Commonwealth Education Continuum
The Commonwealth Education Continuum (CEC) exists to strengthen Kentucky’s education pipeline. Its work addresses the moral imperative for students to have access and opportunity to earn degrees and credentials that lead to sustainable, competitive-wage careers.
Established in 2021, the Continuum is co-chaired by Kentucky Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) President Aaron Thompson, and Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. It consists of members whose expertise ranges from early childhood to the workforce.
Vision
The Commonwealth Education Continuum champions an agile education system that serves Kentuckians from cradle to career.
We aspire to be the most seamless education system in the nation, where Kentuckians have access and opportunity to earn quality degrees and credentials that lead to prosperous careers and fulfilling lives.
Mission
The Commonwealth Education Continuum exists to remove barriers throughout the system to ensure students can access a seamless P-20 education journey. The Continuum supports actions that lead to Kentuckians earning the necessary degrees and credentials to succeed in the workforce, elevate our communities, and increase economic opportunity. The CEC achieves this by:
- Convening cross-sector partners
- Monitoring and reporting progress
- Identifying and advocating for policy solutions
- Accelerating action.
Stakeholder Input and Data Analysis
The work of the CEC is grounded in extensive stakeholder input and analysis of Kentucky’s education data. The CEC workgroup members, in collaboration with the Education Strategy Group, have conducted interviews and focus groups with representative stakeholders across the state to identify needs and lived experiences.
In addition to stakeholder input, the CEC consults with an ad hoc data team collaborative including representatives from Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), and the CPE. The data team provides statistics requested by or related to the priorities of the CEC and its workgroups. These data provide the CEC and stakeholders with historical context, illustrate Kentucky’s current reality, and inform future CEC initiatives, decision-making and policy recommendations.
Initiatives of the CEC
As a result of the data and stakeholder input, the CEC creates workgroups to address state-wide challenges and identify opportunities to improve the education pipeline through recommendations for leveraging change. Current CEC priorities include postsecondary affordability, a robust educator workforce, accessibility of dual credit and summer bridge programming, career-aligned advising and expansion of Futuriti, and on-going data analysis to monitor and inform progress.
Documentation
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Last Updated: 7/1/2025