New Kentucky education commissioner Stephen Pruitt 'can't wait' to get started
This from
WDRB:
He's a third-generation educator who says he was initially in denial
about what he says is his "true calling," but the passion Stephen Pruitt
had for teaching children was just too strong to overcome.
On
Wednesday, Pruitt, 47, will be named Kentucky's sixth education
commissioner and will oversee the education of 675,000 students in
Kentucky's public schools. He is expected to start on Oct. 16.
"My
grandmother was a teacher, my mother was a teacher and when I first
went to college, I was sort of in denial," Pruitt told WDRB News in an
interview. "I thought I would become an ophthalmologist, but the pull to
teaching was just too strong. It’s all I could ever see myself really
doing. It’s the greatest joy in the world."
The Kentucky Board of
Education will meet at 2:30 p.m. to consider hiring a candidate to be
the next commissioner of education and go into closed session to review
and discuss the in-depth background check on the finalist, who they have previously identified Pruitt.
Following
discussion about Pruitt's background check, the board will come back
into open session and will consider a motion to authorize Kentucky Board
of Education Chair Roger Marcum to make an offer of employment and
negotiate the terms of employment with Pruitt.
"I am extremely
excited about this opportunity – Kentucky has shown over the years a
commitment to improving education for their children," Pruitt said. "For
me, it’s the ultimate opportunity. The chance to serve Kentucky's
students, teachers and parents is a dream job."
Pruitt
is currently senior vice president at Achieve, Inc., an independent,
nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization, where he has
served since 2010. He has previously been a chief of staff, associate
state superintendent, director of academic standards, and science and
mathematics program manager with the Georgia Department of Education.
"Up
until this job, I had never before applied for another commissioner
job," Pruitt said. "I never really had a desire to apply anywhere, but
when I saw that Kentucky was looking for a new leader, it was a perfect
fit for me."
During his time at Achieve, Pruitt led the development of the Next Generation Science Standards -- the new set of academic guidelines that teachers across Kentucky put into practice last year.
Much
like the Common Core Standards in math and language arts – which have
been adopted by 43 states -- the science standards describe what
students need to know before they complete each grade level. To date, 14
other states, as well as Washington, D.C., have implemented the science
standards.
Pruitt said the standards are “certainly a foundation
for good science instruction," but it's just as important to give
children "authentic experiences in science."
"Kids are natural-born scientists, we need to embrace that," he said.
In terms of the Common Core Standards, "Kentucky will follow the process (previous commissioner) Terry Holliday started.
"The
standards have been in Kentucky for awhile now and the department has
been going through a review process of the standards," he said. "We will
listen to feedback that we have received."
According to the
application letter and resumes submitted by Pruitt to the Florida firm
charged with helping the state board with its search process, he talked
about his extensive experience in working with students, teachers,
parents and other stakeholders. The documents were obtained by WDRB News
from the Kentucky Department of Education through an open records
request.
"I spent twelve years as a high school science teacher,"
Pruitt wrote in his letter. "I believe the position of Commissioner of
Education needs to have come from a firm foundation of having been a
teacher. I am most proud of my time in the classroom."
Pruitt says he is a "strong believer in the power and necessity of communication."
"A
quality communicator is able to create a clear message, but also able
to listen to stakeholders affected by the issue at hand," he wrote. "I
have had the opportunity in my roles in state government and in the
private sector to lead large, successful programs or initiatives. They
were successful in large part because I know the value of communicating a
plan, but also listening to district leaders and teachers."
Pruitt tells WDRB News that he will "hit the ground running" on Oct. 16.
"I
will be spending a lot of time listening," he said. "I plan to set up
some advisory boards very soon after arriving. I want to talk to
students, parents, teachers, principals and superintendents – and I want
to meet with key legislators and gubernatorial candidates. I want to
hear what has been going on and where they feel they are and what I can
do to support them."
"I am a big believer that you just don’t come
in and make arbitrary changes, you need to learn the current situation
and then use the best available research and advice and then you make a
decision," Pruitt said.
He adds that while he has a lot of things
to learn about Kentucky's education system, "things like assessment and
teacher evaluations and accountability are things I am going to have to
get to know very quickly."
Pruitt said he will be visiting schools and communities across the commonwealth.
"Part
of the role of commissioner – if they stay in Frankfort all the time,
they can’t hear and see the needs of the districts," he said. "There is a
balance I will have to strike between getting to know the agency and
getting to know the districts. I can't wait to get started."
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