In September
2015, the Kentucky Board of Education unanimously voted to hire Stephen L.
Pruitt as Kentucky's sixth commissioner of education.
Commissioner
Pruitt came to Kentucky with an extensive background in education at the
local, state and national levels, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors for the national Council for Chief State School Officers.
Pruitt started his
education career as a high school chemistry teacher in Fayetteville and Tyrone,
Georgia. He later served as the science and mathematics program manager and director
of academic standards with the Georgia Department of Education. Subsequently,
he was named associate state superintendent for assessment and accountability
and ultimately chief of staff for the Georgia Department of Education.
Before coming to Kentucky, Pruitt served as senior vice president for Achieve, Inc., a national,
nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization based in Washington, D.C.
During his tenure with Achieve, he coordinated the development of the Next
Generation Science Standards.
Pruitt also
served as president of the Council of State Science Supervisors and a member of
the writing team for the College Board Standards for College Success (Science).
In addition, he served on the National Academies of Science Committee on
Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards which developed the Framework for K-12 Science
Education – a foundational document for the Next Generation Science
Standards.
A native of
Georgia, Commissioner Pruitt holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from North Georgia
College and State University, a master's degree in science education from the
University of West Georgia and a Doctorate of Philosophy in chemistry education
from Auburn University.
Pruitt and his
wife are the parents of two children. Their son attends the University of
Colorado-Boulder; their daughter is Kentucky high school graduate and attends the University of Kentucky.