Kentucky Teacher

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Shauna Phillips helps 4th-grade students Ripley Martin and Nick Curran measure angles using pizza slices as a reference at North Middletown Elementary School (Bourbon County), a Blue Ribbon School, Oct. 20, 2011. Photo by Amy Wallot

North Middletown Elementary School (Bourbon County) Principal Greg Ramey credits a new arts program and changes in science and social studies alignment with helping transform the school into a highly successful Blue Ribbon School.

And then there is the larger, overriding contributing factor.

“It’s our culture,” said Ramey, who has been principal at North Middletown Elementary for nine years. “I believe we are about as close to being self-actualized as a school team as one can get. We are truly in it for the right reasons.”

North Middletown was one of 10 state public schools that recently received the inaugural Distinguished Winners Circle Award at the Kentucky Safe Schools, Successful Students Conference. “To me this means culture,” Ramey said. “I love the Winners Circle Award because it recognizes great school culture, the key to any successful school.

“This is not just a great school,” Ramey said. “(This is) a great school getting better.” Continue Reading

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

Scott Walker helps 8th-grade student Micha Logan make a computer game with Scratch software during his game design class at Bate Middle School (Danville Ind.). Logan's game, Jurassic Cat, let's the gamer play a cat who has been transported back in time and has to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs. Photo by Amy Wallot, Oct. 7, 2011

Danville Independent school district and the University of Kentucky’s Digital Design and Learning P-20 Innovation Lab are using web-based video games to provide elementary and middle school students enrichment in mathematics, reading, science and social studies.

But students are not just playing games – they’re designing them as well.

The classes, called GameQuest, are part of Danville Kids University (DKU), which began in 2003 as a series of Saturday morning enrichment classes for elementary students, said DKU Coordinator Kathy Belcher.

Last fall, 80 3rd through 5th graders spent four hours on five Saturdays learning how to create games using Scratch, a free, open-source programming language created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The students also critiqued existing games for their entertainment and educational value, said Joan Mazur, an associate professor specializing in instructional systems design and technology at the UK College of Education and Digital Design and Learning P-20 Innovation Lab.

This fall, enrollment has grown to 96, after the program proved so successful it was expanded to include middle school students, Belcher said. Continue Reading

The Prichard Committee’s Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) opened its 15th annual session in August, promising to push the number of fellows statewide to more than 1,600 by year’s end.

The program has been replicated in several states and studied by researchers to determine its success in developing a cadre of informed advocates for improvement in their local schools.

Some of the cumulative effects of the Commonwealth Institute include:

• 47 local school board members are CIPL fellows (graduates).
• More than 750 fellows serve on their local school councils or committees.
• More than 30 fellows are employed as educators.
• 60 percent of fellows reported completing projects aimed at academic improvement and increased parent involvement in their children’s school.
• Two fellows have been appointed to the Kentucky Board of Education; two others were appointed to the Education Professional Standards Board. Continue Reading

In order to gain valuable feedback from Kentucky students and to engage student leaders in learning by doing, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday has created the Next-Generation Student Council.

This group will meet with the commissioner and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff, both in person and virtually, to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Kentucky and provide feedback on critical issues impacting Kentucky students and schools.

The Next-Generation Student Council is a year-long program for Kentucky public school students in grades 10-12. The council seeks students with refreshing ideas and thoughtful insight into how to further improve schools and student achievement. KDE encourages students to apply who represent the diverse academic, geographic, demographic and school-size variables particular to the state.

The application and FAQs for the council are now on the KDE website under the Commissioner of Education’s page (Advisory Groups) for students to complete and return to KDE via fax, mail or e-mail. The deadline to apply is Nov. 30.

KDE encourages you to publicize this student opportunity within your district’s high schools and alternative schools, and other appropriate channels such as school-based decision making councils, existing high school student councils, school PTAs, school and/or district newsletters and staff meetings at the district and school levels.

Any questions concerning the council or the application process can be directed to Stephanie Siria by phone at (502) 564-4201, ext. 4817 or via e-mail.

When looking at the most recent college/career readiness (CCR) rates and graduation rates, it is clear that some districts are making significant strides toward student success.

In an effort to better understand how districts are effectively reaching their goals and how the state might work to spread these practices, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will conduct targeted site visits. The site visits will focus on topics related to:

• school/district culture
• tools/resources for improving teaching and learning
• programs/strategies
• leadership
• school-wide practices
• Common Core implementation Continue Reading

To celebrate the 59th governor’s inauguration, First Lady Jane Beshear is sponsoring an essay contest for middle school students.

The theme of the contest is “Kentucky Forward – I Can Help.” In 250 words or less, students are asked to describe what they can do to help move Kentucky toward a better and brighter future.

Students in grades 6-8 are eligible, and each school should select one essay to represent its students. Essay submissions are due to the Kentucky Department of Education on Friday, Dec. 2. All essays will be reviewed by a state panel of judges. The winner will be notified as soon as scoring is complete, and the essay will be highlighted during inaugural events on Tuesday, Dec. 13 in Frankfort.

Essays may be sent to Donna Melton in the Division of Innovation and Partner Engagement, Community Engagement Branch, at the following address:

Donna Melton, Community Engagement Branch Kentucky Department of Education 1st Floor, 500 Mero St., Frankfort, KY 40601

For more information, contact Melton at (502) 564-1473.

The next superintendents’ webcast is scheduled for Dec.16 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. (EST).

The topic will be an update on the final version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver request that was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) in November. The discussion will focus on revisions that were made to the application following the department receiving input during its public review.

The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking nominations for the 2011–12 Eco-Art Contest, formerly known as the Green Art Contest.

Multiple awards will be presented to eligible Kentucky high school students who create art using the contest themes or categories of conservation, pollution prevention and environmental protection. Students may submit artwork using the media types of drawing/painting/print, mixed media, sculpture, and photography. One winner will be chosen for each submitted art type within each category.

Contest nominations are being accepted until the close of business March 14, 2012. All nominations must be sent to envhelp@ky.gov. A digital picture of each artwork nomination must accompany each form submitted. Eligible students include all students enrolled in Kentucky public and private high schools for the 2011–12 academic year. Winners will be notified during Earth Week in April 2012, and winning entries will be displayed in the DEP Training Center at 300 Fair Oaks Lane, Frankfort.

For more information about the Eco-Art contest and to access a nomination form, visit here or call the Division of Compliance Assistance toll-free at (800) 926-8111.

The 2012 Kentucky Center for Mathematics Conference on improving mathematical practices will be March 8-9 in Lexington.

As Kentucky educators continue to work on successful implementation of the Kentucky Core Academic Standards for mathematics, this event will be focused on improving mathematical practices, and will provide opportunities to learn from and network with others who are passionate and knowledgeable about mathematics education.

All links on the conference webpage are now live. Registration will close Feb. 17, and speaker proposals will be accepted until Dec. 12. Poster designs for the poster gallery that will be displayed at the conference also are being accepted. The deadline to submit a poster design is Jan. 20.

For registration and presentation details, visit the conference website. For more information, contact Kelsey Ripley.

The Commissioner’s Raising Achievement/Closing Gaps Council (CRACGC) has released a new document that is designed to help parents and community members become engaged in their schools and districts and to focus on statutory and regulatory expectations related to achievement gaps.

Guidelines for Closing the Gaps for All Students is referenced in a new state regulation, 703 KAR 5:220, the regulation related to school and district accountability recognition and support. The guidelines are designed to be parent-friendly, so that parents know what is expected of schools and districts. It also provides guidelines that schools and districts can follow to help ensure that students receive a high-quality, consistent and equitable education.

Because closing achievement gaps and implementing best practices to do so have been deemed aspects of parental involvement, schools and districts may use a portion of their Title I parent involvement funds to print copies of the documents for distribution to families. Continue Reading