Equitable Access to Effective Educators

Every student in the Commonwealth deserves access to excellent educators. Educators who have unique experiences, quality preparation and a commitment to their success. The Kentucky Department of Education is committed to developing initiatives that address the need to improve equitable access to effective teachers and leaders across the state. Section 1111(g)(1)(B) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) outlines strategies Kentucky will employ to ensure that poor, minority, Limited English Proficient, and special needs students are not taught by inexperienced, ineffective, or out-of-field teachers at higher rates than other children.

The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) unanimously approved a resolution affirming its commitment to racial equity in Kentucky’s public schools during a special meeting on July 10, 2020.  "The vision of the Kentucky Board of Education is to ensure that each student is empowered and equipped with the knowledge and skills to be successful in a complex and competitive world,” KBE Chair Lu Young read from the resolution.  Read more in the full Kentucky Teacher article.

Equity Resources

• KET Resources to address race and racism for families, educators and students: KET Education has curated this list of free resources with other trusted public media partners to use as tools to support learning. As with all educational materials, please preview these resources prior to utilizing with students to check for appropriateness.
  

• Kentucky National Board Professional Learning Schools Equity standards bundle and Conversation about Equity: connecting National Board resources: Accomplished educators treat students fairly, embrace diversity, and ensure equitable access to quality instruction.

• Harvard Project Implicit: Psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia and the University of Washington created "Project Implicit" to develop Hidden Bias Tests—called Implicit Association Tests, or IATs, in the academic world—to measure implicit bias.