckians are not only demanding more from our education systems...

The 2025 legislative session came at a time when Kentuckians are not only demanding more from our education systems—they’re rethinking how those systems should work in the first place. The latest Big Bold Future National Rankings report confirms the stakes: Kentucky ranks 47th in preschool enrollment, 46th in postsecondary enrollment, and 44th in degree attainment. But across the state, communities aren’t waiting. Through FAFSA campaigns, early learning collaboratives, and new models for dual credit, tutoring, and diploma redesign, local leaders are building the future from the ground up. This session offered new tools to support that momentum—but real change will come from how we reimagine, re-center, and rebuild systems in partnership with the people they’re meant to serve.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2025 SESSION

  • HB 193: Dual Credit Scholarship Expansion
    Removes grade-level restrictions on scholarships, allowing more students—especially in earlier grades—to access college-level coursework with financial support.
  • HB 208: Cell Phone Policy in Schools
    Directs local school boards to implement prohibitions on student use of personal devices during the instructional day, balancing local control with statewide expectations.
  • HB 240: Kindergarten Readiness and Retention
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  • HB 241: Virtual Learning Programs
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  • SB 68: Learning Capacities Modernization
    Updates definitions and expectations around learning capacities in schools, focused on workforce readiness and essential durable skills like critical thinking and problem solving.  

These policies, if implemented well, can support the local momentum we are already seeing in place-based work across Kentucky. But policy alone is not enough. We must invest in the infrastructure, advising, data, and partnerships that turn policy into impact.

Even as momentum built around student opportunity and system innovation, one bill introduced significant questions about how we support access and student success in higher education. House Bill 4 limits how public colleges and universities in Kentucky can design programs or offer services that focus on identity or background. It prohibits institutions from funding or requiring certain trainings, offices, or programs—even those that have helped students feel seen, supported, and ready to succeed. While the bill aims to promote a range of viewpoints, it introduces new uncertainty that could impact how campuses support students.  

Because the language is broad, colleges may interpret the new law in different ways—some may continue offering broadly accessible supports and services, while others may limit programs out of caution. These varied responses could leave students unsure about the supports they can count on.

Even with these changes, the need for student support has not gone away. Community organizations will become increasingly important in helping students navigate college, stay on track, and reach their goals. It will be important to track the impact this has on already stagnant college going rates in Kentucky, particularly since an estimated 75% of good jobs will require some form of postsecondary training by the year 2040. To ensure all students continue to have a fair shot, colleges and partners must prioritize transparency—reporting on how policies affect access, persistence, and success—especially for those student groups already facing persistent achievement gap—and adjusting when needed.

THE PATH AHEAD

As the dust settles on the 2025 session, the Prichard Committee’s focus is squarely on turning policy into progress—through clear implementation, local engagement, and ongoing accountability. We are committed to a path forward built around:

  • Empowering communities to lead improvement.
    Through community profiles and place-based strategies, we are working alongside Kentuckians to design local solutions to challenges in early learning, school climate, and student transitions. Across the state, we see the power of strong partnerships—between schools, families, and local organizations—to remove barriers, expand opportunity, and drive sustainable change.
  • Expanding access to advanced coursework and postsecondary pathways.
    With HB 190 and HB 193 now law, our next steps include supporting districts to implement automatic enrollment fairly across the board, strengthen advising, and expand course availability—especially in under-resourced areas. We’ll continue working with partners to ensure students don’t just access advanced courses but thrive in them.
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    We’re working with employers, educators, and families to define what a high school diploma should signify in today’s economy—and to ensure all students leave high school ready for college, career, and community life. That means strengthening advising, boosting dual credit success, and ensuring durable skills are embedded in core instruction.
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    We are supporting communities in aligning early childhood programs with family needs and economic realities, including quality improvement strategies and support for providers. With Kentucky ranked 47th in preschool enrollment, this remains one of the most urgent investments the state must make.  
  • Improving data transparency and shared accountability.
    We continue our call for strong public access to education data so communities can understand what’s happening and act on it. That includes data on school performance, course access, early learning participation, and postsecondary outcomes—broken down by region, race, and economic status.
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    We’ll continue to mobilize families, students, and educators to take part in local school decisions, improvement planning, and accountability conversations—with a growing emphasis on student efficacy, so young people see themselves as capable agents in their own learning and success. As the Big Bold Future report states, “transparency, accountability, and community participation” must be foundational to every effort.

The policies passed this session set the stage—but they won’t deliver results on their own. The challenge now is to turn opportunity into impact. That means local partnerships must move from intention to action. Schools can’t do it alone. Community organizations, nonprofits, and families have a critical role to play in making sure students are supported, systems are responsive, and progress is real. This is the moment calls for community-building as implementation—because lasting change grows from relationships, trust, and shared responsibility.  

Kentucky’s future will be shaped by what we choose to do next, together.

Statement on the 2025 Kentucky Legislative Session from Brigitte Blom, the Prichard Committee
5 min read

Statement on the 2025 Kentucky Legislative Session from Brigitte Blom, the Prichard Committee

The 2025 General Assembly brought forward a series of education bills—some narrow in scope, others more sweeping...

March 28, 2025

Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee

(cell) 859-475-7202

lisa@prichardcommittee.org

Statement on the 2025 Kentucky Legislative Session from Brigitte Blom, the Prichard Committee

LEXINGTON, Ky — The 2025 General Assembly brought forward a series of education bills—some narrow in scope, others more sweeping—but together, they represent real shifts in how Kentucky supports students and schools. While no single measure defined the session, the cumulative effect is significant. Taken together, these policies signal new expectations for schools and postsecondary institutions—and new responsibilities for the communities that support them.

House Bill 190 is a powerful step forward in expanding opportunity and excellence in Kentucky high schools. The bill requires school districts to adopt plans to automatically enroll students who meet established benchmarks into advanced coursework such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, and other college-level classes. This is a needed step to ensure that readiness—not bias or barriers—determines access to challenging academic opportunities. When students are encouraged to take rigorous courses and supported to succeed, they are more likely to graduate prepared for college, career, and life.

House Bill 208 takes a proactive step to support student learning, focus, and well-being in Kentucky schools. The bill requires school districts to adopt policies prohibiting personal cell phone use during the school day—except for emergencies and instructional purposes—while also strengthening safeguards against harmful online content. By minimizing classroom distractions, the bill helps students stay engaged, build stronger peer relationships, and develop healthy digital habits.

House Bill 4 limits how public colleges and universities in Kentucky can design or fund programs for historically underrepresented students. With Kentucky ranking 46th in postsecondary enrollment and 44th in degree attainment—and wide gaps in outcomes by race and ethnicity—the state must closely monitor how these changes affect access, support, and completion. Today, 61% of Asian or Pacific Islander and 36% of white Kentuckians aged 25–64 hold an associate degree or higher, compared to just 29% of Black and 27% of Hispanic or Latino Kentuckians. As institutions adjust, local communities and nonprofits will play an increasingly important role in ensuring all students have the support they need to enroll, persist, and succeed.

The 2025 Big Bold Future National Rankings Report makes clear where Kentucky must focus its efforts—from early childhood to postsecondary access and degree attainment. It shows us not just where we stand, but where we need to go. Kentucky’s future will be shaped not only by what happens in Frankfort, but by the everyday decisions made in classrooms and communities across the Commonwealth. The Prichard Committee stands ready to support community members, state leaders, families, and schools in coming together for the common good of Kentucky’s students and the future of our Commonwealth.

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The Prichard Committee believes in the power and promise of public education –early childhood through college– to ensure Kentuckians’ economic and social well-being. We are a citizen-led, non-partisan, solutions-focused nonprofit, established in 1983 with a singular mission of realizing a path to a larger life for Kentuckians with education at the core.

Automatic Enrollment is a Commonsense Innovation for Kentucky
5 min read

Automatic Enrollment is a Commonsense Innovation for Kentucky

Automatic enrollment is one of the most intriguing educational innovations in recent years.

By: Jonathan Plucker and Brenda Berg

The Kentucky General Assembly is currently considering a bill that would require school districts to establish policies for automatic enrollment in the Commonwealth’s public schools. Introduced by Rep. Robert Duvall and co-sponsored by Rep. Vanessa Grossl, HB 190 passed the House unanimously and can be considered by the Senate in the session’s final two legislative days on March 27  & 28.      

Automatic enrollment is one of the most intriguing educational innovations in recent years. Also known as auto-, mandatory, or opt-out enrollment, the concept is simple: Students who perform at advanced levels in their classes oron state tests are automatically enrolled in advanced courses for the following academic year.

This commonsense reform is based on the observation that many high-performing students are not receiving advanced learning opportunities, even when there is clear evidence that they are ready to advance academically. This is especially true for low-income and rural students, who have much less access to rigorous advanced opportunities, ranging from gifted education to accelerated coursework to AP courses. Recent research demonstrates there are many such students, leading to a chronic under challenging of many of our brightest children. As a result, these students are less likely to be ready for today’s workforce or post-secondary education.

As a case in point, Western Kentucky University and Johns Hopkins University recently collaborated on Project Launch Plus. This initiative identified talented students in low-income, rural communities in Kentucky and North Carolina and provided them with advanced education. Although we anticipated finding many eligible students, the sheer number exceeded our expectations. There is tremendous talent in every single one of Kentucky’s schools, but many of these students do not have the necessary opportunities to develop those talents fully. The provisions in HB 190 will help provide those opportunities.

We encourage Senate Leadership to bring final passage to House Bill 190 so that Kentucky students can begin benefiting from its provisions.

Concerns about automatic enrollment tend to focus on cost and implementation. Regarding cost, we point to North Carolina’s experience, which began with passage of its auto-enrollment law for mathematics in 2018. The state education agency and districts now have years of experience with implementation and have seen impacts well beyond expectations by elevating the overall importance of advanced coursework opportunities. Cost proved not to be an issue: In the end, the same number of teachers educates the same number of students, leading to no additional financial burden on the state or school districts.

Implementation was challenging in some districts but can be overcome. For example, due to teacher inexperience with advanced coursework and small numbers of identified students, some districts used a range of non-traditional staffing options to promote access, including staff-sharing, transporting students, and online courses to ensure that all eligible students are able to access challenging coursework. In other cases, it was simply not on their radar that they weren’t offering advanced courses commensurate with other districts, and they could just reassign existing staff to, for example, teach algebra instead of the standard 8th grade course.

Despite these implementation challenges, North Carolina’s experience is a major policy success, with thousands of additional students enrolling in advanced math courses each year. An important key to the state’s success is that auto-enrollment begins in elementary school, before students get lost in the transitions to middle and high school. The effects appear to be most significant with middle school students and those from traditionally underserved backgrounds, such as the rural and low-income students noted above. Similar success in Kentucky would transform the STEM pipeline in the Commonwealth.

If passed and signed into law, House Bill 190 allows the Kentucky Board of Education to create regulations to administer the new provisions. We strongly encourage the Board to require the Kentucky Department of Education to (1) collect districts’ advanced education plans to promote public access to the information and (2) issue an annual report summarizing the impact of auto-enrollment, including district level reports of the number and percentage of eligible students served. Annual reports in North Carolina have been invaluable data sources for tracking the impact of the law.

HB 190 is bold, innovative, and highly likely to be effective. It will provide a strong foundation for efforts to help Kentucky’s students excel in the classroom and eventually in the workforce.

Jonathan Plucker is a professor at Johns Hopkins University and a past-president of the National Association for Gifted Children. Brenda Berg is President & CEO of BEST NC (Business for Educational Success and Transformation in North Carolina).