Kentucky Teacher

eSchool News is accepting nominations for the 11th annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards.

Nominees, who must be superintendents of a K-12 school system, will be judged according to the criteria below. Ten national finalists will be chosen by the editors of eSchool News in consultation with last year’s winners. The 2012 winners will be honored in a ceremony held in conjunction with the American Association of School Administrators annual conference in Houston and in the February 2012 issue of eSchool News.

Nominations will be accepted online through Oct. 28. Continue Reading

Last summer, 48 Kentucky principals participated in the Leadership Institute for School Principals in Greensboro, N.C.

This three-day event, funded by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the AT&T Foundation, worked with principals who were accepted into the program based on their leadership backgrounds and applications.

Two follow-up sessions will take place in October 2011 and February 2012. Continue Reading

A new state website will allow visitors to search for veterans’ events around the state, read personal stories from Kentucky veterans and leave messages for veterans living in the state’s veterans nursing homes. 

Gov. Steve Beshear launched the “11-11-11” webpage this week as part of his initiative to honor Kentucky’s current and former military servicemen and women in the days leading up to Veterans Day on Nov. 11, 2011 – or 11-11-11.

“We can never repay the huge debt we owe our veterans or fully express our appreciation to them,” Beshear said. “This website will allow all Kentuckians to plan visits to Veterans Day events, sign up for volunteer opportunities or simply send a message to one of our veterans. The 11-11-11 initiative is a way to show our continued appreciation for the work of all of our state’s veterans.” Continue Reading

The College Board, in partnership with the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), has released two new research reports designed to support the revision of the National Arts Education Standards. 

The International Arts Education Standards: A Survey of the Arts Education Standards and Practices of Fifteen Countries and Regions outlines existing international standards and benchmarks for arts education in more than a dozen of the world’s most educationally advanced countries. The second report is entitled Arts Education Standards and 21st Century Skills: An analysis of the relationship between the 1994 National Standards for Arts Education and the 21st Century Skills Map in the Arts. Continue Reading

Gov. Steve Beshear has proclaimed Sept. 12 – 17 as Kentucky Arts in Education Week.

 “Arts education brings a complete and balanced education to Kentucky’s children, which in turn builds a better workforce for tomorrow,” said Gov. Beshear.

 The proclamation acknowledges the value of arts in education to improve critical thinking, problem solving and academic performance as well as reduce dropout rates.

 The proclamation also credits the work of the Kentucky Arts Council in bringing teaching artists to Kentucky schools and working in partnership with Kentucky’s arts organizations to bring the arts and arts education programs to Kentucky’s youth.

 For a copy of the proclamation or more information about Arts in Education Week go here.

The Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy^® recently honored three teachers who have done an exceptional job of teaching financial literacy concepts to their students.

The 2011 winners of the Jump$tart Coalition Financial Literacy Teacher of the Year awards are Kristy Burberry, a business and marketing teacher at Menifee County High School in Frenchburg; Kelly Scheuher, a family and consumer sciences teacher at Hopkinsville High School in Hopkinsville; and Amanda Comstock, a business and marketing teacher at Bullitt East High School in Mt. Washington. Continue Reading

The number of Kentucky public high school students taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations and scoring at high levels continues to rise, data released today from the College Board indicate.

 Since 2007, the number of Kentucky public high school students taking AP examinations has risen by nearly 44 percent. The number of tests scored at 3, 4 or 5 has increased by about 75 percent. Continue Reading

The Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc. have selected 24 outstanding Kentucky educators as recipients of the 2012 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards (TAA).

 These teachers will compete for the 2012 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced next month. Continue Reading

Coordinated School Health is one of many sponsors for the third annual Making Every Minute Count workshop. This workshop is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Georgetown, and the deadline to register is Oct. 17. Aaron Beighle and Heather Erwin, both with the University of Kentucky, will be presenting sessions on ways to add moderate to vigorous physical activity into the school day. The training is approved for five Effective Instructional Leadership Approval (EILA) credit hours.

For more information, contact Stephanie Bunge at (502) 564-2706.

The 30th annual Kentucky Book Fair will host a Children’s Day on Friday, Nov. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and admission is free for students. The Book Fair will be held at the Frankfort Convention Center.

Students can meet and greet their favorite authors and have lunch on site. Bus parking is available. Authors such as Leigh Anne Florence, Loretta Ellsworth, Marcia Jones, Michael Capek, Marlis Day, Alison Hart and many more will be on hand.

See information about the Kentucky Book Fair at www.kybookfair.org. Teachers may contact Connie Crowe for more details and to schedule field trips.