With the release of its report, Inequities in Advanced Coursework, The Education Trust has found that Kentucky schools are radically failing to include Black students in elementary gifted and talented programs.

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The report also shows that Kentucky is the 9th worst in the U.S. when it comes to Black students access to 8th grade Algebra.The report states, "In Kentucky, under-representation in advanced coursework begins early and is especially stark for Black students."Kentucky is one of 11 states – and is the bottom 3 – of states that would need to at least double the enrollment of Black students in gifted & talented programs in order for them to be fairly represented. It is even more troubling that across the Commonwealth, in schools that have  gifted and talented programs, there are only 35 Black students enrolled in it for every 100 Black students who would need to be enrolled for the state to achieve fair representation. We are LAST in the nation in this area.We let African American children fall. We let African American children fail.

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To be last in the nation is simply unacceptable. Under Kentucky state regulations, all students, regardless of race or socioeconomic background, must have a fair shot of entering these valuable programs that recognize high levels of intellect, leadership skills, creativity and artistic talent. This report should be a call to action for all Kentucky citizens to engage in constructive dialogue about how our schools can overcome this shocking racial disparity.It is also highly disappointing that Black students aren't enrolled in higher level math courses such as algebra in 8th grade. The result of lower enrollment among this student group will ultimately lead to lower math mastery later in high school and on into college and the workforce.We let African American children fall. We let African American children fail.The report points to the following causes for these disparities:

1. Resource inequities
2. Educator bias
3. Assessment and grading bias
4. Lack of access to diverse educators
5. Inequitable access to quality early childhood opportunities
6. Lack of communication with families about advanced opportunities

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In my first "Failing to Deliver" blog post, I outlined several steps that we can take to stay focused on sustainable responses that embrace and support the needs of our African American learners and all their classmates. I urge you to revisit that post and give careful consideration to its message.These disparities and problems, among many others in Kentucky's education system, make our case stronger than ever for our Big Bold Ask. To deliver the promise of education excellence for every Kentuckian, regardless of race or socioeconomic background, the Commonwealth must reverse years of budget cuts and lost buying power. Our declining investment in education – and our future – is causing racial disparities such as the ones outlined in Education Trust's report, as well as numerous other issues. It is the reason we are proposing to increase state investment in education – from early childhood to postsecondary – $1 Billion by 2026.Kentucky must address our decline in education outcomes and we must address the disparities in educational outcomes for our African American students. We must do so with great urgency, courage, and commitment. Our state education leaders, legislators, and our communities, must be brave, steady, and focused on sustainable responses that embrace and support the needs of our African American learners and all their classmates.Watch the Ed Blog next week for a more detailed analysis of the EdTrust Report, which will also include information about advanced opportunities for Latino students.

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For further reading:

Inequities in Advanced Coursework: What's driving them and what leaders can do'Racialized tracking' is denying Kentucky's black students gifted and advanced classesHidden talent? JCPS gifted and talented program overlooks artistic students

To deliver the promise of education excellence for every Kentuckian, the Commonwealth must reverse years of budget cuts.

Since the 2008 recession, state investments have declined 33% in higher education; 12% in our K-12 per-pupil funding; and have been inadequate to ensure high-quality early learning for our youngest children.

These declines threaten to reverse the progress Kentucky has made in student success and national rankings in the last generation. To address this, we are proposing to increase state investment in education at all levels by $1 Billion dollars through 2026.

The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is asking the Kentucky General Assembly for increased investments in education over the next six years:

• $251 million to provide child care assistance to 23,000 more young children with family incomes below 200% of poverty
• $80 million to provide preschool to 10,000 additional 4-year-olds with family incomes below 200% of poverty
• $140 million to fund all-day kindergarten
• $162 million to fund school transportation fully
• $58 million to create a Fund for Teaching Excellence
• $311 million to implement full Performance-Based Funding for Kentucky’s public universities and community and technical colleges
• $30 million to expand needs-based aid, offering 18,000 more College Access Program (CAP) grants to low-income students

This is our big bold ask.

Can Kentucky afford this?

Yes. If phased in over six years, this investment can be accommodated with natural revenue growth. We can’t afford not to.
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We must have a sense of urgency for improving education for Kentuckians of all ages. Our Commonwealth is 5th from the bottom nationally in poverty. Through education we can break this cycle of poverty and build prosperity for all our families – in the next generation.

Kentucky did not gain ground in the newest results from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). We need to own that truth in order to change it, so this will be a pretty blunt, quick post showing the absence of improvement in our reading and math scores.For simplicity, the analysis will use the percent of students reaching or going beyond the level NAEP defines as proficient. Do know that NAEP proficiency is a demanding standard, even higher than the KPREP proficiency expectations used in Kentucky assessments.First, here's the overview for all students. The five percent drop in grade 4 reading proficiency is statistically significant. Looking at all students together, there are no statistically significant changes in the proficiency levels for grade 8 reading, grade 4 math, or grade 8 math . Instead, those three subjects add to the rising concern that Kentucky's educational progress, at least on the skills measured by NAEP, has stalled.

Second, the reading problem is spread across many student groups. The chart below compares grade 4 reading results for many groups, and it's grim stuff. 2019 reported proficiency levels are lower than 2015 for every group except Hispanic students--and the change for that group is not statistically significant. Clearly, the overall pattern is clearly not one of rising results and narrowing gaps.

Third, the other assessments (grade 8 reading, grade 4 math, and grade 8 math) offered little sign of progress. The only change for disaggregated student groups that counted as statistically significant was the drop in grade 8 reading results for Asian/Pacific Islander students. The math results for grade 8 may hint at a bit of improvement below the significant level, but it's only a small hint and it's mainly in the results student groups we already serve well. At the bottom of this post, you can see the 2019 group results, along with comparisons to 2015, for all four subjects.Here's the important thing: Kentucky's intent is to move forward, strengthening students each year and equipping each class to be increasingly effective as contributors and participants in our communities and our economy. These results do not show that forward movement. 2019 NAEP results signal clearly that we must rebuild our momentum, our collaboration, our innovation, and our investments in Kentucky's rising generation.Author note: this post has been edited to clarify when it discusses results for all students taken together and when it discusses disaggregated student groups. In the paragraph that begins with the words "first" and the paragraph that begins with the word "third," the words in blue italics are the ones that have been added.

Only 30 Kentucky schools have significant achievement gaps between African American students and the school’s top scoring racial or ethnic group? That’s what this year’s school report cards say.I hope someday to live in a commonwealth where that claim makes sense.To me, this year, it doesn't.I see 152 schools that had 2018-19 gaps of 20 points or more between African American students and other groups, including 49 with gaps of 30 or higher and two with gaps of 40 points or beyond.These gaps are based on a score that combines reading and math data on a zero to 125 scale, with full credit for proficient scores, half credit for apprentice results, and extra credit for distinguished work. Some parts of Kentucky school report cards call that number the proficiency indicator score, while others call it the gap rate, but it’s the same calculation.Here’s a chart showing six different types of gaps, again with many schools having gaps listed as not significant:

Our new state accountability regulation said gaps would matter if they were “statistically and practically significant,” but the regulatory language never offered the mathematical specifics that would be used. The final criteria weren’t clear to most of us until after the report cards came out. The Department's "Accountability Gap Identification" document (dated September 27) explains the technical details:

• “A Cohen’s d is used to determine statistical and practical significance. Cohen’s d provides a measure of effect size for comparisons of groups with differing sizes and variability as seen in student groups across the state.”
• Cohen recommended that a d of 0.2 be considered a small effect size, with 0.5 counted as moderate, and 0.8 as large.
• “In Kentucky’s school accountability system, the 1.0 level is used to determine if the achievement gaps are statistically and practically significant.”

That puzzles me. I'm not fluent in this type of statistical analysis, but it sure sounds like Kentucky’s rule is that moderate and even large gaps will not be considered significant.Kentucky is also treating gaps very differently from other achievement issues. When two schools differ by 20 points or so, they are rated differently on our school dashboard’s proficiency indicator. When two groups have the same kind of 20 point difference, that does not get dashboard attention. Here's an illustration using real schools' data to show that inconsistency.

Here's my puzzle:

• Caverna High and Eminence High differ by 19.0 points, with proficiency indicators of 35.5 and 54.5 respectively. The dashboard gives them very different ratings for that indicator: one very low and one medium.
• African American and white student results differ by 19.6 points at Jeffersontown High, with scores of 34.7 and 54.3, respectively. The dashboard says the school has no significant gaps.
• The school difference has a high-visibility impact on dashboard ratings. Why isn't the very similar group difference worthy of dashboard attention?

Over and over, state leaders remind us that the school report cards are supposed to start important conversations. That they aren’t a judgment. That no one gets more money for high ratings or less money for lower ones. That they’re meant to create opportunities for communities to discuss issues that matter in their local schools.On gaps, I think our current system is closing off conversations that need to happen. When citizens look at their school report cards and see “no significant gaps,” that invites them to think they don’t need to dig deeper to understand how the school is serving different groups of students.So I want to start a conversation, too, and here are my starting questions:

• Is a Cohen’s d of 1.0 the right cut point?
• What was the reasoning that led to selecting that cut point?
• Should Kentucky choose a different cut point to reflect our serious intent to close these gaps?
• Even more radically, should we make a policy choice that gaps of 20 points are always substantive and definitely worthy of public engagement?

I think those gaps, and the children caught in them, matter.Source notesThis analysis draws on the research data files for the 2018-19 school report cards. Click on Assessments/Accountability at the top of the page to locate the files I used:

• Gap shows a score for each group with enough students at each school and then shows a gap calculation next to each of the historically underserved groups.
• Accountability Proficiency By Level contains each school’s percent novice, apprentice, proficient, and distinguished for each group in reading and mathematics. I used that data to verify that the scores in the Gap file do indeed use the formula for the proficiency indicator.
• Accountability Profile includes the proficiency indicator score based on all students at a school and also provides a column identifying all the gaps counted as significant at that school.

The use of Cohen’s d and effect sizes of 1.0 or greater is specified in the Department’s September 27 “Achievement Gap Identification” document.To review data on a single school, go to kyschoolreportcard.com. After you select a school, click the link that says "View Accountability Data" to see a dashboard of major indicators and a summary of the school's significant gaps. Then click "Explore Data" and use the left-side menu to see achievement gaps by groups, including those not considered significant.

Support for afterschool is overwhelming and demand is growing. Nationwide, 9 in 10 adults say afterschool programs are important to their community—and more than 19 million kids are waiting to get in. Decades of research prove afterschool helps kids attend school more often, get better grades, and build foundational skills, like communication, teamwork, and problem solving.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school and summer learning programs. Grants support Kentucky schools and community-based organizations provide afterschool and summer learning programs to over 37,000 Kentucky students in over 170 communities across the Commonwealth.

For more information on how you can support out-of-school time programs in Kentucky, please visit the Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance (KYOSA).  KYOSA is our state’s network for out-of-school time professionals and advocates focused on supporting the continued growth, development, and accessibility of quality out-of-school programs to promote the success of children and youth.

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Would you drive a car whose technology hasn’t changed in 30 years? Would you trust a surgeon who uses the same techniques used 30 years ago? As a consumer, would you expect continued innovation, research, development, and respectful progress in the profession? Would you support and invest in the organizations responsible for creating and producing these products and services in hopes of receiving the best and most innovative outcomes?Organizations must change to adapt to external pressures and demands to bring value to its customers. Boards of directors expect, encourage, and support research and development practices to remain competitive within each respective industry. To meet these demands, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of corporations instill a culture of continued change in order to survive. Most CEOs are hired to create and manage change, as status quo and lack of innovation render organizations irrelevant, outdated, and replaceable. As head over multiple divisions and possible product lines, the CEO works with its cabinet leaders and middle-level leaders to lead and manage continued growth through the development of an organizational mission and vision, through investment in its people, and through continued monitoring of outcomes. Leaders of innovative organizations create cultures of learning which encourage members to take risks. Members properly document, learn from, and share information to all organizational members through careful and meaningfully constructed information systems. Information garnered from both mistakes and correct results is considered valuable in an effort to assist in future research and development (R&D) and innovation efforts (Qinxuan, Wang & Wang, 2013). Further, innovative organizations encourage the discarding or “unlearning” of dated practices which may hinder the adoption or “learning” of new and improved practices (Tsang & Zahra, 2008). A CEO’s role may differ from organization to organization – manager, politician, communicator, although the same adage holds true: the relationship that the CEO has with the board of directors has a profound effect on the overall performance of the organization (Conforth & Macmillan, 2016).CEOs and boards of directors exist in our communities and effect our children everyday: school district superintendents and boards of education. The leaders of these multi-million-dollar enterprises make direct decisions for organizations that produce our citizenry, our future employees, and our future community members. Superintendents and boards of education recognize the need to provide their students with the necessary tools to meet the 21^st century world. Through the distribution of resources – time, money, and personnel (Crawford, 2008), superintendents and their boards of education can directly impact the learning outcomes of our students. Superintendents work with their cabinet members and building-level leaders to ensure that the needs of students and their learning goals are being met.Education faces different external pressures than those faced by business. As varying reform acts have ensued across the United States, education continues to be over-regulated and under-funded (Björk, Kowalski, & Young, 2005). New education reform mandates overlap outdated mandates, some communities expect 19^th and 20^th century models of teaching and learning because it’s “the way we’ve always done it”, and state funding for education continues to decline (Spalding, 2019). Nevertheless, our superintendents go beyond the rules and regulations of our current system to create meaningful, innovative learning environments for their students. Leaders are leading with moral imperative and piecing together budgets with unsustainable grant dollars, doing more with less in order to meet the needs of our kids (District Management Council, 2014, p. 128).In business, innovation and progress is expected and supported in various ways. CEOs create a vision for what their organization should supply based on external needs and internal capacities. They work with their board of directors, c-level executives, and mid-level managers to ensure optimal functionality. All the while, innovative CEOs think to the future and work to make all aspects of the business better, ridding their organization of policies, procedures, and requirements that are no longer suitable, and most likely building budgets based on increased funding projections, not decreased. In education, innovation isn’t necessarily expected but good leaders find ways to make meaningful, positive changes happen. Superintendents constantly prepare for the future, and work with their board of education, cabinet, and building level leaders. Additionally, these leaders work with their communities, area businesses, state and federal level leaders, local colleges and trade schools, and network with schools and organizations from across the country gathering ideas and garnering support. They strive to meet the expectations of state and federal mandates, while hoping to meet the needs of a new generation of kids with unprecedented challenges.Can we expect the same level of innovation and leadership from our education leaders as we do from our business leaders, yet not provide them the same level of support? As community members and educational influencers in this state, shouldn’t we provide the resources for superintendents in their plight for better educational opportunities for our students? These leaders deserve recognition of their credentials and expertise, and deserve to have us listen, understand and appreciate the challenges they face. We should address the unrealistic expectations and pressures that years of education reform has put their system of educators and allow them the time to un-learn old ways of educating and the freedom to then create a more beneficial system for our students. Further, I would encourage us to voice our concerns in a thoughtful manner instead of remaining silent. Ultimately, I believe that we all believe our students deserve an instructional experience that is supportive, innovative, engaging and rewarding for both student and teacher - a system that also creates hope and opportunity for every child.

Björk, L. G., Kowalski, T. T., & Young, M. D. (2005). National education reform reports. In L. G. Björk & T. J. Kowalski (Eds.), The contemporary superintendency: Preparation, practice, and development (pp. 45–69). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Cornforth, C., & Macmillan, R. (2016). Evolution in Board Chair–CEO Relationships: A Negotiated Order Perspective. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(5), 949–970. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764015622705

District Management Council. (2014). Spending money wisely: Getting the most from school budgets. Retrieved from https://smarterschoolspending.org/sites/default/files/resource/file/Research_Spending%20Money%20Wisely.pdf

Qinxuan, G., Wang, G., & Wing, L. (2013). Social capital and innovation in R&D teams: The mediating roles of psychological safety and learning from mistakes. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/radm.12002

Spalding, A. (2019). Cuts to k12 funding in Kentucky among worst in the nation. Retrieved from https://kypolicy.org/cuts-to-k-12-funding-in-kentucky-among-worst-in-the-nation/

Tsang, E. W., & Zahra, S. A. (2008). Organizational unlearning. Human Relations, 61(10), 1435–1462.

About the Poll: The 2019 Prichard Committee Education Poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., from June 14 through June 26, 2019. A total of 1,000 registered Kentucky voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. Those interviewed were randomly selected from a phone-matched Kentucky voter registration list that included both landline and cell phone numbers. The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than ±3.2 percentage points.

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At a time when we need more students succeeding in postsecondary, affordability trends are not promising. Rising tuition prices, declining state support for higher education, increasing student debt levels, growing negative public perceptions of college cost and value, and stagnant wage growth are threatening to erode college access, particularly for lower-income students, part-time learners, and working adults. Kentucky must build a shared understanding of what affordability means, its impact, and the challenges facing students, families, institutions, and policymakers as Kentuckians navigate paying for postsecondary education. This critical step will help policymakers guide state investment decisions and students and families better understand the possible pathways to achieve a degree or credential.

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Access to affordable, high-quality postsecondary education opportunities is a must for Kentucky to meet its educational, economic, workforce, and civic potential. Research clearly documents the positive individual and collective benefits of greater educational attainment.

• In Kentucky, the average annual earnings of bachelor’s degree holders are estimated at $42,800 in contrast to $28,300 for those with only a high school diploma. This $14,500 differential represents a 51% earnings premium for those holding a bachelor’s degree.
• The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky has estimated other benefits of greater educational attainment: lower unemployment, less chronic disease, less dependence on public assistance, and greater rates of volunteerism.
• Underscoring these positive impacts is recent research that indicates raising Kentucky’s educational attainment level to the national average would generate $903 million annually in new tax revenue and cost savings. Specifically, the state would realize approximately $500 million in additional income tax receipts, $200 million in Medicaid cost savings, $200 million in other healthcare cost savings, and $3 million in crime-related cost savings.

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Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education has set a new attainment goal for 2030, while economic projections suggest that the supply of workers with postsecondary education continues to fall short of the demand for an educated workforce.  To reach our goals, we must break down barriers to college access and ensure higher education remains affordable for all citizens.

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The big question: How can Kentucky better define postsecondary affordability? Kentucky must pursue answers to this critical issue in order to more effectively coordinate funding, connect key data, and communicate expectations for policymakers, postsecondary institutions, students, and families. In doing so, an affordability framework can be built that:

• Defines affordability goals.
• Determines how to measure affordability.
• Assesses the current state of affordability.
• Develops parameters for students’ share of the cost.

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This framework will increase understanding of how various funding sources impact affordability and:

• Align funding to postsecondary institutions, financial aid, and tuition,
• Illustrate the impact of funding policies on all students,
• Support strategic investment and policies to make postsecondary education more affordable, and;
• Communicate expectations for the responsibilities of each stakeholder – the state, institutions, and students.

Investments in the early years of education, including kindergarten through 3rd grade, build the foundation in reading and mathematics necessary for student success in the future. This foundation is critical as students read to learn after 3rd grade, not just learn to read.

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Research demonstrates:

• By the end of 3rd grade, 16% of students not reading proficiently do not graduate high school on time, four times higher than the rate of those who are proficient. (Double Jeopardy)
• The rate rises to 26% for those students who live in poverty, 25% for African American and Hispanic students, and nearly one-third for African American and Hispanic students who live in poverty. (Double Jeopardy)
• Students who are chronically absent are far less likely to achieve levels of proficiency across all student groups. (Chronic Absenteeism)

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Students need to be ready to learn for academic success as soon as they enter kindergarten, and learning must persist at a high level through the early grades to ensure a strong start. Currently, too many Kentucky students begin school underprepared and struggle to realize the promise of proficiency in reading and mathematics by the end of 3rd grade. Consider:

• In 2017, only 55.8% of all Kentucky 3rd grade students scored proficient or better in reading on the K-PREP assessment compared to 32.8% of African American students, and 42.7% of Hispanic students – with even larger gaps for English language learners and students with learning differences.
• In 2017, half of Kentucky’s children started behind, and achievement gaps seen later in school begin early. This is demonstrated in the kindergarten readiness rate, which is far lower for Hispanic students, English language learners, students with learning differences, and those qualifying for free/reduced price lunch.
• Similarly, only 50.9% of all Kentucky 3rd grade students scored proficient or better in mathematics on the K-PREP assessment compared to 30.3% of African American Students, 40.6% of Hispanic students – with even larger gaps for English language learners and students with learning differences.

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The K-3 Blueprint will elevate best practices and policies to move Kentucky forward in ensuring every student achieves proficiency in reading and mathematics by the end of third grade.

By bringing key data to light, telling stories of high-performing schools, and highlighting evidence-based policies and practices, the K-3 Blueprint will offer a tool to school leaders and community members to build awareness and impact practice in the following key areas:

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Increase Student Learning Time

In class time is predictive of grade level achievement in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge, with even greater impact on children from low-income families. Learning time can be increased through summer reading and transition programs and through a number of other methods.

Since chronic absenteeism is a significant problem in Kentucky and a critical factor in the likelihood of academic success, it is important to note that:

• From kindergarten through fifth grade, 10% of Kentucky students are chronically absent, with much higher rates in kindergarten and first grade.
• Proficiency rates on the state K-PREP assessment are substantially lower for chronically absent students across all student groups.

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Improving What and How Students are Taught

A knowledge-rich curriculum can have a positive impact on student reading performance.

Effective professional learning strategies for teachers and elementary principals have a positive effect on student achievement.

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Early and Effective Intervention

Sixteen percent of students not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade do not graduate high school on time, four times higher than the rate of those who are proficient. It is critical for improving early intervention to help those that are struggling.

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Assessing student success typically entails a focus on standardized test scores and academic performance. In ignoring school climate and culture, this approach provides an incomplete picture of the quality of teaching and learning. Further, more comprehensive assessments that do take school climate and culture into account rarely share back findings with the key stakeholders who can and must be part of climate and culture improvement efforts – including students themselves.

The Prichard Committee Student Voice Team’s student-led research contrasts with traditional, top-down school improvement research in which external researchers conduct “rigorous research” on educational problems, identify “what works,” and expect practitioners to use this knowledge to inform policy and practice (Tseng & Nutley, 2014).  

Efforts to improve school climate are stunted because the stakeholders upon whom improvement most depends have not been involved in the learning process that helps them understand why their schools are struggling and what role they might play in improvement.

The Student Voice Team model assumes that deeper, more sustainable change inside schools must be driven by the most primary stakeholders, namely students and staff. Consequently, these stakeholders must be engaged in research design, data collection, analysis, and solution finding if they are expected to implement solutions to making school climates safer, more inclusive, and more engaging.  
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As a student:

On the micro level, get to know as many students and adults in your school as possible, especially those from different backgrounds than you. Help everyone in your building feel valued and visible. On the macro level, consider launching your own school climate audit, including a student and staff survey, classroom observations, and interviews. Consult with the Prichard Committee Student Voice Team or visit the National School Climate Center’s website to get a sense of the tools you can use and how to get started.  Then, use the data you collect to create space in your school for a candid conversation about whether school is working for all students and if not, determine how you, as a school community, can ensure that it does.

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As a parent:

Ask and observe for yourself whether and how students are supported beyond academics. What is the ratio of school counselors to students? Where do students go if they have mental health concerns? Are students and staff taught social and emotional skills? How does the school create a sense of community that values students from all backgrounds? Make it a point to express interest and concern about issues beyond grades and testing results to your school administrators. And if you want to join forces with parents from across Kentucky pushing for improved school climate and schools overall, check out the wealth of resources and training available to you through Prichard Committee’s Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL).

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As a community supporter of better public education:

Advocate for the value of a safe, inclusive, and engaging school that affirms every member of the school community beyond academic output. Invite students, particularly those from more marginalized backgrounds, into spaces where education issues are being discussed and intentionally solicit their feedback. Make integrating students into school board and school council discussions, educator professional development, policymaking and other education arenas normal and expected.

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A high school diploma should be evidence that a student is ready to succeed after high school. Unfortunately, too many students today graduate, diploma in-hand, without having mastered the knowledge and skills required to be successful in college, career, and life. Ensuring Kentucky’s high school graduates are prepared for success in postsecondary, master content knowledge, and acquire skills such as creativity, communication, problem solving, and team work will require:

• High expectations through rigorous course work and adequate supports
• Greater access to early postsecondary opportunities, including relevant career pathways.
• A highly-qualified teacher in every classroom, every year.
• Innovative alternative systems for earning high school credits.

First and foremost, jobs. In Kentucky, 62% of jobs by 2020 and a majority of those paying a family-sustaining wage will require some level of postsecondary education.  Those holding a bachelor’s degree in the Commonwealth earn 51% more than those with just a high school diploma.  Research clearly documents other positive benefits of more education including: lower unemployment, less chronic disease, less dependence on public assistance, and greater rates of civic participation. A meaningful high school diploma is the gateway to postsecondary success and these benefits. But, while nearly 90 percent of Kentucky high school students graduate in four years, far fewer are meeting college and/or career readiness standards, putting them at a disadvantage for future success.  For example, 67% of those college and/or career ready transition to college, while less than 30% of those not ready do.   Less than 50% of high school students demonstrate proficiency on end-of-course exams in Math and Science, and just over 50% demonstrate proficiency in English and History.

State law requires the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) to set minimum high school graduation requirements. Currently, students must earn a total of at least twenty-two credits to graduate. This includes credits aligned to the content standards in the Kentucky core academic standards, as well as additional electives aligned to the student’s individual learning plan. Kentucky’s school accountability system since 2011 has included measures of student college and/or career readiness for high school accountability.  Kentucky’s new accountability system  builds on this measure with multiple ways for a student to show evidence of “transition readiness” in both academic and career domains.

To review KDE’s side-by-side comparison of current and proposed changes on minimum graduation requirements, click here.

There are significant concerns about whether Kentucky is delivering on the promise of future success to all high school students.  Too many are graduating with a diploma, but without the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and career.

In response to these concerns, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is developing revisions to Kentucky’s minimum high school graduation requirements. In spring 2018, KDE hosted town halls, roundtables with business leaders and online surveys to gather public feedback on the competencies needed for high school graduates to successfully transition.

The state Board of Education had a first reading of the proposed regulation on August 2, 2018 and is scheduled to have a second reading at their October 2018 meeting. These proposed changes are summarized in the infographic above. The public will have an opportunity to comment on any changes to the regulation during late summer or fall of 2018.

As Kentucky’s citizen advocacy group for excellence and equity in education, we are collecting public input throughout the process. We will share feedback with the Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Board of Education as they finalize policy decisions over the coming weeks. Tweet comments using the hashtag #KYdiploma on Twitter, comment on our Facebook page, or email us feedback directly.

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Kentucky’s young children and their families benefit from high-quality early learning that keeps each and every child on a path toward proficiency in reading and mathematics by the end of the third grade. It is imperative to increase the number of infants, toddlers, and preschool children from low-income families enrolled in high-quality child care and public preschool through policies, practices, and funding that sustain quality early learning environments.

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Kentucky’s young children and their families benefit from high-quality early learning that keeps every child on a path toward proficiency in reading and mathematics by the end of the third grade. Research demonstrates that learning begins early and high-quality early learning impacts long-term outcomes for students.

• Cognitive skill development begins early and rapidly. The Toddler Brain by Laura A. Jana, M.D. indicates that 85-90% of brain development occurs before the age of 5.
• Research also shows children who participate in high-quality preschool programs are 40 percent less likely to drop out of school and 50 percent less likely to be placed in special education.

Investments in high-quality early childhood make business sense – by the numbers – and also provide opportunities for families to access the workforce.

• 12.6% of Kentucky families with young children report having difficulty holding down a job because of a lack of affordable childcare according to the National Survey of Children’s Health.
• Lack of childcare “costs businesses over $3 billion a year” according to the S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

What’s more, the investments in high-quality early childhood education are not only a solution for reducing achievement gaps and improving academic performance but pay long-term dividends to society as a whole. These benefits include reduced need for special education, higher rates of educational attainment, a reduction in health costs, a reduction in the incidence of crime, and less demand for social welfare services.

• Early Childhood – Returns $5 for every $1 invested. – Cost-benefit analyses conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky in 2009 estimated that investment by Kentucky in expanded early childhood education would yield a return of $5 in public and private benefits for every $1 of public investment. Other research from across the country finds the cost-benefit ratio of investing in early childhood ranging from $2:1 to $10:1.‍
• Kentucky ranks 41st in the nation in the number of three- and four-year olds enrolled in preschool.
• In 2017, only 50% of incoming kindergarten students scored “prepared” on the BRIGANCE screener. Half of Kentucky’s children are starting behind, and achievement gaps seen later in school begin early. Readiness rates are far lower for Hispanic students, English-language learners, students with learning differences, and students from families with low income.
• More than half (53% or 170,000) of Kentucky’s children live under 200% of the federal poverty level, the income necessary to meet basic needs of food, housing, health care, child care, and transportation. Yet our child care assistance program only serves families at or below 160% and currently only serves 27,000 children.

Many Kentucky children who most need the foundation of high-quality early learning do not have the opportunity due to cost and/or a lack of high-quality programs in their area. To build a strong future for Kentucky, the best economic investment we can make is in early education that gives all students a strong foundation.

The evidence is clear – a high-quality early childhood environment “can enhance children’s development, reduce achievement gaps at kindergarten entry, and even have long-term benefits in school and beyond.”

Kentucky needs greater commitment from policymakers to make the critical investments necessary, as well as greater commitment from communities to find new ways to deliver the highest quality early childhood programs. Specific steps the state can take to support a high-quality early childhood education system for all kids include:

Increasing eligibility level and investment in high-quality, full-day early learning environments – both preschool and childcare – and incentivize public-private partnerships.

• This builds learning that is the foundation for future success and helps families enter and stay in the workforce.

Supporting family engagement and maternal and child well-being through sustained investment in HANDS home visiting program.

• This shares the importance and impact of early childhood education and supports health and development in the earliest years.