3 minute read
Inspirations
Ohio Valley Educational Coopative
by Dawn Anderson | courtesy images “Teas, Help Is on the Way!”
- Jason Adkins
The message from Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) to the educators of its 15 school district partners serving students in north-central Kentucky is one of hope and continuing support. The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruption, stress, and uncertainty in real and virtual classrooms of teachers who were already overburdened by teacher shortages. OVEC Chief Executive Officer Jason Adkins recently assumed the role with a Personal Vision Statement as CEO, “to make educators’ work more fulfilling and sustainable.” According to Adkins, “Everyone has had a few difficult years. Teachers have experienced that in a unique way. They help our students learn, develop, and grow, all while risking exposure to COVID themselves as first responders on the front lines. While managing students' and families' trauma and stress, they suffer from burnout and ongoing teacher retirement issues. The pandemic only added to those.” Teacher retention is a priority for OVEC. “Our educators are some of the most driven, creative, talented, and intelligent people in the workforce,” says Adkins. “They have options and increasingly are exercising those options.” Without significant additional support, teacher shortages are reaching a critical inflection point. Fewer young educators are poised to fill the gaps as a record-low number of college students enter teacher preparation programs. Established in 1976, OVEC continues to conduct regional planning, development, and implementation of educational programs. The superintendents of the 15 member school districts serve as the Board of Directors. OVEC’s District Support Services offer Network Groups for educators to share resources, experience camaraderie, and make essential connections. OVEC introduced new programs this school year, including Deeper Learning, which gives teachers strategies for student engagement,
and the Modern Classroom Project, which will train 500 teachers on self-paced student learning. At the completion of this project, 10% of the region’s educator workforce will have received training to be shared with colleagues. Initially formed around finances and bidding, the eventual hiring of full-time grant writer Sandy Powell transformed OVEC. The cooperative began its Head Start program in 1991. Now serving over 1200 children in ten counties, OVEC Head Start programs advance early childhood education and “provide families and children comprehensive services to ensure success.” Head Start offers disability, health screening, nutrition, mental health, behavioral services, and educational and family services. To support the 200-classroom Head Start staff, OVEC offers early childhood educators a college program to enhance and advance their careers and child care assistance through the Kentucky Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). OVEC Head Start teachers receive a livable wage and sign-on and retention bonuses. “We are doing our best to make those jobs more appealing,” says Adkins. Overseeing all programs and services, OVEC CEO Jason Adkins was formerly Director of Development and continued the grant writing tradition so crucial to the organization’s vitality and growth. Operations are also funded through district membership fees and federal, state, local, and foundation funding. “Our programs are optional, so they must be relevant and interesting.” OVEC’s COVID Response Team evolved into the Collaborative Response to Reimagine Schools for All (CRRSA), empowering education leaders “through thoughtfully designed professional learning and ongoing coaching to intentionally design curriculum, assessments, and instruction that integrate standards mastery with deeper learning and social-emotional learning in order to reach the goals we have for every child in the chair.” Experts in the field of special education are in high demand and face critical shortages. OVEC’s Exceptional Children Services (ECS) program “strives to provide effective leadership and deliver specialized training and support in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, local school districts, institutes of higher education, and other service providers to help support improved educational outcomes for students with disabilities.”
The revolutionary iLead Academy program offers students in five rural counties the opportunity to earn their high school diploma and an Associate's degree in the pathways of Engineering, Computer Science, or Medicine. Nationally recognized as a Rural Tech Challenge finalist, iLead Academy is one of five schools competing in the “$600,000 U.S. Department of Education challenge to advance technology education in rural high schools.” OVEC has sought a grant to expand the program statewide with a virtual data science pathway. OVEC is hiring! The most urgent need is Teachers and Teacher Assistants for Head Start classrooms in the Fairdale, Newburg, Pleasure Ridge Park, and Russell neighborhoods. For donation and volunteer information, visit ovec.org. Follow @OVECkyed on Facebook and Twitter.