United We Learn is based upon what the Kentucky Coalition for Advancing Education and the Kentucky Department of Education heard during an extensive listening campaign in 2021 that asked people from across the state about what is and isn't working in public education. The following – which can be found in the
United We Learn: Hearing Kentucky's Voices on the Future of Education report -- is where Kentuckians say we are now and what they want their public schools to become.
- A lot of good things are happening in Kentucky’s public schools, but often they are not done in a systematic way. We will use common vision, and local and statewide partnerships to organize and expand high-quality opportunities for each and every student.
- Schools are central to their communities, but there are obstacles to creating trusting, collaborative relationships. We will listen to each other and intentionally work together to better serve Kentucky’s students and communities.
- Education has been focusing more on meeting accountability rules, which makes it harder to take chances and create new partnerships. We will move from focusing on the narrow rules of accountability to be more responsive to the needs and desires of students and local communities, especially those who have been historically underserved.
- There still are inequities both in the opportunities students have and the outcomes they achieve. To make a real difference, we will move from a standardized approach to learning to one that recognizes and values the uniqueness of students and communities.
- Very few people feel seen or heard in the current education system. We will have a system where students are more than statistics and where students, families and teachers feel known and valued beyond their test scores.
- It’s important to know where we need to improve and to be accountable, but it’s also important to recognize both the strengths and challenges of local conditions and work together to find ways to succeed. We will create a system that shares information in a way that supports everyone in being partners in improvement, rather than “shaming and blaming.”
- By asking teachers and students to work in a standardized way, the current system of education does not recognize the complexities of modern life and its effects on the classroom. We will create conditions where everyone feels safe to try new things and improve by learning from one another, instead of competing.
- Schools need everyone to learn about and value a broader set of career goals and pathways to success. We will build a system that goes beyond a narrow set of subjects and expands what students imagine they could do to find individual fulfillment AND contribute to community prosperity.
- There is a widespread desire for an assessment and accountability system that goes beyond a narrow picture of student success. We will develop local and state accountability systems that work together to learn about and share a fuller picture of how communities are supporting student growth.
- Kentucky’s schools should not go “back to normal” and forget all of the lessons learned during the COVID pandemic. We will create a culture that doesn’t shy away from addressing tough issues and works to answer them as united communities.
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