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:
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).
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.