Brigitte Blom Email & Phone Number

Lexington, Ky, Us

Lexington, Kentucky

The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an public policy organization advocating for high quality education for all Kentuckians. The Committee believes education is the path to a larger life and seeks such for all citizens in our commonwealth. The nonprofit with up to 125 members across the state has been active in Kentucky for more than 30 years.

Lexington, Ky

Over the past 25 years, the Kentucky public education system – from pre-kindergarten to postsecondary – has made enormous progress. Once considered to be at the bottom of the barrel, the system has moved to the middle of the pack. Today, based on a range of data, Kentucky is recognized as a national leader in improving schools.At the center of this transformation – advocating, negotiating, and holding together disparate interest groups—have been the citizens who make up the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.The seeds were planted in 1980. Then, the Committee was a government-appointed group designed to push improvements in Kentucky higher education. After its recommendations were largely ignored by the political establishment in 1983, the Committee re-organized itself as a private, non-profit advocacy group. It expanded its charge to encompass all levels of public education. Then it re-named itself after its first chair Kentucky educational advocate, Edward F. Prichard, Jr. (See a more detailed timeline and video, Committed to Excellence: The Story of the Prichard Committee)Though the Prichard Committee takes pride in its past, it also recognizes that if the Kentucky economy is to continue growing and expanding, educational improvements must too. To help meet that need, the Prichard Committee – marking its 25th anniversary – is embarking on an ambitious Top 20 By 2020 Campaign designed to put Kentucky in the highest tier of public education in the nation.

Instrumental in the crafting of the new accountability and assessment system, Unbridled Learning, which focuses acutely on preparation of Kentucky's students for success in college, career and life. The new system utilizes the Common Core Standards for learning which are internationally benchmarked and allow Kentucky to compare educational progress to other states. Kentucky was the first state in the nation to ratify the Common Core Standards and is the first state to assess under the new model. Unbridled Learning, a result of SB 1 (2009), pays particular attention to transition points between early childhood, P12 and postsecondary as well as key components that will help present Kentucky graduates as globally competitive workforce participants. As a member of the Early Childhood Advisory Council and the Governor's Task Force on Early Childhood Development and Education I bring expertise to the Board on the importance of early childhood as a precursor to success in K12 and the importance of data collection at the transition point between early childhood and kindergarten. Contributed to the Board's focus on increasing the high school graduation rate through participation with First Lady Jane Beshear's Graduate Kentucky and on a National Association of School Boards of Education (NASBE) study group which produced research on the importance of community-school relations to support student success.

Cincinnati, Ohio

An Evaluation of the Economic Benefits of High School Graduation (2008), Brigitte Blom Ramsey, Jeff Rexhausen, Ananta Dubey, Lei Yu. Prepared by: George M. Vredeveld, Director. Available at: www.oapcs.org/files/benefitsofhsdiplomafinaljan2009.pdf

Cincinnati, Oh

Assisted with research and writing on the causes and consequences of poverty in Martin County, Kentucky. The Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America: Case Studies from Communities Across the U.S. (2008), Community Affairs Offices of the Federal Reserve System and the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution.

Master Of Public Policy (Mpp), Taxation And Gerontology

Activities and Societies: Capstone Research - Public Provision of Services for the Elderly: An Empirical Analysis of County-Level Senior.

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Economics

Activities and Societies: Pinnacle Honor Society, Outstanding Business Research Award - The Impact of the Japanese Business Community.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), International Studies

Activities and Societies: Pinnacle Honor Society, Japan-America Society