Kentucky

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Kentucky
Dr. April Brooks, the director of athletics for Jefferson County Public Schools, (center) watches a boy’s varsity basketball game at Jeffersontown High School in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Dr. April Brooks, director of athletics for Jefferson County Public Schools (center), watches a boys’ varsity basketball game at Jeffersontown High School in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 9, 2026.
Madeleine Hordinski for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Leader To Learn From Meet the ‘Sports Lady’ Reenergizing Her District's Athletics
This athletics leader is working to reverse post-pandemic declines, especially for girls.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 9, 2026
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11 min read
Dr. April Brooks, the director of athletics for Jefferson County Public Schools, leads a clinic at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Dr. April Brooks, director of athletics for Jefferson County Public Schools, leads a clinic at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 9, 2026.
Madeleine Hordinski for Education Week
Families & the Community Q&A Youth Sports Can Turn Toxic. This District Focuses on Prevention
As sideline behavior worsens, athletic leaders focus on prevention, safety, and resetting expectations.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 9, 2026
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4 min read
The 2023 National Teacher of the Year award for Rebecka Peterson is displayed during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Washington.
The Council of Chief State School Officers will announce the 2026 National Teacher of the Year award later this spring. The crystal apple award is pictured in this photo from 2023.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Teaching Profession The Nation's Top 5 Teachers in 2026 Focus on Community, Place-Based Education
This year's top teachers bring their communities into the classroom, and vice versa.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 30, 2026
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7 min read
Genesis Olivio and her daughter Arlette, 2, read a book together in a room within the community hub at John H. Amesse Elementary School on March 13, 2024 in Denver. Denver Public Schools has six community hubs across the district that have serviced 3,000 new students since October 2023. Each community hub has different resources for families and students catering to what the community needs.
Genesis Olivio and daughter Arlette, 2, read a book in one of Denver Public Schools' community hubs in March 2024. The community hubs, which offer food pantries, GED classes, and other services, are similar to what schools across the country have developed with the help of federal Community Schools grants, many of which the U.S. Department of Education has prematurely terminated.
Rebecca Slezak For Education Week
Education Funding 'A Gut Punch’: What Trump’s New $168 Million Cut Means for Community Schools
School districts in 11 states will imminently lose federal funds that help them cover staff salaries.
Mark Lieberman, December 18, 2025
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10 min read
The finalists for superintendent of the year, from left: Roosevelt Nivens, Demetrus Liggins, Sonia Santelises, Heather Perry
The finalists for superintendent of the year, from left: Roosevelt Nivens, Demetrus Liggins, Sonia Santelises, and Heather Perry.
Courtesy of AASA
School & District Management 4 Top Leaders Led Through Change. One Will Be Superintendent of the Year
They've boosted academic outcomes, piloted teacher apprenticeships, and steered through rapid growth.
Evie Blad, December 16, 2025
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3 min read
Illustration of dollar symbol in rollercoaster.
iStock
Education Funding Funding Ends for School Mental Health Projects After a 'Roller Coaster' Year
Schools, universities, and others thought they had five years to boost student mental health services.
Matthew Stone, December 2, 2025
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11 min read
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school, Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M.
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. New Mexico passed a law in 2019 that shifts schools from punishing truancy to preventing chronic absenteeism, only referring truancy cases to the courts in extreme cases. California is the latest state to change its truancy law, undoing potential criminal penalties like fines or jail time for parents.
Roberto E. Rosales/AP
Families & the Community Should Parents Face Criminal Penalties for Their Children's Poor Attendance?
Schools shift from a punitive approach with penalties for truancy to a greater emphasis on prevention.
Evie Blad, October 7, 2025
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7 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Video The Top Priority for This District’s First Female Athletic Director
Protecting student-athletes from heat-related injuries and illnesses is the top priority for this district's first female athletic director.
Yi-Jo Shen & Kaylee Domzalski, September 18, 2025
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1:53
Edenton, N.C. - September 5th, 2025: Sonya Rinehart, principal at John A. Holmes High School, walks downtown Edenton.
Sonya Rinehart, the principal at John A. Holmes High School, walks downtown in Edenton, N.C., on Sept. 5, 2025. In small towns, principals balance school management with ambassadorial acts, forging ties that support students and local growth.
Cornell Watson for Education Week
School & District Management In Small Towns, Principals Wear Many Hats—Including 'Ambassador'
Small-town principals juggle daily duties with serving as ambassadors to their communities.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 9, 2025
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5 min read
A student works a problem in a second grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver.
A student works a problem in a 2nd grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver. The math instructional strategies that teachers employ can vary depending on whether they trained as general or special educators—a divide researchers say could hurt struggling students.
Rebecca Slezak/AP
Mathematics How Should We Teach Math? General and Special Ed. Researchers Don't Agree
The divide makes it less likely that students who struggle will get access to proven strategies, researchers argue in a new study.
Sarah Schwartz, August 21, 2025
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8 min read
Woman with cross on her mouth, unable to speak, concept of silence.
Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion A New Law Claims to Curb Teacher Sexual Misconduct. What Does It Really Do?
In one state, teachers now face strict limits on how they can communicate with students outside the classroom.
Lora Bartlett, August 21, 2025
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6 min read
Megan Marcum, the digital learning coach for the Bowling Green district in Kentucky, and William King, the district technology director, present a poster session on how to create a student Chromebook repair team at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 in San Antonio on June 30, 2025.
Megan Marcum, the digital learning coach for the Bowling Green district in Kentucky, and William King, the district's technology director, explain how to set up a student Chromebook repair team at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 in San Antonio on June 30, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
IT Infrastructure & Management Why This District Pays Students to Repair School Devices
One district leader says there are no downsides to having students work on Chromebook repairs.
Lauraine Langreo, July 1, 2025
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3 min read
boy likely a teenager, sitting in a dimly lit room, holding a credit card and looking at a tablet screen
Nadzeya Haroshka/iStock
Curriculum Teaching Personal Finance to Teens in the Age of Online Gambling
Teenagers have more spending power than ever before. States are pushing schools to teach them how to be responsible with their spending.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 11, 2025
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5 min read
Image of a magnifying glass over budget factor icons.
Getty
States Trump’s Cuts to Ed. Spending Will Hit Efforts to Improve Reading and Math. Here’s How
The Ed. Dept. said federally funded centers were “forcing radical agendas.” State officials say they helped foster academic improvement.
Sarah Schwartz, March 10, 2025
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7 min read
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