Leadership

All of us at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) are committed to the core values of equity, achievement, collaboration and integrity. These are the values that drive our work day after day.

I like to say that people who are drawn to becoming teachers generally have a calling. That got me thinking; why do we often call teaching a calling?

When Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass called me last year to ask if I would become Kentucky’s first chief equity officer, it was one of the greatest honors of my career.

Throughout the course of my education career, I have engaged in numerous discussions on how and if schools should discuss and teach controversial topics with students.

It soon will be a time of new beginnings for this year’s high school seniors. Even though their senior year hasn’t been what they anticipated, now is the time to be following through with plans for what comes next in their lives.

Erlanger-Elsmere Independent's Amanda Bell shares what she's been thankful for as a teacher for the 2020 school year.

For many, it has taken a global pandemic to remind them of the importance of basic life skills. With restaurants closed and stay-at-home mandates, a growing number of adults have turned to online tutorials, social media recipes, and family and friends to learn basic life skills.

Kenton County's Allison Stacy shares how she structures her classroom hours to ensure she keeps her time on the weekends for her family.

I’ve always been a fan of the holiday season, much like all of you I’m sure. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that the things I like the most about the holidays are the traditions – decorating, spending time with neighbors and special dinners with friends and family.

Public education is a decidedly social endeavor. The things most graduates treasure from their school years are the memories of interactions with great teachers who changed the trajectory of their life, their experiences in school activities and athletics that taught them the value of collaboration and teamwork, and the lifelong bonds of friendship that often are forged in school-age years.