Current state Board of Education is the right one for Kentucky students
In our roles in teacher education and professional learning, we speak with dozens of individuals interested in becoming a teacher. The paths that led them to education may vary, but consistently they are passionate about serving Kentucky’s students. Though many are encouraged to be a teacher by those around them, quite frequently people in their lives — whether parents, friends, and even professors — warn them about going into education. It’s hard to blame those who are hesitant about becoming a teacher. When the levers of power in Frankfort don’t respect teachers’ voices or experience, nor promote policies that empower and elevate the profession, who can blame anyone for entering into such a precarious career?
The administration under Beshear/Coleman and the composition of the new state Board of Education’s members indicate a promising path forward from the past adversarial nature between the Bevin administration and the Kentucky teacher community. That is not to say the past board did not have well-intentioned members committed to Kentucky education. Well meaning or not, most members were not trained or experienced in K-12 education.
If the Board of Education is charged with making consequential decisions that impact teachers and students, shouldn’t their voices be featured more prominently at the table?
As teacher educators, we are heartened by the new members’ experiences. The new board constitutes individuals who have years of experience in the classroom and are innovators in education policy and leadership, bringing a valuable lens to decision-making. Their experiences suggest a re-centering and re-prioritizing of public schools’ role in safeguarding the health of our democracy, both locally and nationally, placing a central importance on students’ preparation for college, career, and civic life.
Already, the new board has acted on this responsibility by deliberately building bridges between themselves and teacher groups. Working with the Kentucky Education Association (KEA) and its membership fosters a collaborative relationship between decision-makers and schools. Creating conditions where teachers are valued voices in policymaking creates the conditions for every Kentucky learner in every Kentucky school to succeed. Likewise, the new members are connecting with student groups like the Prichard Committee’s Student Voice Team. This indicates a positive direction for Kentucky education.
For Kentucky’s public schools to fulfill their lofty goal of preparing students for their post-schooling lives, what kind of Board of Education do we need?
● We need a board that will work with teachers to support programs and craft policies that are responsive to the communities they serve.
●We need a board that seeks to include and elevate the voices and lived experiences of Kentucky’s students.
●We need a board with courage. Decades ago, Kentucky led the nation in innovative learning models. Now with a board populated by some of Kentucky’s brightest and most forward thinking educators and leaders, we have the chance to uproot archaic traditions that no longer serve us or our diverse student population, and start new traditions that are learner centered.
●We need a board that will reimagine the accountability system, allowing Kentucky learners to demonstrate the skills and dispositions that matter to our shared future.
●We need a board that recognizes the fundamental role that our public schools play in safeguarding the health of our democracy, both locally and nationally. With that recognition, we need central importance placed on supporting high quality civic learning that prepares all Kentucky students to actively contribute to their communities.
●We need a board that supports the teaching profession, so that the energies and passions of a new generation of educators is strengthened by policy, rather than undermined and snuffed out by cynicism.
●We need a board that believes in the limitless potential of Kentucky students to support the economic and social vibrancy of their local communities, the nation, and the world. Simply put, we need a board that designs for the future, rather than the present.
We believe the new board will do all of these things. Kentucky’s students depend on it.
Carly Muetterties is a doctoral candidate and a coordinator at the University of Kentucky teacher education program. Mddie Shepard is a Deeper Learning resource teacher in the Curriculum Design and Learning Innovation department in Jefferson County.