The Dream

Ask any teacher this week if they’ve had “the dream” and most would say yes.

It all has to do with the start of the school year – the most exciting time of the year in so many respects. Whether it is the smell of new school supplies or the excitement around buying them; whether it is students wondering who their teachers will be this year; or parents knowing that yet another year is ticking away; it is a time of new beginnings.

My daughter loves back to school shopping and always has. She buys what she needs and often what she doesn’t. This year she is a senior and oh the excitement! She loves Kentucky and her school, which as a dad, makes me pretty proud. She and her friends have already planned a pep rally and what they will wear to the first football game.

This same excitement was evident on Sunday, as I had the opportunity to meet most of our wonderful students and their parents at registration for the Kentucky School of the Blind. They are so happy to get the school year started.

So, what does all of this have to do with “the dream” you may be asking? Well the dream for our students is generally wrapped up in the excitement of the new year and all the fun ahead. For our teachers and administrators, “the dream” includes that element, but also usually is symbolic of the large responsibility placed on their shoulders.

Seems amazing, but I have been out of the classroom for 13 years. Yet, I still have “the dream” about this time each year. For me, it starts with me teaching in my lab. All is going well, but a gradually increasing murmur begins in the back of my class and spreads across the classroom until all of my students are completely out of control and they are not paying the least bit of attention. They are running around and throwing paper and to my amazement not interested in learning science at all. At this point, I wake in a cold sweat.

The best “dream” or maybe I should say the worst “dream” I have heard lately was from a Lynette Ballard, a 6th-grade math teacher in Estill County, who told me her version. She and her math colleagues went on a vacation and crash-landed on a desert island. While rescuers saved them, they were taken immediately to the school. Their first day back after surviving this horrible ordeal was the day of the district walk through!

I have heard other teachers talk about "the dream.” For some they cannot find their lesson plans; they don’t have any materials; or no one showed up but them; and even some say they realize they left home without an important piece of clothing!

The pattern always seems to be the same. But why? My interpretation is that, as educators, we realize how important it is to be ready and prepared for our students. We realize that their future depends on our preparedness. It is that concern that manifests itself in "the dream." As with any profession, there are those who see education as a job, perhaps having lost sight of the fact that students are why we do this job, and some that are not prepared to do what must be done to better themselves and their instruction. But, I believe this is the exception and not the rule.

Most of our educators are excited about the new year, and realize that the future successes of our students rely on us to be great at our jobs. Each year we should strive to be better than the last, because our students need and deserve it. As educators, we dream our “dream,” so that our students can realize their dreams.

Making the Decision to be Great

As I watched the opening ceremonies and first few events of the 2016 Summer Olympics this past weekend, I was reminded what an incredible experience the Olympics is. 

In 1996, when the summer games were held in Atlanta, I had the privilege to work at the track and field venue. Through the athletes' eyes, I saw both the happy moments, and the moments of sadness and disappointment when things didn’t turn out the way they wanted. 

As we watch this year’s Olympics, we should pause and realize we are seeing greatness. The athletes pursue greatness in terms of medals, but also by dedicating their lives pursuing the opportunity to even participate in the games. The honor to represent your country is overwhelming. We also see greatness in the meaning of the Olympics. It is a time, once every four years, when the world puts its differences aside and comes together to watch and celebrate the hard work of thousands of athletes from across the world.   

So, what do we consider greatness in the world of education? What prompts us to "go for the gold?" Is it high test scores? Is it a school labeled Distinguished? Is it a well-rounded graduate ready for a life and who contributes to society? I suppose it could be any of these things, although I would say high test scores should never be the sole measure. Greatness in education, much like with the Olympics, is based on your point of view. 

In Kentucky, I have seen firsthand the greatness of our educators. Last week, I attended four opening day kickoffs for staff – something I had never experienced before, since my previous states did not celebrate opening day. The teachers in each district I visited were excited, even fired up, for the 2016-17 school year. They inspired me and have me fired up for the new school year. 

For our teachers, greatness is not simply test scores or the number of points they can help accumulate for the school in the accountability system. For them, greatness is embodied in the students they teach and the impact they have. 

In my opinion, what makes our educators great is the determination they have, so that instead of a student saying “I can’t” he or she says “I can.” It is their dedication that prompts a student to seek them out at the grocery store to simply say, “Remember me? I want to say thank you.” It is their care that results in a student who was into a bad scene turning her life around and sending a message on social media to say because of you, she was graduating with a degree in nursing. It is their persistence that results in a student, as he crosses the finish line in his last cross country race, lifting up his coach up in a giant bear hug as he whispers, “Thank you for never giving up on me.” It is a teacher’s greatness that prompts students to leave a note that says, “You will NEVER die. The things you have taught us in class and about life will be passed to our children and our children’s children. Your legacy is us, you will live forever.”

I realize to some, this sounds self-aggrandizing, given all we must do in education to close the achievement gap and provide a quality education for each child. Should we even think about greatness in education? Absolutely we should. 

Educators do what they do because of students. If things do not get done, it is because we lose sight of that. It is time that we allow our teachers to focus on that greatness. It is time for all Kentucky educators to be great. It is time for us, as an education community, to stop doing what we have a right to do and do what is right. It is time to be great! 

That’s right, greatness is a decision. Olympians make a decision each day to work hard in pursuit of a goal so that they can stand atop the medal stand and hear their national anthem. Educators make a decision every day they will provide their students the opportunity that will change their lives. It is time we all make the decision to be great. 

I dare you to be great. I dare you to put students ahead of the day-to-day issues that currently face us. I dare you to put student needs above a traditional approach to content. I dare you to put what is right for students ahead of the state test. I dare you to be a bridge for students that allows them to see a new horizon they have never seen before. I dare you to allow students to see themselves in a future they thought was reserved for someone else. I dare you to be great.

Opening day is here. Greatness is in our reach. Our educators inspire me, but more importantly, they inspire greatness. I challenge us all in education to seek greatness and make Kentucky education great!

We need your help!

Communication, ironically, is something we always seem to be discussing. Whether you are a Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) employee, a teacher, an administrator or in the business sector, communication is a big deal. So, why is it that communication can be so difficult? And quite frankly, how is it that as a whole, the profession of education tends to be so bad at it? 

Perhaps part of the reason is that educators are typically neither taught the art of communication beyond pedagogy, nor are we given a sense of urgency around it. Here at KDE I am lucky that I have a staff that focuses on communication, but admittedly we do not always get it right. I think that sometimes the issue in education is that we tend to think of communication as a one-way street or maybe even a one-party obligation. If the communication is to be effective, it’s not that easy. The communication must be two-way and that, like everything else, takes effort and intentionality on everyone’s part.

The case in point is our new accountability system under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). We have tried to communicate two major issues to this point. One, we are working on a new system with lots of diverse individuals; and two, the deadline for commenting on many of U.S. Department of Education (USED) proposed regulations that would govern implementation of ESSA and a new accountability system is coming to an end on August 1. Kentuckians must comment if we want to do what we believe is right by our students. We have communicated through social media, emails, news releases, the KDE website, articles in Kentucky Teacher, held a dozen town hall meetings (one virtually, available on demand) on the subject, and I have blogged about both of these issues almost non-stop. Yet still, I received a few emails over the weekend telling me about the new ESSA and how they “heard I might be considering making changes to the accountability system.” 

How is that possible? How is it that we are still having Kentuckians who do not know about this work? After some reflection, I think the answer is threefold. 

One, we at KDE, have to redouble our efforts to communicate with the key people who can help distribute our messages, such as the Kentucky Association of School Administrators to whom I had the honor to speak last week. 

The second, we need folks to meet us half way. We need Kentuckians to want this knowledge and be willing to sometimes seek it out, but sometimes simply to open an email. I was told recently when I was being scolded by an educator for not communicating enough that he “doesn’t read email unless it looks interesting.” This is one of the most historic times in our careers, nothing should be more interesting right now than making sure our accountability system is the right thing for our students. We must stop living in a world of “I heard that…” or “Someone told me…” without doing our own research. Rumors only hurt the truth. It was the same in middle school as it is as an adult. 

Third, we need everyone to communicate what they know about the process and eventually the system itself. We are posting PowerPoints that keep everyone up to date on process and key milestones as the work progresses. I have asked all administrators to take 20 minutes at the end of each faculty meeting to update staff on the process, but people do not have to wait. They can go to the website http://bit.ly/ESSAKYhttp://bit.ly/ESSAKY to get all the information they need. 

We all may not be happy when this is over, but at the very least, we all need to be informed. 
Finally, I need to make one more plea about the proposed regulations from USED. August 1 is the deadline for comment on the portion of the regulations dealing with accountability, state plans and data reporting.

I know we are all busy, but this is a critical time. I am challenging Kentuckians to make their feelings known to USED and lawmakers on these regulations – my goal is for at least 1,000 Kentuckians to share their thoughts – positive or negative through the Federal Register website. As the State School Officer for Kentucky, I will be submitting my thoughts, as I have shared with Congress on two occasions. But my comments count as only one voice and hold no more value than anyone else’s. We need everyone to comment by the August 1 deadline. You do not have to agree with me, but if you do, feel free to use a portion of my written testimony. As with everything, if we do not take the opportunity to voice our opinion, we will be stuck with what we have, with no one to blame. 

Thank you all for what you do for our students in your various roles. Now is the time for courage and communication, we can do this together. Remember, it may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a Commonwealth to educate one. 

Courage in the Face of Change

Courage, a simple word. Nearly everyone knows how to define it. Many statements exemplify it. It takes courage to rush into battle, to stand before a crowd of peers, to even take a stand for what is right. It takes just as much courage to be patient (especially in a highly charged environment that screams rush), to listen to others, to admit when you do not have all of the answer, and to admit when you are wrong.

In this blog, I’d like to address another type of courage, courage in the face of change. This is a special type of courage. It is about putting another’s need in front of your personal needs. It is about trying to consider the uncomfortable truth, that only through change can we make the lives of our students better.

Change is uncomfortable, it is at times unwieldy. I know that Kentucky educators have seen great change over the past few years, but it has made us stronger and it has made a better life for our students.

Andre Gide said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

We are at an important and, I believe, historic moment in Kentucky and across the nation with the passage and implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Courage will be required if we are to move forward in educating our students. If we are going to actually make change, we are going to have to be ready to lose sight of the shore. In other words, those things that have been the basis of where we are today of which some have proven successful on and some have not. Oddly enough, even when we aren’t successful, we often will still choose comfort over the possibility of change. 

I have named more than 160 individuals to come together and develop our new accountability system. This is going to be hard and intense work, but work that is needed in Kentucky. But they cannot be the only people involved. We need all of our educators and shareholders to be engaged and willing to inform the process.

I have been clear that I am open to a brand new system. There is no agenda here on my part except to develop a system that will drive adults to make good decisions for our students. To do that, it will take courage, but given Kentucky’s history I know our people are up to the task.

All of that sounds good, sounds great actually. However, if we do not first stand up for ourselves as the guidance for ESSA is being developed, we may never get there. We have until August 1 to submit feedback on the United States Education Department (USED) proposed regulations on accountability, state plans, and data reporting. The link to submit comments can be found here. I am not going to tell anyone what to say, but I want to push all to have the courage to send feedback.

Robert F. Kennedy said, “Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” 

It is time consuming and tough to stand for what is right. I encourage all of you to send feedback to the USED so that Kentucky’s voice will be heard loud and clear. I would appreciate it if you would support the issues the Kentucky Department of Education has identified as reflected in my congressional testimony, but if you see different issues that is fine too. You can link to my House Committee on Education and the Workforce oral and written testimony from last month as well to the oral and written testimony presented to the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pensions last week. While they are very similar, there are a few differences. I just want the Commonwealth of Kentucky to lead the way in providing direction to USED. It is our right to do this, but it is also what is right.

While courage manifests itself in many ways and has many forms, in my opinion, there is no area that requires more courage than education. Everyone thinks they know about it and everyone has a better way to do it. It often feels like everyone is on the attack. However, only through courage in the face of change in education can we make a real difference for students. We must push to “search for a new ocean” and have the courage to “lose sight of the shore.” If we do, our children will be prepared to be a fulfilled and contributing member of our Commonwealth and beyond.

Dr. Pruitt goes to Washington

I am a huge fan of actor Jimmy Stewart – always have been and always will be. One of his movies that I've always loved is “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

In the movie, Stewart’s character, Mr. Jefferson Smith, is appointed by his governor to fill a vacant position in the Senate. He is very excited, and likewise very naïve. He arrives in Washington, D.C. from his small rural town with some big ideas that he quickly learns are not easily done in this huge political machine that is D.C. His first legislation was to set up a camp for underprivileged boys near his hometown – a laudable effort, but one on which he would face an uphill battle. He quickly discovers that even his appointment was the result of politics – so that powerful people could get their way on policy. Mr. Smith was told he was alone in his efforts on the camp, it was impossible and to just let it go. Well, he didn’t let it go, and with his friends and colleagues he made a difference for his home state.

Well, I went to Washington last week to try to make a difference for my home state of Kentucky.

No one sets a goal in life that they want to testify in front of a Congressional committee. I am not sure many would even find excitement in it. Admittedly, I did not want to be put into a position to testify, but sometimes you simply have to stand up for what's right. I felt very much like Mr. Smith in many ways when I appeared last week before the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce, on which Kentucky Representative Brett Guthrie serves.

When Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the President signed it into law, I embraced its promise. I embraced with gusto the idea that states can make decisions that best fit the values of their own education shareholders. I may be naïve, but I believe the only way we can move to our next step of ensuring every student gets a quality education is to think about quality and not compliance. Yet, that is not where subsequent conversations have led and I am not comfortable with the federal demands being placed on our state.

Like Mr. Smith, I felt I committed to doing right by our districts, our schools, but most importantly our students and educators. I had to speak up and I ask you to do so as well. Here is a link to my oral testimony and the more detailed written testimony for your review and knowledge.

My ask is that, within the next month, each of you submit feedback on the proposed ESSA regulations. The proposed ESSA regulations are open for feedback until August 1. You may read them and submit comments through this website: http://1.usa.gov/282OmYh.

We can make this the right thing for Kentucky, but only if WE take it upon ourselves to advocate – to stand for our children and our state – just as Mr. Smith did, even when we feel inadequate to challenge or change the establishment. As long as we work for students, we are more than adequate.

So, please let the United States Department of Education know that in Kentucky, we understand the need for compliance, but value quality education for all of our children over all else.

Oh, and welcome to Washington. 

Overcoming what seems impossible in education

This past week, I, like many others, mourned the loss and celebrated the life of Kentucky native son, Muhammad Ali. He was an incredible individual, showman and athlete. But even more than that, he was an incredible human being.

When you strip away all of the politics and perceptions that often generated controversy, Ali stood for people who often could not stand for themselves. He was a spectacle, and even after Parkinson’s took away his voice and bravado, he still commanded a presence because of his genuine care for people.

Last week, I heard a quote of Ali’s that I do not remember hearing before. I would like to share it because it is not only a testament to the man that Ali was, but also appropriate for what some people say is the impossible job of public education.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

Some say we face an impossible task with the implementation of the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and collaboratively developing a new accountability system. Our goal is to create a system that reflects what Kentuckians value in education and moves us past a mindset of competition and compliance with a law, so that we may create an attitude of excellence and improvement in our schools that will benefit of all of our students. Difficult and challenging – yes. Impossible – NO!

I believe, to paraphrase The Greatest, the law gives us the opportunity to “explore the power we have to change” the system. We need greater focus on students, more guidance from research and to change our perceptions of equity and opportunity. Now with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the opportunity to make some of those changes is at hand.

Earlier in June, the United States Department of Education (USED) released draft regulations that would govern the implementation of ESSA. While unlike Ali, I am not a fighter, I do believe in standing up for what is right for kids. That’s why already I have been in contact with USED about several issues that I see as potential problems with the draft regulations for implementing ESSA.

As we move forward, we need everyone to submit their thoughts through this website on proposed ESSA regulations. I’ll be honest with you, the regs are dense, detailed and sometimes their meaning isn’t entirely clear, but we owe it to our kids to plow through, devote the time and understanding, and make sure the regulations reflect the best interest of students.

Also, as the new accountability system develops, we need everyone to continue to provide us with their thoughts on the new system, as you did so well during the Town Hall listening tour. You need to hold us and USED accountable to move past mere compliance with a law to develop a system that will promote an equitable and quality, well-rounded education that will encourage each and every student in Kentucky to reach his or her true potential and graduate from high school ready for college, career and life.

While the task for meeting the needs of our students is huge, as Ali said, nothing is impossible. It is a dare – a dare I embrace. I hope you will all take that dare with me as we push to change an accountability system so that it will be meaningful and bring about genuine school improvement for the benefit of all of Kentucky’s children.

Off to a good start on a new accountability system

Last week, we had our first meeting of the Accountability Steering Committee. It is composed of 37 individuals representing teachers, principals, superintendents, community members, higher education, education advocates – including the business community, legislators and parents. It is a huge group, but I felt it was important to ensure we had the perspective of all shareholders. In the coming weeks, you will learn more about the overall process. The steering committee is just one facet. There are nine other committees that have similar makeups.

At the meeting, the steering committee reviewed the main themes that emerged from the Town Hall meetings held across the state this spring. Department staff reviewed all the comments that were made at the meetings along with submitted emails, which can be found under the Town Hall portion of this webpage, and categorized them into central themes. The themes we most often heard were:

• Our children must be at the heart of the system.
• A well-rounded education is important and necessary.
• All subjects, both tested and non-tested, need to be valued. 
• Access and opportunity for students are critical. 
• An emphasis on teaching is needed.
• Collaboration instead of competition among schools and districts needs to be the focus.

We are continuing to take feedback through a special email box, so keep your thoughts coming. You may join a virtual Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET or on demand anytime thereafter by clicking here. I am so glad we decided to do the Town Halls. I learned a lot from them and plan on making them an annual event (although not so many in such a short time).

The Steering Committee agreed on a few principles to guide the work – based on the feedback from the Town Halls and discussions in the committee. The Steering Committee agreed that:

• The system should be focused on the welfare of all students and promote good decision making for their benefit.
• The system should promote a holistic and quality education for all students.
• The system should reflect the Kentucky Department of Education’s guiding principles of equity, achievement and integrity.
• The system should be simple and easy to understand.
• Data should be reported in a dashboard that better illustrates school/district progress or deficits than a single number.

So, we are off to a good start. Shortly we will be communicating about the rest of the process. There is much work to do, but I believe that we have an incredible amount of brainpower in our state to make what we are doing a model for the rest of the country. We will need to work together and hold each other accountable. We will need to develop our common vision and stick to it. Most of all, we will need to remember who this is for, our students.

On a related topic, last week, the United State Department of Education (USED) released the draft regulations for the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Some of you may have heard that I am not thrilled with a couple of issues in the proposed guidance including the timing of some issues and the use of a summative number rather than a dashboard for reporting. I want to encourage all of you to be engaged in the public input process by going to the Federal Register website, reading the draft regulations and making your voice heard.

We cannot move ahead as long as we keep a foot in the past. I have already made my thoughts known loud and clear, I need the Commonwealth to do the same. We need to do this to ensure the full impact of ESSA is realized here. If it is, I firmly believe we will continue to build a world class education system for Our Children and Our Commonwealth.