Kristie Graham’s work at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) as a resource management analyst allows her to feel more comfortable when providing information to teachers and parents. “I like being that voice for others and being able to provide research and resources about how KDE is helping the schools and what it all means,” said Graham.
After changing her college major five times, Keva Buckley finally settled on becoming an educator. When applying for classes, she accidentally signed up for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) education course at Eastern Kentucky University, not realizing it was different from other education courses. From this initial class, Buckley discovered her passion for American Sign Language (ASL) and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
The Family Friendly Schools certification process for the School for Creative and Performing Arts at Bluegrass (SCAPA) seemed to be a natural progression of our dedication to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students and their families
Blake Konny, a Safe and Supportive Schools Consultant in the Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of Student Success for the past four years, enjoys the opportunity to be able to expand his work beyond the classroom and across the state.
The kindness and encouragement from one of her former teachers inspired Melinda Richardson to pursue a career as an educator. A 4th- and 5th-grade math teacher at Clay City Elementary School (Powell County) since 2006, she said her greatest accomplishment is encouraging students to create positive change in the world by giving back to their communities.
Karen Conway has been a resource analyst III in the District Funding and Reporting Branch of the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Division of District Support since 2002.
As you may be aware, I have provided notice to the Kentucky Board of Education that I will be stepping down at the end of September to become the associate vice president of teaching and learning at Western Michigan University. This transition generates several different emotions for me, but I am choosing to focus on perhaps the strongest one – gratitude.
As a 15-year veteran teacher, Shannon Kay knows how important education can be in a child’s life. She currently teaches 1st grade in Boone County, but she also has taught preschool and kindergarten.
The Jenkins Independent school district decided to work on this initiative in order to assess and improve our current family and school partnerships. We also aim to build the capacity of school leadership to understand and implement more effective family engagement best practices.
Rob Collins has been a team member of the Kentucky Department of Education for a little over a year.