Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Coleman, Commissioner Glass to make announcement on KAET at 10 a.m. ET
Note: News media will be allowed to ask questions about the initiative at the conclusion of the press conference using the Q&A feature of Microsoft Teams Live Event.
Who:
Gov. Andy Beshear
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman
Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass
Aaron Thompson, President, Council on Postsecondary Education
Thomas Woods-Tucker, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Equity Officer, Kentucky Department of Education
Lu Young, Chair, Kentucky Board of Education
Sharon Porter Robinson, Vice Chair, Kentucky Board of Education
What:
Kentucky’s governor, lieutenant governor, commissioner of education and other education leaders will make an announcement on the Kentucky Academy for Equity in Teaching (KAET) initiative. Developing and retaining an effective, diverse and culturally competent educator workforce is an urgent goal for Gov. Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to ensure the success of every student.
Recruiting new teachers to the profession is vital to address significant teacher shortages and expand the diversity of the teacher workforce in the state. KAET helps accomplish this by removing barriers to, and creating opportunities for, successful completion of educator preparation programs.
When students see teachers that look like themselves – whether it’s race, ethnicity, gender, economic background or disability – it has been shown to lead to increased student achievement, lower dropout rates and other positive outcomes, such as lower discipline referrals and increased aspirations for postsecondary attainment. All students benefit socially when they have role models from a diverse array of backgrounds.
KAET is part of those efforts to support the diversification of the educator workforce.
