LEXINGTON, Ky. — More than 250 education stakeholders from over 25 school districts gathered for two days of dialogue around challenges and opportunities in education last week at the Prichard Committee’s 2023 Groundswell Summit in Floyd County.
“The Groundswell Summit is a celebration of community collaboration to innovate and transform education outcomes in Kentucky,” said Prichard Committee President Brigitte Blom. “At this summit, we have the opportunity to respond to challenges and strive toward a better future for education in Kentucky. The stakes are too high and the potential rewards too great to let this opportunity pass us by.”
The two-day summit at Floyd Central High School featured tours of local education spots, the Great Schools Showcase, a Hometown Achievers Spotlight and the 2023 Statewide Groundswell Awards.
It also hosted the inaugural meeting of the state steering committee for the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative. This initiative will oversee the implementation of a $47 million US Department of Education grant awarded to the Prichard Committee at the end of last year. The grant will invest almost $30 million across 20 school districts in Kentucky and could employ up to 50 people.
“The launch of the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative provides the opportunity for us to partner with communities across Kentucky, who will actively develop and own local responses to the unique needs of students and families to improve academic outcomes,” Blom said. “Together, over the next 5 years, we’ll scale these promising strategies community by community – building a groundswell of action to improve education outcomes in the commonwealth.”
The next Groundswell Summit will occur in Owensboro on June 13 and 14, 2024. Schools interested in participating in the Prichard Committee’s Kentucky Community Schools initiative can complete the interest form online at prichardcommittee.org.
