In a newly-published study, children admitted to the Tennessee state-funded preschool program by lottery did less well than those who were not admitted, based on data for sixth grade:
assessments results
disciplinary infractions
attendance
identification for special education services (excluding those for physical disabilities)
A budget for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 was voted out by the Kentucky House of Representatives on Thursday. While continuing many features of the original House Bill 1, the updated budget shows important increases to investments in early literacy, career and technical education, and postsecondary institutions, along with a reduced contribution to teacher retirement. This post will highlight the newest changes and added investments, while raising concerns about early childhood underinvestment.
Governor Beshear’s recommended budget for the next two fiscal years aims very high for most elements of the education continuum, calling for Kentucky to make major steps toward a Big Bold Future. The Office of State Budget Director has posted the full plans, and you can also get further detail from our early childhood, P-12 education, and postsecondary budget summaries.
2022 work on funding Kentucky education is off to a fast start, with the House of Representatives releasing its proposed budget as House Bill 1. You can see that full bill or download our budget summaries for early childhood, P-12 education, and postsecondary education. In this post, I’ll share super-quick highlights of the major changes and also flag implications for the Prichard Committee’s Big Bold Ask.
“Schools shall provide continuing education for those students who are determined to need additional time to achieve the outcomes defined in KRS 158.6451, and schools shall not be limited to the minimum school term in providing this education.” (KRS 158.070)
Since 2019, for Kentucky’s African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, and students of two or more races, our public schools have:
Increased gifted and talented identifications
Increased participation in Advanced Placement and dual credit courses
Reduced both over- and under-representation problems in identification of students with disabilities
Reduced disproportionate use of in-school removals and out-of-school suspensions
“Participation on the state assessment was lower due to COVID-19 and in-person testing requirements. Comparisons with previous years are not appropriate because number of test takers, changes to the assessment, and modified instructional settings.”
That’s what the 2021 Kentucky School Report Card website tells you first when you look for this year’s assessment results. The Department of Education clearly think that’s important, and after studying the data for a while, I agree.
Equity is something we build. In our schools, equity means getting figuring out what will keep each learner moving forward in the learning and figuring out how to provide whatever that is.
We’ve built some important capacity to meet some of those needs. For example:
Lunches arrive if a K-12 student’s family would have a hard time paying for the food that allows them to concentrate on class
Equity is about providing varied resources to respond to varied student needs, making sure all students have what they need to learn. Kentucky school transportation ought to be a great example. Instead, transportation is a major equity problem. Transportation can be fairly simple and inexpensive in compact independent districts many students live close to their schools and many can walk or take short rides. In contrast, rural students at the far ends of their counties need buses that travel much greater distances. Districts should have funding that varies in keeping with those differences.
The SEEK school funding formula makes a powerful contribution to Kentucky public education. SEEK (short for Support Education Excellence in Kentucky) is the primary way Kentucky funds public schools and a key way we build education equity that gives all students what they need to learn. For a detailed demonstration of how the formula works, check out the 2021 edition of our four-page “SEEK Explainer.”