May 3, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
Jessica Fletcher, Senior Director, Communications & External Affairs
(cell) 859-539-0511
jessica.fletcher@
LEXINGTON, KY – The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence has partnered with 11 Kentucky educators for its 2021 cohort of Teacher Fellows. The Prichard Committee Fellowship is an opportunity for teachers to formally engage as active partners in shared work to improve education in Kentucky. The 2021 Teacher Fellows are working to implement the recommendations in the Prichard Committee’s inaugural Letter from Kentucky Teachers, released last fall.
“We are excited to work alongside these talented teachers and to give them a platform to share their aspirations and priorities for the improvement of teaching and learning. We believe their work will help reignite Kentuckians’ passion for public education and even inspire a new generation of educators,” said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey.
Members of the 2021 cohort include:
- Lauren Hill, Fayette County Public Schools, Facilitator
- Renee Boss, Woodford County Public Schools
- Natalie Croney, Warren County Public Schools
- C.J. Fryer, Beechwood Independent Schools
- Kiara Gray, Jefferson County Public Schools
- Brison Harvey, Fayette County Public Schools
- Tori Howard, Jackson Independent Schools
- Kevin Presnell, Madison County Public Schools
- Noraa Ransey, Calloway County Public Schools
- Jami Reynolds, Hardin County Public Schools
- Casey Salyers, Johnson County Public Schools
“To realize the promise of teacher leadership, opportunities like this fellowship propel teachers into new spheres of influence that enable us to practice the necessary skills and acquire the knowledge only fieldwork can teach,” said Lauren Hill, a Fayette County teacher and facilitator of the fellows’ cohort. “We welcome the Prichard Committee into this essential domain and invite the 2021 Teacher Fellows into this most urgent conversation.”
At the beginning of the 2020 school year, the Prichard Committee convened a teacher leader steering committee, which released the first Letter from Kentucky Teachers, that offered shared priorities for teaching and learning through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Eleven of those 27 teacher leaders stayed on for the remainder of the school year as the inaugural cohort of teacher fellows, committed to turning teacher-identified education priorities into reality in classrooms across Kentucky.
The 2020 letter asked that all Kentucky teachers individually and together commit to providing equitable learning opportunities for every student; developing and expanding the skills that strengthen the quality of teaching and the learning experiences of students; developing stronger, more collaborative relationships with students, parents and families, and our communities; and promoting anti-racism and diverse perspectives in culturally aware and responsive instruction.
The 2021 cohort of teacher fellows are committed to that commitment and has formed four subgroups to focus on these priorities: family engagement, student engagement, anti-racist teaching, teacher well-being and mental health. Projects from the teacher fellows in each of these areas will be posted on the Prichard Committee’s website when they are completed later this year.
Kentucky teachers interested in applying for this fellowship program can apply online starting May 7, 2021.
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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led organization working to improve education in Kentucky – early childhood through postsecondary.
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