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Dear Colleagues:
The next two days are going to be exciting times at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The first meeting of the new Kentucky United We Learn Council kicks off tomorrow and concludes on Wednesday at the KDE offices in Frankfort.
This council is a new way for a state education agency to engage with its stakeholders. It is part of an intentional effort over the past two years to listen and respond to what people are telling us they want their schools to be like for their students. The three big ideas in United We Learn – students, innovation and community – came from people across Kentucky. This council continues that vision with a diverse group of stakeholders from across the Commonwealth representing students, families, community members, business owners, teachers, principals and superintendents.
We know there are great things happening all across the state right now that create vibrant learning experiences for our students and we will use this network to help us find those examples and share them more broadly. The council also will be tasked with recommending strategic practice, policy and investment ideas to state policymakers and the citizens of Kentucky. If there are issues that stand in the way of creating the kind of education system Kentuckians want, the Kentucky United We Learn Council will help us find those possible impediments and recommend ways to remove them for our districts.
And on Tuesday, our council members will get to see exhibits of innovative learning from 18 public school districts – most of whom are also one of our Local Laboratories of Learning districts – as well as the Kentucky Center for Mathematics and the Kentucky Regional Educational Cooperatives.
All of this is part of KDE’s effort to gather feedback from across the state to become a more supportive partner to our districts, our schools, our families and our students. Plan to see more of this kind of co-creation going forward as we move toward the kind of education system we all want.
While the council will be meeting in-person here at KDE, you can watch the proceedings on the KDE Media Portal.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner and Chief Learner
KDE’s Transformational Change Series for School Leaders
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Transformational Change Leadership Series consists of three one-day conference experiences offered in both Lexington at the Central Bank Center and Bowling Green at the Hilton Garden Inn from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time.
Participants interested in attending the sessions at the Central Bank Center in Lexington should mark their calendars to attend on Jan. 25, Feb. 21 and March 28. Participants interested in participating at the Hilton Garden Inn location in Bowling Green should mark their calendars to attend on Jan. 26, Feb. 22 and March 29. Each conference experience is designed for optimal engagement, relevance and applicability. The conference series comes at no cost to participants.
The first conference will engage participants in an in-depth study of the nature and logic behind transformational school leadership and how transformational change leadership differs from leadership for continuous, incremental improvement.
Topics will include the leadership concepts of self-awareness, characteristics of high-trust organizations, servant leadership values, developing a personal leadership platform, collecting and interpreting data to support school transformation and the role of instructional leadership for transformational change.
The second conference will focus on designing and leading change, improvement science, leadership transitions, futuring and paradigm studies, creating meaningful work and principles of sustainability.
The third conference will center on the study of how organizational culture can be assessed and shaped to catalyze transformational change, creating community, developing constituent voice, attracting and retaining talent, leading great groups and how to effectively market/brand a school’s improvement vision. Each attendee interested in participating in the training series must complete the registration form no later than Jan. 10. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Tim Godbey.
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