March 26, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Courtney Daniel, Chief of Communications and External Affairs
courtney@prichardcommittee.org
Kentucky House passes resolution commending community schools
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky House passed a resolution today recognizing and commending the 40 Kentucky public schools that are implementing the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative. The initiative, which is under the umbrella of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, establishes “community schools” throughout the state to coordinate existing community services to support students, improve learning outcomes, and recover learning losses that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
House Resolution 131 was sponsored by Rep. James Tipton.
“I believe every Kentucky child deserves a high-quality education, and that requires all of us in the community to get involved,” said Tipton. “The Kentucky Community School Initiative is creating hubs of collaboration between educators, families, local governments and other local organizations to create conditions for families to thrive. Thriving families allow students to succeed and go on to create their own healthy, prosperous families.”
The statewide effort will provide proof points for scaling of promising approaches to implementing the four pillars of community schools: 1) integrated student supports that address out-of-school barriers to learning through partnerships with social and health service agencies and providers; 2) expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities; 3) active family and community engagement; and 4) collaborative leadership and practices (including high-quality teaching).
"Evidence shows that by providing the supports needed for student success through the community school model, we can reduce barriers to learning and allow teachers to focus on maintaining high-quality learning environments,” said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom. “We are excited to bring communities together with 40 Kentucky schools in 20 districts to build relationships and share resources and expertise to improve outcomes for students and quality of life for communities. We are grateful to Rep. Tipton and the members of the House for recognizing and bringing attention to this good work.”
You can learn more about KCSI at prichardcommittee.org.
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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led organization working to improve education in Kentucky – early childhood through postsecondary.
