FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 20, 2024

Contact: Lisa McKinney

(cell) 859-475-7202

lisa@prichardcommittee.org

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The Prichard Committee releases analysis of ‘school choice’ Amendment 2

Committee issues statement of opposition to the amendment

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(LEXINGTON, Ky) --The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence today released an analysis of Amendment 2, a proposed amendment to Kentucky’s Constitution that would allow the allocation of public funds to school choice options beyond traditional public schools. The analysis, which outlines the potential financial and education outcomes of the amendment, found that funding private K12 educational institutions is not an appropriate or effective use of public funds.  

Amendment 2 will appear on ballots in November.  

“An amendment to Kentucky’s constitution that opens the door to private school choice with public dollars is likely to have significantly negative consequences for Kentucky’s long-standing march to improve education outcomes,” said Prichard Committee President/CEO Brigitte Blom. “Diverting public dollars to private school choice options creates the conditions for an unregulated market with no accountability to the taxpayers who fund it, and no durable research that warrants such an investment.”

The amendment's passage would allow the legislature to direct public funds to support private schools (including parochial schools), homeschooling, and charter schools through various financial mechanisms like vouchers, tax credits and education savings accounts.

Diverting funds to private schools is shown to spread scarce resources across more providers, thereby reducing overall access and improvement to quality in education, especially in areas where there is population decline. This will certainly be true in rural areas of the state and could likely be true for the state as a whole with population decline forecasted in the years to come.  

Additionally, Amendment 2 would open the door to the state investing in education options that create barriers for accountability. Public schools are held to accountability standards of which private and parochial schools, as well as homeschools, are currently exempt.    

Research shows that in states with high participation in school choice programs, a significant portion of funds frequently benefit wealthier families, leaving low- and middle-income families with less funding for the public schools these families rely on. Ensuring public funds stay within the public education system supports a fair distribution of resources to help ensure better outcomes for all students, the analysis found.  

Additionally, public schools are required to serve all students, including those with disabilities and the need for additional support. Many private schools are not required to guarantee the same level of support for students with learning differences, and the requirement to serve all children falls back to the public system, with fewer resources.

“Investing state dollars in what works is critical, and even more so in a state like Kentucky where we've risen from the bottom of the national rankings since the 1990s to roughly the middle today,” said Blom. “While there is clearly more work to be done to continue to improve education outcomes - and parents can and must demand that improvement - now is not the time to spend shared public dollars on strategies with no durable outcomes at best - and negative outcomes at worst.”  

Read the Prichard Committee’s full analysis here.  

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July 30, 2024

‍FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa McKinney
lisa@prichardcommittee.org
(cell) 859-475-7202

Kentucky schools find innovative ways to prepare students for evolving economy  

LEXINGTON, Ky --The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence today released a series of stories spotlighting schools across Kentucky using innovative strategies to teach durable skills—such as communication, teamwork and collaboration—in their classrooms. These stories highlight a larger effort in the commonwealth to ensure that schools are preparing students to succeed in the workforce and meet the evolving needs of employers.  

“It is important to elevate the work Kentucky educators are doing to make sure students are gaining the skills they need to pursue their dreams and live a big, bold life,” said Prichard Committee President/CEO Brigitte Blom. “We must make certain that high school diplomas are meaningful and relevant to the world we live in. I hope these stories serve as an example of what can be achieved when educators, the business community and families come together to design programs and curricula that set students up for success.” 

The stories highlight seven counties: Allen, Boone, Carter, Floyd, Rowan, Shelby and Warren. 

Among the examples of students across Kentucky working toward more meaningful diplomas are the fourth graders of McBrayer Elementary in Rowan County. These students are making their mark on the rich tradition of storytelling in Appalachia, while developing both durable and technical skills, by sharing what it is like to be a kid in Eastern Kentucky today through their Adventures of Fourth Grade podcast. The students take turns writing, producing and presenting the monthly podcast, with a little help from the districts’ digital learning coach. Through the process, the students are learning research skills, collaboration, media literacy, technology and storytelling—all while sending a finished project out into the world.  

Project-based learning, which teaches real-world skills by doing, is being integrated into more and more Kentucky schools alongside traditional classroom instruction. This approach is part of a larger effort to make students’ experiences in school more relevant to the life and work skills they will need upon graduation. ‍ 

Project-based learning has also provided an opportunity for community members to become more engaged in the schools by providing projects, guidance and feedback.   

“I think a benefit of having community involvement is that the community is becoming aware of the deeper learning kinds of experiences that we are working on to give our students,” said Prichard Committee Member Edna Schack, who acts as a community liaison for Rowan County Schools. “It's not the school that I went to, and it's not the school that my kids went to 15, 20 years ago. It's important that the community see that students are learning, not just from paper and pencil, not just at the computer screen, but they're learning from their experiences and some of those experiences are happening in the community.”  

The spotlight stories and accompanying videos are available on the Prichard Committee website.  

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Increasing the reach of advanced coursework work will help close achievement gaps

LEXINGTON, Ky -- Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence President & CEO Brigitte Blom, AdvanceKentucky Executive Director Anthony Mires, and Executive Director of the Western Kentucky University Center for Gifted Studies Dr. Julia Roberts testified to the Interim Joint Committee on Education today about increasing access to advanced coursework for Kentucky students.  

Their testimony included proposing automatic enrollment into Advanced Placement, or AP, and advanced courses for students who meet eligibility requirements based on measurable state standards and other factors. Currently, students must opt in to take these classes; under an automatic enrollment system, they would have to opt out. Automatic enrollment helps expand the reach of advanced coursework classes and grow the number of traditionally underrepresented students taking advanced coursework.

“Participating in advanced coursework has been shown to increase high school graduation and college enrollment rates,” said Blom. “Automatic enrollment and incentives for advanced students and teachers will put more Kentucky students on the path to a successful life post-graduation.”

Students who do not qualify for automatic enrollment can still enroll in advanced coursework if they choose to do so.  

Between 2018 and 2022, the number of Kentucky students enrolled in AP courses declined across all student groups.  

“Often, parents and students don’t understand the value proposition these courses offer,” said Mires. “We have to take a more active approach to go out and find these students, especially when we look at this broad middle group of students who could be participating in these classes but are not.”

Disparities persist in which students participate in both AP and Dual Credit programs. In the 2021-22 school year, districts with high percentages - 75% or more - of students from low-income backgrounds had only 5% of students enrolled in AP courses. Districts with less than 50% of students from low-income backgrounds experienced a significantly smaller decline in AP enrollment.

“Kentucky has many students ready to learn at advanced levels,” said Roberts. “Many of them have few, if any, opportunities in their schools to learn at advanced levels. All students are not ready to learn on the same level. Some need advanced coursework to stay motivated and reach their potential.”

Other solutions presented to expand access to advanced coursework courses included:

• Online and reciprocal agreements: The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) would offer AP courses online or through agreements between school districts to ensure access for all students.

• Communicating the importance of advanced coursework: Schools would inform parents about the benefits of AP and advance coursework for eligible students.

• Implementing and incentive program for students and teachers: Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, Advanced Kentucky with support from KDE, would expand a program with monetary incentives for AP students and teachers based on increased AP exam passage rates.

• Annual reporting: KDE would report progress and outcomes to the Interim Joint Education Committee annually.

For more information on advanced coursework, visit https://www.prichardcommittee.org/toolkits.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Greater Owensboro was selected as the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence’s inaugural Groundswell Community Action awardee. The award recognizes Kentucky communities that have designed innovative solutions for improving schools, early care centers, and education outcomes at the local level through community engagement.

“Owensboro exemplifies what can happen when community members join together to use local assets to meet local needs, without waiting on state or federal intervention,” said Prichard Committee President Brigitte Blom. “This award recognizes the power of building a groundswell of community support for enacting meaningful change in our own backyards.”

Greater Owensboro received this honor with more than 350 education stakeholders from across Kentucky gathered at the Owensboro Convention Center June 10-12 for the Prichard Committee’s Groundswell Summit and Annual Meeting. Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson and President and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Candance Castlen Brake welcomed conference attendees.

“Owensboro has a long history of community collaboration aimed at finding solutions to the problems that face our residents,” said Prichard Committee Member Clay Ford, an Owensboro native. “You can see that in the way we’ve come together to build infrastructure, develop our riverfront, care for our community’s children, beautify the city and more.”

The Summit featured a panel highlighting Owensboro’s local work entitled Owensboro's Can-Do Spirit: A Committed Local Coalition's Efforts to Elevate Early Care and Education. The panelists were part of the Greater Owensboro Partnership for Early Development (GOPED), a coalition of local citizens who mobilized the community to increase access to and quality of early care and education in the city.

The Prichard Committee received a multi-year grant from the Public Life Foundation of Owensboro, which provided resources to help develop a plan for a high-quality early childhood ecosystem in Greater Owensboro. Using this partnership, GOPED has worked to harness the evidence-based power of high-quality early care and education to bolster kindergarten readiness and improve third grade reading proficiency.

“The Groundswell Summit is an opportunity for education champions from all corners of Kentucky to come together to share what they are doing in their own communities to enhance education outcomes,” said Blom. “Owensboro was the ideal setting to find inspiration.”

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As part of its commitment to showcasing the transformative power of education, the Prichard Committee has released a series of videos titled "Education Is." This series highlights the importance of the work being done around education in the state and the impact that education has on lives across Kentucky. These videos demonstrate how education has enhanced the lives of Kentuckians. Watch them here.

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Hear the stories of how education is building a path to a larger life for Kentuckians.

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Prichard Committee member Bill Wilson shares his story about the impact education has had on his life and his life’s work in education. 

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April Draine, a Commonwealth Institute of Parent Leadership fellow, shares her story about the impact education had on her life.

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Hear straight from the reason we are doing this work – the students!

More than 350 education and community stakeholders in attendance

LEXINGTON, Ky. — More than 350 education stakeholders from across Kentucky gathered in Owensboro June 10-12 for The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence’s Groundswell Summit and Annual Meeting.  

“The Groundswell Summit is an opportunity for education champions from all corners of Kentucky to come together to share what they are doing in their own communities to enhance education outcomes and school experiences for students,” said Prichard Committee President/CEO Brigitte Blom. “We know that some of the most effective work happens at the hyperlocal level, and we can all take ideas from each other and adjust them to meet our own community’s needs.”

The three-day summit, held at the Owensboro Convention Center, featured tours of innovative local schools and programs; the Great Schools Showcase; and sessions on addressing chronic absenteeism, creating welcoming schools, designing high-quality early childhood ecosystems and more.

National keynote speakers Dan Wuori and Seth Kaplan were in attendance to share their insights on early childhood education and hyperlocal community engagement. Additionally, the Summit featured a legislative panel with Rep. Scott Lewis, Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong and Rep. DJ Johnson, highlighting bipartisan support for improving education outcomes in Kentucky. Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson and President and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Candance Castlen Brake welcomed conference attendees.

The Summit also included an award ceremony recognizing outstanding schools and educators across the commonwealth. The committee honored Ruth Lynch with the Beverly Nickell Raimondo Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership toward improving student achievement among Kentucky students. Lynch has championed student achievement by diligently trying to recruit more teachers of color to return and work within her local public school system in Christian County.  

Additionally, the Prichard Committee recognized:

• 29 new Family Friendly Schools and Early Care Centers that have shown exceptional dedication to creating a welcoming, supportive and inclusive school environment for students and families

• 33 Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Fellows, who have displayed a deep dedication and commitment to improving education in their communities

• Seven Groundswell Action Awards honorees, who are working in their communities to improve education outcomes

• Greater Owensboro was honored as the inaugural Groundswell Community for their efforts supporting a deeply engaged community that works together on solutions to improve outcomes

The 2024 Groundswell Summit and Annual Meeting was sponsored by Owensboro Health. The next Groundswell Summit will take place in June 2025.  

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