Staff from the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) presented to the General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Education on Nov. 12 about the necessity of early literacy initiatives in the Commonwealth.
Over five years, from 2015 – 2019, approximately 118,000 Kentucky students were not proficient readers when they left 3rd grade, said Rhonda Sims, KDE associate commissioner. According to Sims, research indicates that students who are not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely to not finish high school.
Schools should be safe havens for students and staff, promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for all, the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) new chief equity officer said during the Special Superintendents’ Webcast on Nov. 10.
Everyone should work to eliminate barriers in schools that perpetuate student inequities, said Thomas Woods-Tucker, who serves as deputy commissioner of KDE and also leads the Office of Teaching and Learning.
November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, a time for us to bring attention to the prevalence of homeless youth within Kentucky and create an awareness of the challenges faced by students and families experiencing homelessness.
Each year, more than 24,000 students across our Commonwealth experience some form of homelessness or housing instability. These students can be living in motels, staying on a friend’s couch, living in a car or in a shelter, as well as being what is traditionally thought of as homeless. Three-quarters of our homeless students are living with another family, or what we call doubled-up.
