With the support of the AT&T Foundation, 31 parents from throughout Kentucky are participating in a special Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Based on the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence’s 11-year-old parent leadership institute, the program is designed and implemented in partnership with the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science and The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University.
The two-day sessions are being held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza, Bowling Green, on September 11-12 and October 9-10. Fayette County parents include Sherri Ball, Lucy Blankenship, Allen Lind, Kathy Smiley and Debra Walker.
The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership prepares parents to work toward higher achievement for all public school students. The institute’s curriculum focuses on leadership skills, planning and strategic development as well as elements of Kentucky’s education and accountability systems. Almost 1,500 Kentucky parents have now completed this training and returned to work as partners in their districts and schools. After completing the institute, parents work with educators and other parents on projects targeting specific areas of student achievement. Projects in this institute will focus on increasing student achievement in science, mathematics and technology in the participants’ schools and districts.
