Kentucky Teacher

Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday, right, files articles of incorporation for the Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky with Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, center. Also pictured are President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber Dave Adkisson and Rep. Carl Rollins.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday on Wednesday filed the Articles of Incorporation for the Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky, an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

The fund is designed to help support innovative strategies in Kentucky public schools, promoting creative and collaborative solutions by conducting research, spurring dialogue, incubating innovative ideas, brokering partnerships and scaling promising practices.

The corporation will have an independent board of trustees and staff, and it will seek to access funding sources to provide support to school districts outside of traditional state, federal and local sources. The passage of House Bill 37 in the 2012 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly opened the doors to innovation in the state’s public school districts, and this fund will help leverage resources to support districts as they provide students with the knowledge, skills and dispositions required for success in further learning, meaningful work and citizenship in a globally-oriented world.

The fund’s board of trustees will hold its first meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at the offices of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Frankfort. The members of the board are: Continue Reading

Three Kentucky public schools have been designated as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.

The three are:

• Trapp Elementary, Clark County
• Rosa Parks Elementary, Fayette County
• Porter Elementary, Johnson County

Rock Creek Elementary in Louisville; Notre Dame Academy in Park Hills; St. Henry High in Erlanger; Saint James Catholic Regional School in Elizabethtown; and Seton Catholic School in Lexington also were named Blue Ribbon Schools in the nonpublic schools category. Continue Reading

UCLA is sponsoring the Jim Varney Scholarship for high school seniors from Kentucky and Tennessee who aspire to a career in theater and/or drama or plan to continue their current involvement in the performing arts during college and after receipt of a degree. Recipients must plan on enrolling full-time in UCLA College (of Letters and Science).

Eligibility

• high school graduate with a minimum (weighted or unweighted) 3.75 GPA
• submit Statement of Intent to Register for fall quarter
• must enroll in a major in UCLA College
• must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 2 and be eligible for financial aid at UCLA

Award Amount

• full amount of non-resident fees for room, board and tuition at UCLA Continue Reading

Today, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) launched a redesigned website that is designed to connect parents, educators, lawmakers and the public with the agency’s vast compilation of data and information.

The new website address is the same – http://www.education.ky.gov– but the setup and navigation are redesigned dramatically.

“The goal of this change is to reach our various audiences more effectively,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. “The revamped site will help individuals find what they are seeking, depending on their interests or needs. The site also is set up in a logical sequence, so that visitors can easily navigate through the many layers.”

 The new KDE homepage provides links for specific audiences, such as administrators, media, students, parents and others. The page also highlights and links to KDE initiatives, such as college and career readiness, the Continuous Instructional Improvement Technology System (CIITS), Effective Teachers, Unbridled Learning and more. The homepage also provides links Continue Reading

By Amy Wallot
amy.wallot@education.ky.gov

Eighth-grade language arts teachers at Henry F. Moss Middle School (Warren County) delved deeper into the lives of their students during recent class presentations. Students were asked to bring in five items of personal importance that represented significant relationships, events or topics in their lives.  Then they presented the items to the class. According to language arts teacher Keri Bowen Mosier, the students will use the representations to write personal memoirs, narratives or essays.

It was really interesting and sweet to see this version of show and tell with older students. The students really seemed to enjoy it. One student told me he and many of his classmates got a little teary-eyed when talking about the people behind the items they brought to class.

Language arts teacher Keri Bowen listens as Chance Hunt shares football memorabilia during his presentation. Photo by Amy Wallot, Oct. 11, 2012

Shelby Brown shared jewelry items from family members she is close to and a picture a friend had drawn for her. Photo by Amy Wallot, Oct. 11, 2012

Jaylen McFadden listens to a classmate present photos from his youth. Photo by Amy Wallot, Oct. 11, 2012

Dakota Estes shares a Hoberman sphere that was a gift from a former neighbor and an old Coke bottle that his grandfather gave him. Photo by Amy Wallot, Oct. 11, 2012

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has released a free, two-part training toolkit designed to reduce incidents of bullying.

The toolkit was developed by the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center, supported by USED’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, in collaboration with the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers.

Module 1 consists of step-by-step instructions, including a preparation guide and trainer’s outline, for conducting workshops with teachers, educators and school personnel who work with students in a school environment. Module 2 provides state-of-the-art information on how to build a supportive classroom climate. Research shows that classrooms that have strong relationships and are respectful of diversity have less bullying.

For more details, visit here.

Four Kentucky public high school students have been named to the Next-Generation Student Advisory Council, a group that provides input to Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday.

The newly-selected members will serve for one year.

• Vincent Cao – 11th grade, Paul Laurence Dunbar High, Fayette Co.
• David Hormell – 11th grade, Martha Layne Collins High, Shelby Co.
• Sarah Howard – 12th grade, Glasgow High, Glasgow Ind.
• Guyron Spalding – 11th grade, Bardstown High, Bardstown Ind.

The four join seven returning members:

• Iman Ali – 12th grade, Pikeville High, Pikeville Ind.
• Morgan Casto – 11th grade, Russell High, Russell Ind. Continue Reading

2013 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Kristal Doolin receives her award from Ashland Chairman and CEO Jim O’Brien. Also pictured are Kentucky Board of Education chairman David Karen, First Lady Jane Beshear, Gov. Steve Beshear and Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday.

Kristal Doolin, a language arts teacher at Corbin Middle School in the Corbin Independent school district, is the 2013 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

The announcement was made yesterday at a ceremony held at the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort by Ashland Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education. Governor Steve Beshear; Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday; and Ashland Chairman and CEO Jim O’Brien were on hand to make the presentation.

Heidi Givens, a teacher of deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Tamarack Elementary in Daviess County, was named 2013 Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Allison Hunt, social studies teacher at duPont Manual High School in Jefferson County, was named 2013 High School Teacher of the Year.

The three joined 21 other teachers from across the state honored with 2013 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards. Givens and Hunt received $3,000 each and a customized, art-glass vase from Ashland Inc., while Doolin received $10,000 and a commemorative crystal-glass bowl. In addition, the Department of Education will provide a sabbatical or suitable alternative for Doolin, who also will represent the state in the 2013 National Teacher of the Year competition. The remaining 21 winners each received $500 cash awards. All 24 teachers received framed certificates and were further recognized at a luncheon following the ceremony.

The Parent Institute has issued a report for schools and districts that focuses on the importance of school websites in keeping parents and community leaders informed.

“It’s neither hard nor expensive to make your site one of the most helpful sources of information about your school,” according to the report. “With very little time and expense, you’ll see increased school support from parents and the community – and spend less time answering the same questions over and over again, time that can be better focused on improving student achievement.”

The report lists several guidelines that school websites should adhere to including:

• Parents and families of current or prospective students are the primary audience.
• School address and phone number are prominently displayed on the homepage.
• An easy-to-find e-mail link is on the homepage. Continue Reading

The Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission, part of the Governor’s Office of Minority Empowerment, is seeking nominations for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Citizenship Award, along with essays and artwork for the esteemed King Award.

Artwork, essays and citizenship award nominations must be submitted by Nov. 17.

For information and guidelines on all awards, please visit www.ome.ky.gov.