Learn from Hickman County’s climb to No. 2 in KY College & Career Readiness

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On Tuesday, April 30, Kentucky Leads the Nation will shine its spotlight on the Hickman County Public Schools.  Hickman County Superintendent Kenny Wilson and his administrators, teachers, and students will offer “how-to’s” on Hickman County’s strategies that have:
♦  Moved Hickman County from its ranking four years ago as 140th among Kentucky’s 174 school districts in the number of seniors who tested as “College and Career Ready” to third in the state in 2010 and second in 2011.
♦  Changed the district’s culture and community’s attitudes toward college and career preparation.
♦  Secured the financial support of a local philanthropist and 52 community sponsors allowing all of the district’s seniors to earn college credits at no cost to the students. 
♦  Enabled 37 seniors to graduate with a total of 769 dual credit hours and 64 juniors to earn 380 dual credit hours in 2012.
For information on attending the meeting, contact Alicia Sells at ajs@ajsellsassociates.com

Kentucky Leads the Nation Round Table Meeting
Hickman County Public Schools
Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Hickman County High School
301 James Phillips Drive – Clinton, KY
(Clinton, Kentucky is on Central Standard Time)

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Welcome – Reinventing High School Education in Hickman County
Dr. Leon Mooneyhan, Chief Executive Officer, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative
Dr. John Settle, Executive Director, West Kentucky Educational Cooperative
Mr. Kenny Wilson, Superintendent, Hickman County Schools
Matea Lock, Hickman County Graduate and student at Murray State University graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in 2 1/2 years due to credits earned in the Falcon Academy

10:40 – 11:10 a.m.
Interest Session 1 – Forging Strong Higher Education Partnerships
Dr. Randy J. Dunn, President, Murray State University           
Dr. Robert Imhoff,  resident, Mid-Continent University
Dr. Barbara Veazy, President, West Kentucky Community & Technical College
Dennis Bledsoe, Superintendent, Fulton County
Dr. Randy Greene, Superintendent, Paducah Independent
Randy McCallon, Superintendent, Carlisle County
Tamara Smith, Superintendent, Fulton Independent
Dr. Nancy Waldrop, Superintendent, McCracken County         
Kenny Wilson, Superintendent, Hickman County

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Interest Session 2 – Engaging the Community
Honorable Robbie Rudolph,  Former Lieutenant Governor, Commonwealth of Kentucky and Founder, Falcon Academy & Four Rivers Scholarship Program

11:50 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Interest Session 3 – Reinventing Technical Education Strategies
Tom Pyron, Director, Fulton Area Technical Center
Scott Noble, Senior Vice President, Shore Operations, Ingram Barge Lines
Bruce Kimbell, President, First Community Bank, Clinton, KY

Districts of Innovation

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KDE Director of Innovation and Partner Engagement David Cook wants districts to make him uncomfortable.  As KDE moves ahead with implementation of Kentucky’s new Districts of Innovation designation created by HB 137 in the 2012 General Assembly, districts are preparing to throw away the box instead of trying to think outside of it.   The regulations are pending approval by the General Assembly but you can click on the links to see the documents and use the box to “follow” this blog and you’ll automatically receive word as soon as the process is ready to begin!

KY Innovation Continuum

KY Innovation Readiness for Change Instrument

Districts of Innovation Overview

House Education Committee Chair Carl Rollins: Public schools will do innovation better than charter schools

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House Education Committee Chairman Carl Rollins

Posted by Alicia J. Sells, KY Leads the Nation Project Coordinator

I recently sat down with House Education Committee Chairman Carl Rollins to talk about his reasons for introducing HB 37 – the Districts of Innovation bill – in 2012 and his hopes for innovation that can transform education.

Rollins was clear about his purpose.  “My intent with HB 37 was to give districts the freedom to try new things.  Whatever a district can come up with to improve student achievement, I want them to be able to try it if they can show it is part of a rigorous plan.  Then they have five years to prove it can work.”

Rollins said his thought process about allowing districts the space to be more innovative started at a lunch with a superintendent in Northern Kentucky.  “This superintendent said he wanted to extend the school day and school year for homeless students in his district but didn’t think the law would allow him to do it because a longer day and longer year for kids would mean a longer day and year for adults.  ‘We can’t’ must not be the reason that stands in the way of trying something that will reach more students.”

“Charter schools have the advantage in not having to follow the same rules as their public school counterparts.  I know we can do innovation in public schools as well if not better.  So, why not offer our public schools in Kentucky the same type of freedom to innovate?  I don’t want our public schools to be at a competitive disadvantage in any sort of comparison to charters.”

Kentucky is one of nine states in the nation that does not have a law allowing formation of charter schools.  Rollins says he does not support a move to pass such legislation in Kentucky.  He is convinced that Kentucky public schools will embrace the concept of greater autonomy and more flexibility for a commitment to show marked improvement in student outcomes, particularly among low-achieving students, than the goals the district would set using its existing instructional programs.

Districts of Innovation must demonstrate how it shall more effectively improve the multiple measures required under Kentucky’s accountability system, including targets for student achievement, student growth, achievement gap reduction, graduation rate and college and career readiness.

The staff and community ownership characteristic of many charter schools also is woven into the Districts of Innovation application requirements.  Each application requires signatures of the chair of the SBDM council for all schools participating in the application along with documentation from official SBDM minutes of the vote of 70% of the staff at each participating school supporting the school’s innovation plan and submission of the application.

“Buy-in at school level is essential,” Rollins says.  “Without the buy-in of the school and district community, it’s not going to work.”

In addition to school-level support the application requires documentation of broad support for innovations including parents, local institutions of higher education, business and community partners.

Rollins says, “My background is in Community Education.  At least 90 counties have Community Educators.  They can play a key role in involving schools in the community and the community in schools, and this will be crucial for a successful Districts of Innovation plan.

Eighty percent of families in a district don’t have kids in the schools, but many are employers in the community who know the importance of preparing students for college and career.  Their involvement is so important.”

The laws and regulations that protect the health and safety of children and employees cannot be waived for Districts of Innovation.  Rollins said that these matters taken care of, “I am open to anything and everything schools can think of that can improve learning.  The process for approval is designed to be very rigorous.  This designation is going to be tough to earn, but what powerful models these districts can be for others in the state.”

 

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR KY STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY?

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Find out from one of the nation’s leading experts at Kentucky Leads the Nation

CREATING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION SUMMIT

OCTOBER 26 -27, 2012

What is necessary for Kentucky’s children to compete in the global skills race that is central to economic competitiveness in America?  Find the answers with one of the nation’s leading experts on the issue – Ken Kay, CEO, EdLeader21, and Co-founder and past President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

In his 2-hour interactive workshop, Ken will explore how innovation is essential to providing our students with the skills, outcomes, and attributes required for success in college and career. 

For the last decade, Ken has been one of the nation’s leading authorities on aligning education, workforce development, and economic development around 21st century skills. Released this summer by Pearson Education, Ken, along with his co-author, Valerie Greenhill, has authored “The Leader’s Guide to 21st Century Education: 7 Steps for Schools and Districts.”

EdLeader21 is the nation’s first professional learning community dedicated to helping district leaders implement the 4Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity) in schools and districts. Ken’s session will focus on leading local implementation of innovation and transformation in education. 

REGISTER TODAY at WWW.OVEC.ORG