The Kentucky Department of Education and the eight regional education cooperatives - led by the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative - have scheduled a two-day discussion of ways to champion innovation, efficiency and creativity in the state's public education system.
"Kentucky Leads the Nation - Creating a Culture of Innovation" will take place Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Louisville. Invited participants are district teams of board members, superintendents, administrators, teachers, community leaders and education advocates.
A working draft agenda of the event includes the following highlights:
Friday (afternoon), Oct. 26
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday and David Cook, KDE's director of innovation, will release details of the agency's "innovation curriculum and district assessment tool." The session will cover KDE's application process for schools and districts to achieve the status of "Districts of Innovation" under House Bill 57. The new law allows schools and districts to apply for relief from certain state regulations in exchange for the opportunity to take innovative approaches to improving student achievement.
Plans call for a late afternoon session on federal issues impacting Kentucky schools from the sequestration cuts to federal spending to reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and other education measures pending before Congress.
Saturday (morning), Oct. 27
A keynote address (speaker to be confirmed) on examples of school innovation in other parts of the county will open the day. That will be followed by a series of breakout sessions for participants to select from on developing a district's vision, budgeting for innovative practices and building support for change from teachers. A luncheon closing session will focus on ways to build community and stakeholder support for innovative practices in schools.
More information is available here http://kyleadsthenation.com/.