Ed | Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Failing to Deliver

Last night, I returned from a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia where I had the pleasure of hearing about Mississippi’s incredible rise on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). No longer can the nation say, “thank goodness for Mississippi”; the state now meets the national average for students in 4th…

It Took a Mother

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 SEEK Formula Explainer (Updated)

The SEEK formula is the main source of K-12 education funding for Kentucky students. SEEK is short for Support Education Excellence in Kentucky, and the formula works by combining state and local dollars, in four main steps. Discussion of SEEK has been heating up in recent weeks, with concerns about the…

Not Moving Forward: Kentucky’s 2019 NAEP Results

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,…

AFTERSCHOOL TIME BOOSTS ACADEMICS, ENGAGEMENT

OCTOBER 2019 \\\\\ SPENCER COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL At some point most every school day, Marissa Atha, a 7th grader at Spencer County Middle School, said she can’t wait for the final bell to chime. She finds math and science tough to absorb, but once school is out, she feels confident…

Kentucky’s Gap Rules Need More Discussion

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…

2019 results show little improvement, great need for renewed efforts

Statewide, 2019 assessment results show little improvement compared to 2018. Here, I’ll look at reading, math, and science results, using those trends to call for major renewal of our statewide efforts to build excellence with equity. So, here’s a look at elementary reading.

ADDRESSING LEARNING WITH SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS

AUGUST 2019 \\\\\ MILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in ERLANGER-ELSMERE Vivid facts about an unusual predator capture a classroom of first graders in Northern Kentucky. Together, students read about the Humboldt squid — most common in the Pacific currents off South America, Mexico and California. The giant squid darts through the sea…

The new teacher next door – what support do new teachers need to grow and thrive?

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…