It’s been a little over a year now since I joined the Kentucky Department of Education as its commissioner. During that time, my focus has been on listening to the people of my home state telling us what is working in education in the Commonwealth and where we need to improve.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) announced Oct. 26 that 22 teachers from across the Commonwealth have been selected as ambassadors for 2022.
In another significant step forward in his Better Kentucky Plan creating jobs and opportunities in every corner of the commonwealth, Gov. Andy Beshear announced $75 million has been approved to go to Kentucky school districts to fund renovation projects at Local Area Vocational Education Centers (LAVEC).
The Kentucky Technology Student Association (KYTSA) will start 16 new high school chapters this fall thanks to a generous donation from Stan and Karen Pigman. All 16 schools are in the southeast region of Kentucky and will receive funding to start and maintain an active KYTSA chapter.
There were 120 Kentucky students who attended the Governor’s Schools for Entrepreneurs (GSE) this summer and participated in an opportunity to pitch their business startup ideas at two competitive Demo Days on June 26 and July 24 at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). GSE was split into two sessions that ran from June 6-26 and July 5-24.
Morehead State University’s (MSU’s) Volgenau College of Education announced a new scholarship program, the Appalachian Future Educators (AFE) Scholars Program, for new teacher candidates from Appalachian counties.
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) at its June 2 meeting heard how the preschool per-child funding rates will be impacted due to a decrease in state-funded preschool enrollment during the pandemic, as well as plans to help schools with student recruiting efforts and providing reassurance to parents about in-person services.
A group of 45 Kentuckians representing various aspects of the state’s education community have been selected to serve on the Kentucky Coalition for Advancing Education, Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass announced June 1.
Forty-seven schools have been named Bright Spots in Kentucky Education, recognition for schools in which students performed better than expected on measures of educational achievement.
Electronic cigarettes, originally designed as an alternative for adult smokers, have become popular with teens and are raising many health concerns.