With the 2020 Kentucky General Assembly in full swing and budget discussions taking place, one theme is clear: Kentucky’s financial situation is dark. At the Prichard Committee, however, we are focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel as we have always done in our work to build a stronger future for Kentuckians and their communities. We see this light as one that will bring the state and its citizens out of financial distress and poverty, as one that will lessen the scourge of the drug epidemic and the overcrowding of our prisons. That light is education.
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House Bill 87 of the 2020 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly aims to increase the number of students completing the FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – by making it a high school graduation requirement.
The legislation would allow waivers of the requirement under certain circumstance for hardship or if a student/parent certifies they understand the FAFSA and are choosing not to fill it out.
Recently, several states – including Louisiana, Texas, and Illinois – have adopted requirements similar to what is being proposed in House Bill 87. Louisiana saw a 25% increase in completions after implementing the change, but it is not all attributed to the requirement. Louisiana took a multi-pronged approach including peer-support programs, one-on-one assistance for students and families, phone-call reminders, and completion incentives.
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At the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, we work to engage Kentucky citizens on education issues because we believe informed and empowered citizens will demand continued progress for education across the Commonwealth. Over the past several years, we have been working to this end increasingly …
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In 1980, a young mother walked into Hindman Settlement School’s administrative offices. She seemed desperate and downtrodden. “My son has dyslexia,” she told the director. “I have dyslexia. The school is not able to help him in the way he needs it. What can you do?” The “you” quickly became a “we” who stepped up to help her son—and then many, many more like him.
Today Hindman Settlement School remains the leader in dyslexia intervention and education in Central Appalachia and has never turned away a child because of their family’s inability to pay for services. We provide a community-based approach to specialized rural education for children with reading challenges.
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Kentucky’s public schools welcome around 2,500 brand new teachers each year. What kind of support do these new teachers need? I recently spoke with Amelia Brown and Dana Lee Thomas to get their expert thoughts.
Amelia is Professional Learning Coach at the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services (NKCES), and Dana is an ELA instructional coach for grades 3-5 in Marion County.
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Within Kentucky school districts, teacher salaries vary in predictable and transparent ways. Teacher education levels and years of experience predict salaries – by design (from Kentucky state statutes) and through decisions (from school board members in local districts). Over the past 20 years, numerous recommendations have called for salaries to vary based on additional factors, but these recommendations have so far not translated into substantial policy changes at the local level.
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The Council on Postsecondary Education is celebrating some good news: “The total number of undergraduate degrees and credentials conferred increased 2.9% in 2017-18 over the prior year, exceeding the 1.7% average annual increase needed to stay on track. This increase includes both the public and independent institutions.” Based on data from Council’s terrific interactive tables, this post breaks out four trends within that progress:
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The Kentucky Department of Education provides such a public service through its Kentucky Education Facts page, where you can learn that we have 9,822 school buses (thank you bus drivers), 5,639 parents serving on school councils (thank you parent leaders), and 811 Family Resource/Youth Service Centers (thank you to FRYSC staff).
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A recent article by Will Wright in the Lexington Herald-Leader highlighted the critical need for child care and, in particular, lack of access in Eastern Kentucky. The imperative to increase access and to invest in our youngest children was crystallized in a blog post and op-ed by Cindy McGaha and Andrea Woodward – both professors at Berea College. We could not agree more.
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