Education

West Kentucky Community and Technical College is a finalist for a 2013 National Bellwether Award for its efforts in creating a cultural transformation that resulted in the college being named a top-five community college by the Aspen Institute in 2011.

Kentucky's Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, or GRREC, is a winner an estimated $40 million in Federal Race to the Top District Funds. GRREC represents 23 Western Kentucky School Districts, including Union County, Daviess County and Owensboro Independent. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne  Duncan says this year’s Race to The Top saw many new school districts competing for funds.

Kentucky is moving steadily toward the top-tier of states in key education measures according to the “Top 20 by 2020” report from the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

Illinois is getting almost $35 million of federal aid for early childhood education. The Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant is funding a website informing parents of the quality of school programs in an effort to help them find the best place that matches their children’s needs. The money is also going toward professional development for early-childhood teachers, investments in efficiency, streamlining program administration and data systems and program evaluations.

The state Board of Education has approved its legislative priorities for the 2013 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, and among the issues that will go before lawmakers is raising the school dropout age to 18.