 Jason E. Glass
A letter from Kentucky's Chief Learner, Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Dear Colleagues:
Lately I have been giving thought to our collective work on equity in the Commonwealth. Conversations about equity within our schools, our districts and at the state level are difficult and emotional.
Depending on where we come from in these discussions, people often feel some combination of defensiveness, regret, anger over real or perceived past treatment, frustration at the pace of change, or outrage at being labelled or stereotyped in some way.
Still, as public educators, it is vitally important that we have these conversations for at least two important reasons.
First, one of the most important purposes of public education is the preparation of students to be active citizens in our republic. Representative democracy is, by design, messy and filled with conflicts over interests, ideas and perspectives. Practically all matters of importance at the local, state and national levels are also conflict-laden.
In the course of educating our young people, we must teach them how to engage civilly and directly with people who disagree with them, to evaluate the quality of different ideas and concepts, and to work together toward the actualization of that “more perfect union” envisioned in the U.S. Constitution.
Any effort to limit discussions in communities or classrooms is misguided because it insulates our students from the critical thinking experiences that come from evaluating different ideas and arriving at independent conclusions. Preparing our students to be citizens necessarily means preparing them to participate in difficult and complex issues.
In short, we do our future citizens - and our nation - no favors by avoiding thought-provoking conversations on important, real world topics.
A second reason our conversations about equity are important is that they are essential to the full realization of the concepts set forth in the Preamble to the Constitution.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Our government is enacted and owned by its people. For this concept to be fully realized, equity matters. The idea of our government becoming a plutocracy, oligarchy or aristocracy would have been antithetical to the republic our founding fathers envisioned. “We the people” has evolved to be inclusive, not exclusive.
Keeping and restoring the foundations of American democracy is part of the task we undertake as public educators. All peoples and races in the United States are part of this effort. There neither can be – nor can we hope to sustain – concepts such as domestic tranquility, a common defense, the general welfare or secure the blessings of liberty unless we take proactive and positive steps to ensure that all of America’s (and Kentucky’s) citizens (and students) are included.
Our conversations about equity are not some new addition to our work in our schools and communities. The strive for equity is woven into the most fundamental concepts upon which our country was founded.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner & Chief Learner
 2021 CTE Summer Program
Galt House Hotel and Suites, Louisville, KY
July 20-23, 2021
Sign up today for the Kentucky Association for Career & Technical Education Conference.
There will be a special session just for school counselors on July 23. At this session, you'll hear from the following presenters:
- Sarah Akin, Christian County;
- Kim Dolan, Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority;
- Nicole Fields, Jefferson County Public Schools;
- Michelle Nichols and Judi Vanderhaar, Ph.D., Kentucky Department of Education (KDE);
- Destiny O'Rourke, Bowling Green High School;
- Leslie Ousley, Floyd County;
- Missy Ross, GEAR UP;
- Damien Sweeney, KDE; and
- Lorry Wilson, Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
Don't wait. Registration closes June 15 and there will be no on-site registration. Lunch will be provided for attendees on July 23.
 KDE Releases Guidance Video on High School Graduation Tracking Report
The Kentucky Department of Education has created a guidance video on the High School Graduation Tracking Report. You can view the slide deck used for this training video and the Quick Reference Card.
Emergency Broadband Benefit Enrollment
The Federal Communications Commission has launched a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers.
Starting May 12, eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company using an online or mail in application.
You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting the Emergency Broadband Benefit webpage or by calling (833) 511-0311. Click here for the Consumer FAQ for Emergency Broadband Benefit.
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