Gov. Beshear Supports Prichard Committee's Parent Institutes

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Gov. Steve Beshear announced Monday he’ll make a concerted effort to support the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership offered by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

Prichard has hosted the program for several years, educating and mentoring hundreds of parents to become involved in their child’s education.

At its inception on the late 1990s the organization offered up to six institutes, but it was being supported by national foundations, said Prichard Committee’s Bev Raimondo who helped create the parent institutes.

Last year, only two such workshops were offered; the year before that there was one, she said.

The committee will continue to remain an independent agency, but Beshear will help raise money and expand the program across the state through "personal appearances, phone calls, raising it as a priority," Raimondo said.

The goal now is to raise $1 million annually so Prichard can offer up to six institutes throughout the state.

Participation is free but parents must have a child in the public school system and are expected to create and implement a local plan to improve student achievement in their child’s school.