We urge our schools, districts, and communities to put all creative energy into re-imagining how we deliver on the promise and constitutional obligation of public education in these extraordinary times. This may include enhanced digital learning delivery and community learning pods to provide in-person supports in much smaller, safely distanced settings.

Yesterday, in light of recent events of police brutality giving rise to state, national, & international protests, the Prichard Committee called on the state’s elected and appointed leaders to require competency in cultural responsiveness and implicit bias for all those working, or training to work, in the public sector.

This week on Innovations in Education, we held our first all-student panel discussion about how middle and high school students are coping with COVID-19. The Prichard Committee’s Student Voice Team (SVT), started creating the survey on this topic when schools closed for the pandemic in March. Over the past several weeks, the team has developed the survey in consultation with research experts from Kentucky and around the country.

This week on Innovations in Education, we wanted to better understand the decline in college-going happening in Kentucky and nationally. Since our panel included three superintendents and an education cooperative director, we also talked about plans for high school graduation ceremonies, how remote learning is going, and how districts are planning now for the start of school in the fall.

Two months have passed since businesses and schools across the Commonwealth began shutting their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As educators and business began adapting, one thing became abundantly clear: the internet is as necessary as electricity and plumbing is for our daily lives. As social distancing becomes a matter of life and death, a connection to the world outside our homes is vital to our economy, our education system, and our way of life.

LEXINGTON, KY (April 22, 2020) – Citing the need to provide equitable education opportunities for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities and races, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence called on Gov. Andy Beshear and state education leaders today to distribute federal emergency funds to education institutions across Kentucky in an innovative, equitable manner. 

An open letter to Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown, members of the Kentucky Board of Education, and Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson:

More than six weeks ago Kentucky schools, childcare centers and colleges closed to protect families, educators and administrators during an unprecedented public health crisis. We now find ourselves in unknown educational territory, as parents and educators work tirelessly to provide at-home learning opportunities for the students of the Commonwealth.

Thirty years ago, on April 11, 1990, Governor Wallace Wilkinson signed the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) into law. Those of you who have been longtime members and partners of the Prichard Committee know that our history is grounded in this nationally unprecedented education reform act and the landmark court case that preceded it.

Prichard Committee President & CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey sent following letter to members of the budget conference committee urging investments in all levels of education as Kentucky recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. Please urge members of the Kentucky General Assembly to increase education funding now – from early childhood to K-12, to higher education.

Yesterday, the Senate Education Committee approved a committee substitute version of Senate Bill 158, and sent it forward for consideration on the Senate floor. We’ve revised our two-page overview of how the bill compares to Kentucky’s current law and practice.  The following are my thoughts on the bill as amended.