Championing education in NKY

That was the headline Sunday that kicked off a week-long series by Kentucky Enquirer education reporter Bill Croyle that I hope a lot of people will take time to read.

There is no issue more important to Northern Kentucky -- and, for that matter, the entire metro area -- than education. Imagine finding world-class schools no matter what expressway exit you took. Then couple great schools with the advantages the region already has -- a relatively low cost of living, an attractive location and a great heritage of arts and culture.

There would be no stopping us.

Here are some of thoughts that went through my mind as I read Bill's Sunday and Monday stories:

-- The plumber or electrician coming to your house probably has gone through a lot more training than many people watching our children. According to Kim Townley, a University of Kentucky education professor, these are Kentucky's lax standards for child-care providers:

"You need to be 18, free of tuberculosis and pass a criminal record check," she said. "We know how important it is, yet we say you don't even have to have a high school diploma to do it."

-- The Nov. 14 "Champions of Education" summit will fail unless it attracts a diverse group of parents, taxpayers, business people and others. Educators have a lot of important things to say, but the summit can't just be about educators talking to themselves. To register, click here.

-- Boone County has a model "Success By 6" program to help kids be better prepared to start school. It's expanding to nearby counties, and that's a good thing. Experts say nothing is more important than school readiness. I was surprised to learn how much data and collaboration with teachers is needed.

-- Some troubling stats: In some of our school districts, as many as 1 in 4 students won't graduate high school, and the actual number likely is far worse. Nearly 1 in 4 of our teachers are eligible to retire today. How do we attract and retain great teachers? "You can't look at any (education) data anywhere and say Kentucky is leading the nation in anything," said Barbara Stonewater, director of the Northern Kentucky Council of Partners.

We've organized Bill's stories and links to other resources at a special page at NKY.com. This includes databases of test scores and school report cards. We've also launched a discussion board where you can share your thoughts about what needs to be done.