The end of the school year always seems like it comes up quickly. One moment, you’re welcoming students back from their summer vacations and setting goals for the new year; the next moment, you’re watching your students walk across the graduation stage and celebrating their academic accomplishments.

Robbie Fletcher

Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher

It’s not just graduation that is keeping our educators and families busy, either. The busy rush to the end of the school year, the anticipation of state assessments, end-of-the-year athletic tournaments and hearing students find out what scholarships they’re receiving are all part of the joy those of us in the education world feel each and every year.

It’s a great time, but it’s also bittersweet. As educators, we are always working on this idea that we can do more for our children. Each year as we enter the summer months, educators across the country regroup, re-examine their teaching methods and continue their own education, because learning doesn’t end when you receive your degree, no matter what field you’re in.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) remains committed to this mission of professional learning. Throughout the school year and during the summer, KDE works with education stakeholder groups to host and promote a variety of professional development for our educators to improve their craft and, ultimately, the education your children receive.

One of the events that is dedicated to making sure our students get the opportunity to walk across the graduation stage is the Persistence to Graduation Summit, scheduled for June 12-13 this year. The annual event allows school leaders to share information and best practices to support students who may experience challenges reaching graduation.

Each year, the summit features engaging discussions on strategies to get students re-engaged, how to provide safe and supportive learning environments, opportunities to develop alternative education programming and how to effectively use technology to keep students engaged. Conversations during this year’s summit also focus on the theme of elevating student voice.

This isn’t the only example of collaboration with educators across the Commonwealth that KDE is facilitating to continue professional development. KDE also will be hosting the annual Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference in June to improve our strategies around literacy instruction. There are exciting things developing in the numeracy field with the PIMSER Numeracy Counts Administrator Academy and the Kentucky Center for Mathematics’ K-5 Numeracy Counts Academy starting up this summer. The Continuous Improvement Summit in September also allows educators the opportunity to gain more insight from other educators across the Commonwealth and spark new ideas. There are countless other opportunities in specific subject areas educators in Kentucky are pursuing as well throughout the year to improve their craft.

Right now is the time to celebrate our students and all of the accomplishments they achieved to get where they are, whether that’s the graduation stage or simply moving on to the next grade level. As our children work to improve themselves year after year, rest assured that our educators in the Commonwealth are doing the same to ensure the classroom instruction is the best it can be.