Randy Barrette By Randy Barrette randy.barrette@menifee.kyschools.us Across the country each year, one week is set aside for International Education Week. This joint initiative of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Education (USED) is part of a larger effort to promote school programs that prepare K-12 students for the global environment, one that both departments hope [...]
Sarah Yost By Sarah Yost, NBCT Sarah.yost@jefferson.kyschools.us For two years, I’ve served my school in the hybrid role of teacher and lead teacher for English/language arts. I teach two hours of reading intervention every day and spend the rest of my time working on various leadership initiatives for the school. When my principal gave me the opportunity to [...]
Brad Clark By Brad Clark brad.clark@woodford.kyschools.us There are more than 42,000 teachers in the commonwealth. If 25 percent of Kentucky teachers were connected, engaged in the meaningful work of transforming education for the students and teachers within their sphere of influence, there would be more than 10,000 teachers engaged in the Teacher Leadership Movement in Kentucky. At the [...]
The Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform (PIMSER) is offering short courses for elementary mathematics teachers Dec. 3 and Dec. 15 in Lexington designed to strengthen understanding of the Kentucky Core Academic Standards for mathematics. “Using the Number Line” will allow teachers to make connections to the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES) framework for teaching, examine and [...]
Joseph Harris By Joseph Harris Joseph.harris@lawrence.kyschools.us As most Kentucky teachers know, a student voice survey is administered once a year as part of the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES). Allowing students a voice in the classroom is empowering. Teachers who use student voice to inform instruction experience higher levels of student engagement because their students know they [...]
Are your mathematics scores where you would like them to be? Instructional leaders are invited to explore tools designed to determine the extent of implementation of the Kentucky Core Academic Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice within the whole school mathematics program. At a daylong workshop on Nov. 19, become familiar with the Instructional Implementation Sequence: Attaining the CCSS [...]
Lee Ann Atherton By Lee Ann Atherton leaann.atherton@mccracken.kyschools.us One Sunday night recently, I did something ridiculous for any self-respecting teacher. I went to a concert three hours away – on a school night. The concert got me thinking about our profession. I was somewhat of a groupie even before the artist became famous, traveling to see him at [...]
This week, Joellen Killion from Learning Forward and Karen Kidwell, director, Division of Program Standards with the Kentucky Department of Education, team up for a guest blog on the importance of professional learning and a new resource that can help ensure meaningful and effective professional learning opportunities, which are critical to the continuous improvement process and our overall success. Since [...]
Sarah Yost By Sarah Yost, NBCT sarah.yost@jefferson.kyschools.us When A Nation at Risk was published in 1983, the American education system seemed to be shaken awake from the dreamy optimism of the 1970s to face the hard fact that public schools were not meeting all the needs of their students. Suddenly the era of open classrooms and holistic learning [...]
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday Dear Kentucky Teacher, As you settle into the school year, I am taking the opportunity to update you on implementation of the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES). This school year, as you know, we are implementing PGES for teachers and principals statewide. Unfortunately, there have been some unexpected glitches with the PGES technology [...]