News

February 25, 2013

John Nash Appears on KET’s Education Matters

Tonight on Kentucky Educational Television’s Education Matters, a panel of experts, including UK College of Education associate professor John Nash, explores how Kentucky schools are using innovative strategies to put technology into the hands of students, give students more control over their education, and encourage teachers to become learners themselves. The program, hosted by Bill Goodman, airs Monday, Feb. 25 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET.

The program visits Eminence Independent Schools in Henry County, where an ambitious district-wide program is underway to “reinvent” education and empower students to take charge. Also featured are Danville High School and Bate Middle School in Boyle County, where students are engaged in project-based learning with real-world applications and choices.

Following its initial air date, the show can be viewed online at:
http://www.ket.org/educationmatters/

Scheduled panelists for the program include:

David Cook, director, Innovation and Partner Engagement, Kentucky Department of Education
Buddy Berry, superintendent, Eminence Independent Schools
Thom Coffee, instructional supervisor, Eminence Independent Schools
Carmen Coleman, superintendent, Danville Independent Schools
Amy Galloway, principal, Bate Middle School, Danville Independent Schools
Danny Goodwin, science teacher, Danville High School
John Nash, associate professor, College of Education, University of Kentucky

February 12, 2013

wilhoit

It was announced at a February 8 press conference that the National Center for Innovation in Education is being established at the University of Kentucky College of Education with funding from two of the country’s leading foundations — the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The center will be directed by Gene Wilhoit, a former Kentucky Department of Education commissioner who is a highly regarded figure in national education circles. Wilhoit most recently spent six years as director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in Washington D.C. During his tenure at CCSSO, Wilhoit spearheaded the development and adoption by 45 states of the Common Core State Standards.

Speakers at the press conference included:
UK College of Education Dean Mary John O’Hair
UK President Eli Capilouto
National Center for Innovation in Education Director Gene Wilhoit
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear
Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner Terry Holliday
Senator Mike Wilson (Senate Education Committee Chair)
Representative Carl Rollins (House Education Committee Chair)
Council on Postsecondary Education President Bob King
Education Professional Standards Board Executive Director Robert Brown

To read more about the center, go to: http://uknow.uky.edu/content/foundations-fund-national-education-reform-program-uk

Video from the press conference is available at: http://vimeo.com/ukcollegeofeducation/uknationalcenter

Press conference photos can be viewed at: https://picasaweb.google.com/P20InnovationLab/NationalCenterForInnovationInEducation?authuser=0&feat=directlink

December 14, 2012

EQT Corporation awarded a $50,000 grant to the University of Kentucky College of Education. More…

EQT

Pictured (L-R) are David Lee, Principal, Jenkins Independent Middle High School; Debbie Watts, Superintendent, Jenkins Independent School District; Mary John O’Hair, Dean, UK College of Education, and Executive Director, Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab; Maverick Bentley, Director, EQT Coldstream Operations, KY Regional Headquarters/Pikeville; Roger Wagner, Superintendent, Pike County School District; Linda France, UK, Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab Director of Next Generation Learning; and Eve Proffitt, UK, Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab Director of Education Innovation.

December 7, 2012

During the successful 2012 Innovation Summit, held November 29-30 at the Lexington Convention Center, a number of Kentucky educators and business leaders gathered to officially launch the Kentucky STEMx Network. More…

November 27, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 27, 2012) — This week, leaders in education, businesses and communities will come together to share ideas that will help transform education in Kentucky.

The 2012 Innovation Summit, co-sponsored by the University of Kentucky College of Education and the AdvancED Kentucky state office, will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 29 and 30, at the Lexington Convention Center. The two entities have joined forces under the belief that innovation in education is critically important to educational institutions, as well the future vitality of the state in a diverse, globalized and technology-rich world.

By assembling forward-thinking members of the Kentucky education community, as well as regional and national leaders in education, the Summit aims to create innovative approaches to drive excellence in our state’s system of schools, or P20. Read feature article, view list of speakers, and more…

October 22, 2012

September 6, 2012

Pictured left to right: Fayette County Schools Assistant Superintendent Jack Hayes, Clark County Schools Superintendent Elaine Farris, Columbia Gas of Kentucky President Herb Miller, UK College of Education Dean Mary John O’Hair and Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab Co-Directors Linda France and Eve Proffitt.

Columbia Gas of Kentucky Helps Kentucky School Leaders Transform Schools

A $27,000 grant from Columbia Gas of Kentucky is helping Kentucky superintendents and principals enhance school systems to meet the needs of today’s learners through a unique collaboration with the University of Kentucky College of Education. The collaboration, known as the Next Generation Leadership Academy, is an output of the college’s Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab.

For the past three years, a concerted effort has been underway – via the college’s Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab — to take schools originally designed for an Industrial Era and transform them into places that prepare students for a diverse, global economy. Kentucky superintendents and principals taking part in the Next Generation Leadership Academy discover ways to improve education for students growing up with knowledge, technology and economies much different than previous generations.

“Kentucky’s students are our workforce of the future and we want to see graduates who not only excel in subjects like science, technology, engineering and math, but who also can work collaboratively, solve real-world problems, communicate effectively and think creatively,” said Herb Miller, President, Columbia Gas of Kentucky. “Support for programs that help schools improve how students learn these skills is vitally important to move Kentucky’s economy forward.”

Columbia Gas of Kentucky presented a $27,000 check to the UK College of Education during a celebration held Friday, Aug. 31. The funding will be matched by a James Graham Brown Foundation grant that helped establish the Next Generation Leadership Academy. The grant from Columbia Gas will support participation in the Next Generation Leadership Academy by schools in Fayette, Mason, Boyd, Clark, Johnson and Franklin Counties.

“Columbia Gas is helping Kentucky lead the charge of addressing a nation-wide need to enhance school systems to meet the needs of today’s learners,” said UK College of Education Dean Mary John O’Hair. “This is an assemblage of the best minds, organizations and agencies whose business it is to worry about education in Kentucky. We believe our state is a leader in this regard and that innovations developed locally will become a model for the nation. We couldn’t be more pleased to have Columbia Gas join us in improving education for students in Kentucky and beyond. ”

About the Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab:

P20 takes the world-class research and expertise of the UK College of Education’s faculty, students and staff and uses it to improve education across Kentucky.
P20 builds a bridge between school districts and the UK College of Education to enable an easy exchange of information between schools and higher education.
P20 faculty and staff design and offer the Next Generation Leadership Academy for school leaders to build capacity to design new systems for learning.
As a follow-up to the Next Generation Leadership Academy, P20 helps schools create Innovation Zones (iZones). iZones allow college faculty and school personnel a place within a school to work together with students to redesign and rethink current policies, practices and programs to support 21^st Century learners.

Why is P20 needed?

This is our challenge: schooling and instruction are mass-produced, expecting students of various abilities, support systems and interests to progress through the same educational program at the same pace without sufficient regard to their individual learning needs.
Information, once collected in reference books and distilled by teachers, is now everywhere, which changes the roles of teachers and schools. Even the most specialized topics and guidance are only a few keystrokes away.
In Kentucky, only 83.91% of students complete high school and only 32% of Kentuckians ages 25-34 have a college degree.
Routine jobs are increasingly disappearing to low wage countries or automated systems.
To succeed in the global economy today’s students must be prepared to problem solve, work collaboratively, and to be creative and self-motivated. They will be required to produce evidence of competencies for required work.

How do we do school differently?

P20 roots out what doesn’t work and replaces it with ways of learning that will prepare all students for college and careers.
P20 gives students a voice in designing the future of their education. Interestingly, when high school students were recently interviewed about how to do school differently, they were so stuck inside the model in which they grew up, they were slow to respond at first. We are finding ways to get from students what they really want from school – not just a version of what they think school is supposed to be. Students have great ideas once given the freedom to dream and problem solve.
P20 builds upon existing and emerging infrastructures in Kentucky that will make this work sustainable over time.

Early Success Stories:

Given their innovative spirit, it was no surprise that Eminence Independent Schools’ Superintendent Buddy Berry and Instructional Supervisor Thom Coffee were among the first participants of the P20 Next Generation Leadership Academy. As one of the first P20 iZone schools, here are some of the ideas Eminence is implementing in its schools:

Partnership with Bellarmine College to offer college-level courses to qualified students with no cost to students;
Redesigned Master Schedule (Core classes three days per week. Benchmark ready students take classes two days a week on Bellarmine’s campus);
Wi-Fi on school bus transporting students to Bellarmine College in Louisville so that learning never has to stop;
One-to-one technology devices (Mac-Book Pro) for all high school students;
Students trained to give feedback on educational experiences using Twitter;
Student and Teacher Voice Teams for input in district decisions;
Standards-Based Report Cards; and
Using technology to work with sister school in England on using results from student aspirations surveys to better engage students in learning.

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