2025 Persistence to Graduation Summit Call for Proposals and Registration
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Division of Student Success (DSS) is hosting the 2025 Persistence to Graduation Summit at the Hilton in downtown Lexington on June 12-13. This year’s theme will be “Elevating Student Voice.”
Superintendents, district level personnel, school administrators, school counselors, educators, family resource and youth services center coordinators, school mental health and social service professionals, and community partners from across Kentucky will convene to share information and best practices to support students who may experience challenges to reaching graduation. Engaging and interactive sessions will be led by facilitators from across the state and will include:
- Student Transition and Re-engagement Strategies;
- Alternative Education Programming;
- Well-Rounded Educational Opportunities;
- Safe and Supportive Learning Environments; and
- Effective Use of Education Technology.
These sessions are designed to be more engaging than the typical “sit and get” format of most conferences and are structured to encourage dialogue and exchanges that leverage the expertise of the session participants as well as the session leaders. Facilitators will engage with participants throughout the session and help cultivate an interactive experience, mirroring the type of interactions that take place in highly engaging classrooms. Participants will have prior access to any materials submitted by facilitators.
Those interested in facilitating a session should submit a proposal in the Persistence to Graduation Call for Proposals portal by April 2. DSS strongly encourages proposals that incorporate student voice into the session. If there are multiple session facilitators for a single session, only one person needs to complete the form. If you would like to suggest multiple session topics, please access the portal link again and submit a proposal for any additional topic. Submissions will be reviewed by DSS staff and selected based on content, proposed methods for participant engagement, and event needs. Those selected will be notified by email.
Registration for the summit is available at no cost to participants through Title IV, Part A funding, but registration is limited to the first 300. For more information, contact Lalah.Brewer@education.ky.gov.
What is Persistence to Graduation?
The Kentucky
Department of Education (KDE) provides a variety of supports to schools and
districts to identify students who may be off-track for College and Career
Readiness, promotion, and/or on-time graduation and provide interventions to
support students until they earn a diploma. The Persistence to Graduation team, within the Division of Student Success, provides technical assistance and professional learning grounded in evidence, mindful communication, and inclusivity for school communities as they build healthy climate and cultures that supports equity for all students as they persist towards academic and social success.
Technical assistance and support is available in the following areas of dropout prevention:
1) Early Warning and Persistence to Graduation Data Tools - data tools that provide a comprehensive view of student success.
2) Insights - a new module in Infinite Campus that makes it easier to use data, filter by groups, and see student information with a focus on warning indicators.
3) Chronic Absenteeism - understanding what the barriers are to student attendance and implementing strategies to address absenteeism.