UK Center for Next Generation Leadership

06/18/2026

"They're excited to be able to make some choices so that the learning fits their role and their program and their school."

That is Lora Shields, ChangeMakers Program Director, describing what Kickoff Day looked like for Cohort 6!

Nervous at first. Excited by the end. Ready to spend the next year transforming their classroom on their own terms.

Interested in joining next year? Click here and we'll notify you when applications open: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtdnWmlM6qChKXishzY6Aqs2SXH95tqtnLq_G859mEvc59ng/viewform

06/16/2026

Welcome ChangeMakers Cohort 6!

Today, dozens of Kentucky educators took the first step on their personalized pathway to rank change.

Over the next year, they will grow their practice, deepen their impact in the classroom, and earn rank change through UK Next Gen's job-embedded ChangeMakers program, supported by a Crew Chief and Co-Pilot the whole way through.

Big thanks to OVEC for welcoming our cohort and helping make today happen! We can't wait to see what these educators do!

Interested in joining us next year? Click here: https://nextgen.uky.edu/changemakers

06/12/2026

Cara Howell found ChangeMakers while scrolling Facebook late one night. She wasn't looking for a rank change pathway. She just thought it sounded like something that would actually benefit her.

"I was still learning the processes as I was teaching them. It just made learning fun for me and for them."

Laura Veitia, originally from Cuba, described what the year changed for her: "I used to be a very traditional teacher. Now my students are the center. They can be free to learn in their own way."

That's Cohort 5. A group of Kentucky educators who spent a full year doing the hard, real work of ChangeMakers, and then stood in front of a room and showed their evidence. We celebrated every one of them this week, and we couldn't be more proud!

Next week, Cohort 6 starts. The work continues.

06/11/2026

When Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher talks about what good leadership looks like, he points to the leaders coming out of the Next Generation Leadership Academy.

"What UK Next Gen is trying to do is make sure we have leaders that have the knowledge, the capacity, and the courage to step out and say, this is what's best for our teachers, and more importantly this is what's best for our kids," shared Fletcher.

NxGLA is a year-long, cohort-based leadership development experience for Kentucky school and district teams. For over a decade, teams have worked alongside UK Next Gen coaches to design real solutions for the students in their communities.

Are you ready to make a change and connect with leaders across the state?

Sign up for Cohort 16 today: https://forms.gle/apBtXN3KEvgR8CK76

Kentucky Department of Education

06/09/2026

You did it ChangeMakers C5!

One year ago, these educators walked in ready to grow. Today, they stood up in front of a room and proved their growth.

ChangeMakers is UK Next Gen's deeper learning rank change pathway for Kentucky educators. It's not a workshop or a checklist. It's a year of doing the hard work and seeing results.

The Defense of Learning is how it ends: each participant presents their evidence to a panel of peers and program reviewers. What they tried. What they found. What they're carrying forward.

Cohort 5 showed up for that moment today and we are so proud of them!

06/04/2026

"It has been like gasoline on a fire."

That's principal Anthony Thompson of Greenup Schools described what dual credit has done for their students and community. At this week's Scholars Defenses of Learning, partner schools gathered to celebrate what they've learned and share what's changed as they rethink high school from the ground up.

These aren't just course offerings. Schools are painting a bigger picture of what's possible after graduation and building the pathway while students are still in the building. It was fantastic to hear so many success stories!

Learn More: https://dualcredit.uky.edu/

STEAM Academy, Fayette Co., Lexington, KY
Fayette County Public Schools

05/28/2026

Meet Ariel Richards.

Ariel is a fifth grader at Harrison Elementary who stood in front of a panel this week and made the case for who she is as a learner.

Before she heads to middle school next year, she left everyone in that room with this:

"If anyone watches this video, remember you can do anything you set your mind to."

Harrison Elementary's Defenses of Learning centered on what it means to be a creative and innovative contributor. A real demonstration of growth, in their own words, in their own school. UK Next Gen was proud to serve as panelists and partner with Harrison in developing a fifth promise for students, a commitment to what every learner will demonstrate before leaving.

Harrison set a high bar. These students cleared it. We cannot wait to see what they do next!

Fayette County Public Schools
The VAPA Academy at Harrison Elementary

05/27/2026

These Harrison Elementary students are headed to middle school next year. But before they go, they did something that will stay with them for years to come: they stood before a panel of visitors and made the case for who they are as learners.

Harrison Elementary 5th graders showed what it means to be creative, reflective, and innovative contributors during Tuesday’s Defenses of Learning.

Not a worksheet. Not a standardized measure. A real demonstration of growth, shared in their own words and within their own school community.

Members of UK Next Gen were proud to serve as panelists and hear firsthand from these remarkable students. Harrison set a high bar, and these students rose to meet it.

We cannot wait to see what they do next. Well done to all who participated!

Fayette County Public Schools

05/25/2026

Dr. Tre'Von Watts was a few years into his teaching career when a colleague said: let's go do this program.

He wasn't a veteran. He didn't have decades behind him. He had just finished his master's and was ready to grow.

What he found in ChangeMakers was hands-on, practical work he could put into practice immediately. Dr. Watts says the program set him up for the role he holds today as an academic specialist, and laid the foundation for what came next: a doctorate degree.

Three years after walking out of ChangeMakers, he walked across the stage as Dr. Tre'Von Watts.

We couldn't be more proud of him!

If you are a Kentucky educator who is ready to grow, whether you are just a few years in or have decades under your belt, there is a seat for you in Cohort 6. There are just five days left to apply!

Sign Up Here:
https://forms.gle/2tuUHAohpbcehKer8

Jefferson County Public Schools

Dr. Tre'Von Watts was a few years into his teaching career when a c...

05/20/2026

When Clark County educators asked their students what they wanted from school, students said more hands-on learning. So the team reflected, revised, and rebuilt, starting with something as familiar as a parent night. Instead of teachers presenting to parents, students now lead the room, sharing what they've learned and why it matters.

That shift didn't happen in a planning meeting. It grew out of the work this team did together inside the Next Gen Leadership Academy, stepping away from the day-to-day, thinking alongside colleagues from other districts, building the kind of trust that makes honest reflection possible.

Cohort 15 wrapped up in April. Cohort 16 starts this summer, and spots are filling! If you're a district or building leader ready to think more carefully about the systems you're building, not just the tasks on your list, don't wait on this one.

Registration is open now. Join us today!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tCPcMkWiYAaCNZ1XfMptsqM3fzs45UWlZFOlFpSt23o/edit?usp=drive_link