Educational Innovations
Could Revitalize Appalachia
S
chools across the country are seeking better ways to
match the skills of their graduates with opportunities
that exist beyond high school. In parts of the country
where jobs are scarce, educators have an even bigger
challenge. Being “college and career ready” just isn’t
enough. Graduates in these pockets of the country will need
to create jobs for themselves and their neighbors.
If necessity is the mother of invention, schools in eastern
Kentucky are poised to improve education beyond what
schools in even the most affluent districts struggle to achieve.
In January, the New York Times controversially described it
as the hardest place to live in the United States, statistically
speaking. Perhaps nowhere in the nation does the tie between
education and economic growth have more potential than in
eastern Kentucky, where employment opportunities beyond
coal are needed.
Determined to rise above statistics and stereotypes,
17 school districts in the Kentucky Valley Educational
Cooperative have an ambitious set of plans that helped them
secure a $30 million Race to the Top grant last year. Now,
these schools are preparing for a seismic shift in the way
students learn and are partnering with the UK College of
Education, among others, to help carve out what that looks
like. The 17 districts (known as the Appalachian Renaissance
Initiative or “ARI”) share resources and professional learning
opportunities, while also working to affect policy and
protocols.
More than 600 teachers, leaders, students and community
members gathered in Pikeville in October 2014 to get a
first glimpse at how ARI projects are taking shape during
the National Promising Practices Summit and Appalachian
Innovations Collaborative Meeting. In the spring (April 21,
2015), the public will again have the opportunity to gather in
Pikeville to see results of the Promising Practices work.
UK College of Education Leadership Academies
The UK College of Education’s involvement in the KVEC
plans is two-fold. The college works alongside district leaders
and teachers to provide support, leadership and professional
learning communities on issues that help schools meet the
unique needs of 21st century learners. The plan involves
about 100 principals and district level staff participating
in the College of Education’s Next Generation Leadership
Academy each year over the course of the next four years.
Additionally, 100 teachers will participate annually in the
Next Generation Teacher Leader Academy. The academies
are year-long professional learning endeavors focused on the
critical attributes of Next Generation Learning, developed
by the Council of Chief State School Officers (
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