Prichard Committee working across the state to close achievement & opportunity gaps

Since its inception in 1983, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence has worked to deliver education excellence with equity across the Commonwealth. However, the pandemic has challenged Kentuckians with issues such as food insecurity and mental health conditions that have seemingly put education excellence on the back burner at a time when simple survival was most critical.We spent 2020 and early 2021 working to create and promote education innovations on our blog, through social media and online programming. We created an email for parents and educators that includes links to inspire learning in remote classrooms. We also hosted a week-long series of discussions on racial inequities in Kentucky’s education system called Black Minds Matter.During the Prichard Committee Annual Meeting in September-October, we explored both equity in education and the pandemic’s disproportionate impact. We also released the Committee’s new national rankings report: Big Bold Future and designed a five-year strategic plan for our long arc of continued improvement as a state.We also worked with a group of Kentucky Teachers who wrote a letter about their goals and aspirations for the profession as the state emerges from the pandemic.“The idea for this letter arose as I watched the tense political environment of recent years and at the same time saw so many teachers expressing their longing to focus on the needs of students in their classrooms,” said President & CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey. “I knew we needed to give teachers a platform to talk about their aspirations for excellence in teaching and to shape our collective vision for what’s possible – and what’s necessary. This letter is the culmination of that longing, and a beautiful statement of commitment by OUR Kentucky teachers.”The Prichard Committee is committed to work in 2021 and beyond that continues to explore the impact of COVID, and to find more innovations to ensure EACH and EVERY ONE of our students is safely and securely on a path to success.