Pike County ARI Grant Coordinator
Mary Beth Stiltner
mary.stiltner@pike.kyschools.us
The Appalachian Renaissance Initiative is part of the 2013 U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top Grant. Public school systems in the Appalachian region of Kentucky are poised to emerge as national and international leaders in rural education. The region has long been measured by the challenges that face its education systems rather than the opportunities that exist. Those opportunities include: a unified consortium of school districts committed to putting students first, the willingness to share resources and strategies in a cross-district collaborative, the capacity to engage broad cross sections of the community in a systemic process for positive change, and the drive to recreate the landscape of rural public education.
The collaborations developing through ARI are catalysts for positive change that can break historical patterns and capitalize on the strength and energy of extraordinarily resilient professionals. This project will serve as an important, significant, and effective model to dramatically improve educational outcomes for students across Kentucky and in rural schools nationally. Pike County will be partnering with the KVEC to participate in this initiative.