The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is hosting its Annual Meeting today and Friday at the Boone Tavern Event Center in Berea, Kentucky.
The theme for this year’s annual meeting, Meeting the Future with a Richer Vision for Education, will focus on meeting the education sector’s current challenges with a shared vision among state leaders.
Kentucky education leaders will convene to celebrate recent progress in The Prichard Committee’s Big Bold Ask initiative and reengage around policy levers designed to usher in a Big Bold Future for Kentucky’s students, families, educators, and workforce.
Highlights of the two-day event include:
• Public release of the Kentucky Durable Skills report
This report details which skills the employers of the future will require and how Kentucky can prepare its students for a Big Bold Future in the workforce of tomorrow.
• A discussion on Deeper Learning & Innovation in Kentucky
The discussion will feature Dr. Doannie Tran of the Center for Innovation in Education.
• An analysis of successful recruitment & retainment of high-quality educators
Dean Julian Vasquez-Heilig will offer insight on the recent successes at the University of Kentucky’s College of Education.
• An update regarding family and school partnership systems across Kentucky
Brooke Gill, Senior Director for Family Engagement Policy & Practice for The Prichard Committee, will share insights from Kentucky’s mission to ensure all schools and early learning centers adhere to best practices for family engagement.
• A keynote address by Nate Hilger, author of The Parent Trap: How to Stop Overloading Parents and Fix Our Inequality Crisis
• A discussion of the Big Bold Ask initiative’s successes, goals, and all hands-on deck for early learning
Benjamin Gies, Director for Early Childhood Policy & Practice for The Prichard Committee, will provide an update on The Prichard Committee’s Big Bold Ask, a six-year plan to add $1 billion annually to the state’s education budget in strategic areas where the investment is measured for impact and remaining needed investment in Kentucky’s early learning sector.
Additionally, The Prichard Committee will honor state leaders in education for their service to the commonwealth. This year’s honorees include:
• John and Jean Rosenberg for their individual efforts to support academic excellence in Kentucky.
John and Jean Rosenberg will be presented with the Prichard Committee Award of Excellence in recognition of their years of service to The Prichard Committee and their dedication to the academic achievement of all Kentucky children.
• Melissa Goins and the Division of Family Resource and Youth Services Centers for their statewide work to support Kentucky students and families.
The Family Resource and Youth Service Centers (FRYSC) were established as a component of the historic Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990. The mission of these school-based centers is to help academically at-risk students succeed in school by helping to minimize or eliminate non-cognitive barriers to learning. Melissa Goins will be honored for her excellent leadership of over 800 FRYSCs in approximately 1,200 schools.
• Senator Steve West and Representative James Tipton for being education champions in the Kentucky General Assembly.
The Prichard Committee honors Representative James Tipton (R-53) and Senator Stephen West (R-27) for their excellence in service to Kentucky education in the Kentucky House of Representatives and State Senate. Senator West and Representative Tipton’s successful passage of the Kentucky Read to Succeed Act in the 2022 Kentucky Legislative Session ensures that more young children across the commonwealth will gain access to strengthened quality instruction in reading.
