During 2021, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) undertook an effort to hear from Kentuckians directly about what they wanted for their schools and for our state’s children. The department conducted a listening tour around the state to hear from students, families, teachers, district and school leaders, and community members. At the conclusion of the listening tour, KDE formed a diverse group of stakeholders known as the Kentucky Coalition for Advancing Education (KCAE), who together developed a report on the current and future state of education. For more information on KCAE meetings and details visit the KCAE Archive webpage.
The findings and themes in the report helped form a new vision for public education in Kentucky, called United We Learn. The community partnerships originated with KCAE provided the foundation for the Kentucky United We Learn Council and KDE’s ongoing collaboration with stakeholders. Their goal, “To build a prosperous Kentucky, we will launch an accountability system that is meaningful and useful to all our learners,” continues to guide this work.
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The United We Learn report was co-authored by the members of KCAE. It reflects not only their perspectives on education in the Commonwealth, but also the insights gathered during KDE’s listening tour hearing from students, families, teachers, school and district leaders, and community members. The report offers a clear and deep picture of the current state of education in Kentucky and where we have consensus about where to go in the future.
The United We Learn report executive summary contains all of the overarching information and themes from the full report. It highlights the priorities that underpin the work of the Kentucky United We Learn Council and the school districts who have undertaken local accountability redesign in partnership with their communities.
A two-page summary describing the "United We Learn" vision and its three big ideas that are driving efforts to enhance education in Kentucky.