Monthly Newsletter

February 2023

Message From Audrey Gilbert

Over the past month, we have been focusing our energy on the four innovative habits. By looking at empathy, inclusion, co-creation and reciprocity in the work of our committees, how we function as a council and how we engage with our communities, we can find ways to keep improving and spreading the habits.

As we move forward, it is critical that we come back to the habits and keep them central in all of our work. Seize every opportunity to incorporate the habits in your daily life and see the difference they can make.

Updates from our Committees

The Vibrant Learning Experiences Standing Committee met virtually on Feb. 6, and explored several learning opportunities in pursuit of our common goal to better understand the state of vibrant learning
experiences throughout the state. Members of the committee selected their preferred methods of learning: conducting empathy interviews, attending site visits, and attending presentations from national organizations.

In response to these preferences, site visits to Eminence Independent Schools and Marshall County Schools have been established as options for members who would like to see vibrant learning experiences in Kentucky districts. The committee also received empathy interview resources to conduct their own conversations with stakeholders in their local communities.

The committee will meet again on March 6.

The Building a Bold New Future with Communities Standing Committee met virtually on Feb. 13. The meeting included presentations featuring leadership from three Local Laboratories of Learning (L3) and provided members with an opportunity to reflect on the implementation of deeper learning in the highlighted districts.

L3 members identified current policy barriers for committee members to consider when developing a future policy agenda. Finally, committee members engaged in dialogue with the L3 representatives to  brainstorm how a “feedback loop” could be developed to ensure recommended Kentucky United We Learn Council policy priorities reflect the needs of communities fostering deeper learning within their schools/districts.

The committee will meet again on March 7.

The Accelerating Innovation Standing Committee (AISC) met virtually on Feb. 6. The committee reviewed the chartering process and the tasks that have been completed to date. Working in groups, the committee shared information that has been collected about the design of past and present innovations in assessment and accountability from inside and outside Kentucky. Groups highlighted emerging trends and identified next steps.

For their next steps, committee members are examining assessment and accountability use cases within and outside Kentucky. Each group or individual researching a specific topic will write a description and share relevant information with the entire committee. Each use case ultimately will be included in a final report. Based on the findings of the committee, design principles will be established.

The committee will meet again March 8.

Watch a livestream of the meetings via the 

Media Portal Watch Live.

Meet the Chairs

Audrey Gilbert 

Interim Chair for Kentucky United We Learn Council

Committee: Bold New Future

Audrey Gilbert is a senior at Frankfort High School (Frankfort Independent) and an education advocate. She is the school climate audit co-lead and the Measurement, Assessment and Accountability lead for the Kentucky Student Voice Team. Gilbert has served as an Educators Rising National Student Ambassador, founded the chapter at her school, and now serves as the state president for Kentucky. She wants to become a high school English teacher in order to help students develop their critical thinking skills and learn about the world around them. In her free time, Gilbert loves to read, crochet, watch television and play with her dogs.

Justin Dunning

Committee Chair: Vibrant Learning Experience

Justin Dunning is a student at Lyon County High School in western Kentucky. He joined the Kentucky United We Learn Council to enhance the learning experiences in school because he experiences the classroom setting everyday. Dunning is an officer in his school's FBLA, Beta, Young Republicans and Student Council clubs; he is also a member of the Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council for the Kentucky Department of Education. Dunning enjoys reading, writing and participating in academic competitions. Dunning's main point for this council is to keep “learning that matters to the students” at heart.

Wallace Caleb Bates 

Committee Chair: Bold New Future

Wallace Caleb Bates is a proud Kentuckian. He served on the KDE Commissioner's Student Advisory Council and the Kentucky Coalition for Advancing Education. He chairs the Kentucky United We Learn Building a Bold New Future with Communities Standing Committee. Bates was a 2021 City of Hazard Civic Fellow and 2022 Teach for America Appalachia AppTank Policy Fellow. He received the 2022 Andrew Brennen Student Voice Award and was a 2022 Appalachia's Rising Star nominee. A graduate of Hazard Community and Technical College and a current student at Eastern Kentucky University, Bates plans to pursue graduate coursework in public administration, educational leadership and policy studies.

Kathy Y. Stovall 

Committee Chair: Accelerating Innovation

Kathy Y. Stovall has worked in education for more than 27 years. Her experiences in education have included working in public education and for nonprofits. Stovall is committed to ensuring that students experience a healthy educational environment that brings excitement and a love for learning each day they are in the classroom. Her expertise includes family literacy, early childhood, family engagement and elementary and middle school education. Stovall is a resident of Louisville, where she has lived for 21 years.

Susan R. Strange

Project Manager

Division of Innovative Learning

Office of Continuous Improvement and Support

Phone: (502) 892-6419, ext. 4014

Email: susan.strange@education.ky.gov

300 Sower Blvd. – 5th floor

Frankfort, KY 40601