Becoming a Certified Family Friendly School

This op-ed originally appeared in the Kentucky Gazette.

The Big Bold Future National Rankings Report, released biennially by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, measures how Kentucky ranks on key indicators of education and economic well-being among the 50 states. While there were some bright spots this year—such as our high school graduation rate and improvements in fourth-grade reading—the overall picture is concerning. Kentucky’s progress in many important educational and quality-of-life indicators is too slow, and in some cases, we are falling behind. These results demand action.

The Prichard Committee’s 2025 Groundswell Community Profiles provide a tool to help us respond. The Groundswell Community Profiles offer an in-depth look at the state of education in each of Kentucky’s 171 school districts. They provide essential local data on learning progress, economic conditions, and health factors that influence student success. With this information, community members can compare their school district’s performance to state averages, identify areas that need improvement, and tailor solutions to fit their unique needs.

It is not enough to simply acknowledge these statistics. We must use them to drive real change. The success of our schools directly affects our economy, workforce readiness, and overall quality of life. By engaging with these profiles, local leaders, parents, educators, and concerned citizens can take meaningful action to improve education outcomes in their own communities. Here’s how:

1. Understand Your Community’s Data: The Groundswell Community Profiles provide a clear picture of where your local schools stand. Are reading and math scores improving? Is postsecondary enrollment increasing or declining? How does broadband access impact learning in your area? Identifying these trends is the first step toward creating a plan for improvement.

2. Start Conversations That Lead to Action: Data is powerful, but it only leads to change when people act on it. Use the Community Profiles to start discussions with school leaders, elected officials, and fellow community members. Attend school board meetings, organize forums, and encourage dialogue about local education challenges and opportunities.

3. Leverage Community Assets and Resources: Schools thrive when communities are actively involved. Volunteer at local schools, mentor students, or participate in programs that provide additional support to educators. When students see that their community values education, they are more likely to stay engaged and succeed. And remember, students’ needs don’t stop in the classroom; working toward removing non-academic barriers to student success (such as chronic absenteeism, food insecurity or mental health issues) is a powerful way to improve education outcomes.

4. Monitor Progress and Hold Ourselves Accountable: Change doesn’t happen overnight. The Groundswell Community Profiles are updated annually, providing a valuable tool for tracking progress over time. We should all use them to hold ourselves accountable for educational improvements.

We’re seeing the community-centered school model working through early data from the 20 districts across the state participating in the Kentucky Community School Initiative. This initiative champions community-led educational solutions tailored specifically for Kentucky students and their families. When implemented effectively, the community schools model has been proven to boost student outcomes, increase college enrollments, and contribute to the overall well-being of students, especially in high-poverty schools. The goal is to coordinate existing community resources to reduce non-academic barriers to learning—such as transportation, mental health, housing and hunger—so Kentucky teachers and students can focus on academics.

The challenges outlined in the Big Bold Future National Rankings Report are not insurmountable but addressing them requires collective effort. Every Kentuckian has a role to play in improving education outcomes, and the Groundswell Community Profiles and community schools model offer roadmaps for action. By using these tools to engage with our communities, work for change, and support students, we can build a stronger, more prosperous Kentucky.

Now is the time to act. Visit prichardcommittee.org/community-profiles to explore the data for your district and take the first step toward making a difference. A Big Bold Future for Kentucky starts with us.

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The 2025 legislative session came at a time when Kentuckians are not only demanding more from our education systems—they’re rethinking how those systems should work in the first place. The latest Big Bold Future National Rankings report confirms the stakes: Kentucky ranks 47th in preschool enrollment, 46th in postsecondary enrollment, and 44th in degree attainment. But across the state, communities aren’t waiting. Through FAFSA campaigns, early learning collaboratives, and new models for dual credit, tutoring, and diploma redesign, local leaders are building the future from the ground up. This session offered new tools to support that momentum—but real change will come from how we reimagine, re-center, and rebuild systems in partnership with the people they’re meant to serve.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2025 SESSION

• HB 190: Automatic Enrollment in Advanced Coursework
  Ensures qualified students are enrolled into advanced courses starting in grade 4, reducing gatekeeping and increasing access based on demonstrated mastery.

• HB 193: Dual Credit Scholarship Expansion
  Removes grade-level restrictions on scholarships, allowing more students—especially in earlier grades—to access college-level coursework with financial support.

• HB 208: Cell Phone Policy in Schools
  Directs local school boards to implement prohibitions on student use of personal devices during the instructional day, balancing local control with statewide expectations.

• HB 240: Kindergarten Readiness and Retention
  Requires schools to give end-of-year reading assessments to all kindergarten and first-grade students, and to hold back students who do not meet reading goals for their grade level.

• HB 241: Virtual Learning Programs
  Ensures school districts can maintain funding during disasters by allowing them to make up instructional hours and waiving up to five days and also sets clear standards for virtual learning to maintain educational quality in any setting.

• HB 298: School Turnaround Flexibility
  Provides greater local flexibility in designing evidence-based improvement strategies for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools.

• HB 342: Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement
  Requires all high school students to complete a one credit course aligning academic experiences with essential life and workforce skills.

• SB 68: Learning Capacities Modernization
  Updates definitions and expectations around learning capacities in schools, focused on workforce readiness and essential durable skills like critical thinking and problem solving.  

• SB 207: Schools of Innovation and Instructional Materials
  Allows approved "Schools of Innovation" to access regulatory waivers to enhance student achievement and operations and establishes two new entities to support districts in selecting high-quality instructional materials.

These policies, if implemented well, can support the local momentum we are already seeing in place-based work across Kentucky. But policy alone is not enough. We must invest in the infrastructure, advising, data, and partnerships that turn policy into impact.

Even as momentum built around student opportunity and system innovation, one bill introduced significant questions about how we support access and student success in higher education. House Bill 4 limits how public colleges and universities in Kentucky can design programs or offer services that focus on identity or background. It prohibits institutions from funding or requiring certain trainings, offices, or programs—even those that have helped students feel seen, supported, and ready to succeed. While the bill aims to promote a range of viewpoints, it introduces new uncertainty that could impact how campuses support students.  

Because the language is broad, colleges may interpret the new law in different ways—some may continue offering broadly accessible supports and services, while others may limit programs out of caution. These varied responses could leave students unsure about the supports they can count on.

Even with these changes, the need for student support has not gone away. Community organizations will become increasingly important in helping students navigate college, stay on track, and reach their goals. It will be important to track the impact this has on already stagnant college going rates in Kentucky, particularly since an estimated 75% of good jobs will require some form of postsecondary training by the year 2040. To ensure all students continue to have a fair shot, colleges and partners must prioritize transparency—reporting on how policies affect access, persistence, and success—especially for those student groups already facing persistent achievement gap—and adjusting when needed.

THE PATH AHEAD

As the dust settles on the 2025 session, the Prichard Committee’s focus is squarely on turning policy into progress—through clear implementation, local engagement, and ongoing accountability. We are committed to a path forward built around:

• Empowering communities to lead improvement.
  Through community profiles and place-based strategies, we are working alongside Kentuckians to design local solutions to challenges in early learning, school climate, and student transitions. Across the state, we see the power of strong partnerships—between schools, families, and local organizations—to remove barriers, expand opportunity, and drive sustainable change.

• Expanding access to advanced coursework and postsecondary pathways.
  With HB 190 and HB 193 now law, our next steps include supporting districts to implement automatic enrollment fairly across the board, strengthen advising, and expand course availability—especially in under-resourced areas. We’ll continue working with partners to ensure students don’t just access advanced courses but thrive in them.

• Lifting up meaningful diplomas and transition readiness.
  We’re working with employers, educators, and families to define what a high school diploma should signify in today’s economy—and to ensure all students leave high school ready for college, career, and community life. That means strengthening advising, boosting dual credit success, and ensuring durable skills are embedded in core instruction.

• Building better early childhood systems through family voice and workforce focus.
  We are supporting communities in aligning early childhood programs with family needs and economic realities, including quality improvement strategies and support for providers. With Kentucky ranked 47th in preschool enrollment, this remains one of the most urgent investments the state must make.  

• Improving data transparency and shared accountability.
  We continue our call for strong public access to education data so communities can understand what’s happening and act on it. That includes data on school performance, course access, early learning participation, and postsecondary outcomes—broken down by region, race, and economic status.

• Rebuilding trust in public education through consistent community engagement.
  We’ll continue to mobilize families, students, and educators to take part in local school decisions, improvement planning, and accountability conversations—with a growing emphasis on student efficacy, so young people see themselves as capable agents in their own learning and success. As the Big Bold Future report states, “transparency, accountability, and community participation” must be foundational to every effort.

The policies passed this session set the stage—but they won’t deliver results on their own. The challenge now is to turn opportunity into impact. That means local partnerships must move from intention to action. Schools can’t do it alone. Community organizations, nonprofits, and families have a critical role to play in making sure students are supported, systems are responsive, and progress is real. This is the moment calls for community-building as implementation—because lasting change grows from relationships, trust, and shared responsibility.  

Kentucky’s future will be shaped by what we choose to do next, together.

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March 28, 2025

Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee

(cell) 859-475-7202

lisa@prichardcommittee.org

Statement on the 2025 Kentucky Legislative Session from Brigitte Blom, the Prichard Committee

LEXINGTON, Ky — The 2025 General Assembly brought forward a series of education bills—some narrow in scope, others more sweeping—but together, they represent real shifts in how Kentucky supports students and schools. While no single measure defined the session, the cumulative effect is significant. Taken together, these policies signal new expectations for schools and postsecondary institutions—and new responsibilities for the communities that support them.

House Bill 190 is a powerful step forward in expanding opportunity and excellence in Kentucky high schools. The bill requires school districts to adopt plans to automatically enroll students who meet established benchmarks into advanced coursework such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, and other college-level classes. This is a needed step to ensure that readiness—not bias or barriers—determines access to challenging academic opportunities. When students are encouraged to take rigorous courses and supported to succeed, they are more likely to graduate prepared for college, career, and life.

House Bill 208 takes a proactive step to support student learning, focus, and well-being in Kentucky schools. The bill requires school districts to adopt policies prohibiting personal cell phone use during the school day—except for emergencies and instructional purposes—while also strengthening safeguards against harmful online content. By minimizing classroom distractions, the bill helps students stay engaged, build stronger peer relationships, and develop healthy digital habits.

House Bill 4 limits how public colleges and universities in Kentucky can design or fund programs for historically underrepresented students. With Kentucky ranking 46th in postsecondary enrollment and 44th in degree attainment—and wide gaps in outcomes by race and ethnicity—the state must closely monitor how these changes affect access, support, and completion. Today, 61% of Asian or Pacific Islander and 36% of white Kentuckians aged 25–64 hold an associate degree or higher, compared to just 29% of Black and 27% of Hispanic or Latino Kentuckians. As institutions adjust, local communities and nonprofits will play an increasingly important role in ensuring all students have the support they need to enroll, persist, and succeed.

The 2025 Big Bold Future National Rankings Report makes clear where Kentucky must focus its efforts—from early childhood to postsecondary access and degree attainment. It shows us not just where we stand, but where we need to go. Kentucky’s future will be shaped not only by what happens in Frankfort, but by the everyday decisions made in classrooms and communities across the Commonwealth. The Prichard Committee stands ready to support community members, state leaders, families, and schools in coming together for the common good of Kentucky’s students and the future of our Commonwealth.

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The Prichard Committee believes in the power and promise of public education –early childhood through college– to ensure Kentuckians’ economic and social well-being. We are a citizen-led, non-partisan, solutions-focused nonprofit, established in 1983 with a singular mission of realizing a path to a larger life for Kentuckians with education at the core.