(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Commissioner’s Principals Advisory Council met on Sept. 5 to give feedback on various education topics such as support and resources for aspiring and veteran principals and chronic absenteeism.
Danielle Pickens, the chief program officer for Urban Schools Human Capital Academy, shared work they are doing with the Kentucky Commonwealth Education Continuum about K-12 workforce issues.
“We have eight sessions over the course of the year, and I will tell you that in our first session when I asked what they wanted to focus on, they told me that it was really important that we focus on our principals and the support they need,” said Pickens.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher spoke to the council members and thanked them for their work inside the classroom and said he can understand some of the challenges that may come with it.
“When an educator moves into administration, he or she quickly realizes that the principal’s seat can be a very lonely one due to the difficult decisions that must be made,” said Fletcher. “While they appreciate who you are and what you do, there’s also a lot of tough decisions that you make each and every day that it’s best for kids. But sometimes sitting in your seat is very difficult because of you want to make sure you maintain those relationships and in a way that it also gives your kids opportunity.”
Pickens said after looking into Kentucky specific data, the workforce group came up with key ideas when it comes to providing resources and support for both aspiring principals and veteran principals.
These are their key findings:
- Scattered and insufficient support for principals;
- Supports primarily focused on newer principals; and
- Increasing principal turnover.
Pickens shared 10 different supports and resources developed by the workgroup with the council members, including guidance and ready-to-use tools, mentorships, legal guidance on newly passed laws and curated monthly newsletters.
“We thought these could be impactful to you all with some of these resources to nurture your leadership,” Pickens said.
Brian Eerenberg, the principal of Ponderosa Elementary School (Boyd County) and chair of the council, said while having such resources available would help both new and veteran colleagues, it can be hard finding time during their schedule.
“I think the biggest thing that stands out to me would be scheduling time and having a regular amount of time with a mentor,” he said. “Things pop up all the time and I think having some time dedicated would be important, especially for new principals.”
Council member and principal of Wolfe County Middle School, Nick Brooks shared that he appreciates the acknowledgment of the need for resources and support and that principals who have been in the role are not being forgotten.
“It is nice to hear and see that those things are being considered. I have been here at this school for 11 years now as a principal and I’ve still got needs, and probably different needs than what I had my first few years,” Brooks said.
Pickens said the organization will continue to collect data from surveys and feedback from administrators and principals from across the Commonwealth as they work to produce more resources and support.
Chronic Absenteeism
KDE defines a student as chronically absent if they have missed more than 10% of the enrolled time in school. This includes both excused and unexcused absences. Chronic absenteeism affects nearly 30% of students across the Commonwealth each year.
Data presented by Florence Chang, a program consultant in KDE’s Division of Student Success, shows that while school districts have been dealing with chronic absenteeism for years, the problem spiked following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, 5% of districts were considered to have high or extreme levels of chronic absenteeism; in 2023, that percentage was 77%.
Jennifer Ginn, KDE’s director of communications, discussed the department’s public messaging campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Part of the campaign includes ads on television, radio and billboards across the Commonwealth emphasizing that attendance matters.
The billboard images feature messaging about how much students miss when they aren’t in school, like class, football games, band, gym class, lunch or playing with friends at recess. The TV and radio ads follow a similar theme.
“People can be sensitive to the fact of how we are messaging around these resources and information, that’s why we need to make sure it comes from an angle of support,” Ginn said.
Chang asked principals to provide their feedback on strategies or policy changes they would make to help improve chronic absenteeism within their schools.
Eerenberg shared that using students’ voices and creating a sense of belonging has been important in his school.
“I love the student focusing on the messaging getting put out there, I think it is important,” Eerenberg said. “You know, I was a high school principal starting out and the students really had a say in whether they were in attendance or not. Now that I am an elementary principal, I can tell you that having a component focused on the parents is going to be vital.”
Eerenberg said they have created a house system in his school that encourages a sense of belonging for students.
“The students are with the whole school, but then break down into smaller groups into houses,” he said. “We purposefully and intentionally mix up the kids to give them opportunities to build relationships in the student body so that it becomes a welcoming place.”
Principal Advisory Council Membership
Eerenberg finished the meeting by sharing new opportunities with the council. With the parting of several members, applications are open for new committee members for the Commissioner’s Principals Advisory Council.
The applications close in November and new members will start in December. The next Commissioner’s Principal Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 3.
In other business:
- Todd Davis, division director in the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness, Senate Bill (SB) 265. More information about the impact of recent legislation can be found on the KDE Legislative Guidance webpage.
- Commissioner Fletcher provided an update about his recent school visits, his work on relationship building with the department and legislators, along with his mantra and how principals can be “All in”.
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