Fayette Education Foundation focusing on three key improvements in our schools | Opinion
.jpg "Frederick Douglass High School students, who are members of the Educators Rising chapter at their school, spend time in elementary classrooms. Educators Rising is supported by the Fayette Education Foundation to improve our teacher supply. (Photo courtesy of FEF)")
A strong educational system is the foundation for success in Fayette County. We have a thriving school system that produces strong results, as well as a community that supports and invests in our students. Consider just a few examples: Fayette County Public Schools had 50 National Merit Semifinalists last year, the graduation rate is up nearly 11 percent and students earned $118 million in college scholarships.
But like any community, we have challenges to overcome. More than half the students are economically disadvantaged, 58% enter kindergarten not ready to learn and the number of students experiencing homelessness was 16 times higher in 2021 than in 2006.
As the Fayette Education Foundation celebrates its third anniversary, here are three important ways we are helping supplement the work of our school system:
1. Early childhood learning: Because the county has its worst kindergarten readiness on record, the foundation has partnered with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to provide free books to families.
In just six months of participation, the Fayette Education Foundation distributed more than 25,000 books to children from birth through age 5 in every zip code in Fayette County.
Children in the program receive a free, high-quality book in the mail every month. Fayette Education Foundation invests $17 per child per year, and the Kentucky Legislature matches that donation. We encourage families with young children to sign up for the program at https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/KYFAYETTE/.
2. Ensuring students are prepared to enter the Lexington work force and fulfill the needs of employers in two key ways:
▪ Bright Ideas Grants: More than $100,000 has been awarded to 57 projects across the district. Classrooms across the community now can provide additional experiences that excite young minds and stimulate learning beyond what some school budgets allow. Examples include investing in 3-D printers, after-school healthy cooking classes, virtual reality literacy and hands-on STEM aviation activities.
▪ Driving Possibilities: This multi-million dollar, Toyota-funded program will expose students to careers, particularly STEM, from kindergarten to high school and remove the barriers related to language, transportation and lack of career connections.
3. Addressing the shortage of teachers – and ensuring these educators look like and can relate to their students. In Fayette County, 54 percent of our students are non-white with 23 percent being Black, while only 7 percent of teachers are Black. Students who have at least one same-race teacher often perform better on standardized tests, have improved attendance and are suspended less frequently.
The Foundation’s Teachers for Tomorrow project will address the growing teacher shortage and particularly the lack of minority educators in Fayette County through a “grow your own” pipeline of rising educators who are nurtured, trained and ultimately come back to Fayette County to teach.
Working alongside the district and its growing partnerships with universities, we want to start a few years earlier.
Educators Rising is a student organization for high school students interested in the field of education. It helps students build resources and create connections that can significantly impact educational opportunities.
Our Teachers for Tomorrow program will help grow and maintain three of the six Educators Rising programs at Lexington public high schools with a focus on high diversity schools.
The Foundation will pay Educators Rising expenses for minority students from the three programs for one year, provide districtwide workshops and support programs for rising minority educators that feature minority educators and provide scholarships. You can help provide additional funding for this effort.
You can be a part of the solution. Visit fayettefoundation.org to learn more, donate and get involved. It’s the foundation for successful families and our community.
Carrie Boling is executive director of the Fayette Education Foundation, which supports educational excellence in Fayette County Public Schools by promoting equity for all students. Learn more at https://fayettefoundation.org/.