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AN ACT relating to school curriculum. 1
WHEREAS, the General Assembly finds that it is imperative that Kentucky's 2
children be equipped with information geared toward improving the likelihood of 3
successful outcomes throughout their lives; and 4
WHEREAS, an analysis of longitudinal survey data from the National Longitudinal 5
Survey of Youth by Wendy Wang and Brad Wilcox of the American Enterprise Institute 6
and the Institute for Family Studies showed that 97 percent of the studied individuals that 7
followed the "Success Sequence" and 86 percent of those "on track" but not having 8
completed the sequence were not living in poverty by the time they reached young 9
adulthood, while 53 percent of young adults who did not follow this sequence at all were 10
living in poverty; and 11
WHEREAS, Wang and Wilcox also found that the odds of reaching middle-income 12
status were 9.4 times higher for people who followed the "Success Sequence" compared 13
to those who did not meet any of the milestones, when controlling for race, ethnicity, 14
gender, and other background factors; and 15
WHEREAS, in their 2013 research paper on the "Five Strong Starts for Social 16
Mobility," Richard Reeves and Kerry Searle Grannis at the Brookings Institute showed a 17
strong, positive correlation between the percentage of individuals at different income 18
levels who achieved the strong starts, which include sequentially achieving a strong 19
educational foundation, entry into the labor market, lack of criminal conviction, and 20
getting married before having your first child; 21
NOW, THEREFORE, 22
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 23
ď˘SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 158 IS CREATED TO 24
READ AS FOLLOWS: 25
(1) As used in this section, "Success Sequence" means the following series of 26
evidence-based sequential milestones shown to help young adults achieve 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 472
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economic prosperity: 1
(a) Obtaining at least a high school diploma and acquiring additional training 2
in preparation for entering the workforce; 3
(b) Securing full-time employment; and 4
(c) Waiting until marriage to begin having children. 5
(2) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year and each year thereafter, all school 6
districts shall provide: 7
(a) Instruction in the Success Sequence to all students in grade seven (7) and 8
grade ten (10); and 9
(b) Access to instruction in the Success Sequence for students who may not 10
have received such instruction during grade ten (10) due to enrollment 11
within the school after grade ten (10) or otherwise. 12
(3) The superintendent of each school district containing students in grade seven (7) 13
or grade ten (10) shall determine curricula for course offerings, programs, or a 14
combination of course offerings and programs that are aligned with the Success 15
Sequence academic standards promulgated by the board. 16
(4) The department shall develop guidelines that provide direction to local schools in 17
implementing curriculum aligned with the Success Sequence academic 18
standards. Such guidelines shall: 19
(a) Include grade-level appropriate instruction describing the positive personal 20
and societal outcomes associated with the Success Sequence; and 21
(b) Incorporate evidence drawn from seminal academic studies on the Success 22
Sequence, including but not limited to: 23
1. Assessing the Benefits of the Success Sequence for Economic Self-24
Sufficiency and Family Stability by Hande Inanc, Ariella Spitzer, and 25
Brian Goesling for the United States Department of Health and 26
Human Services; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 472
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2. Creating an Opportunity Society by Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill 1
of The Brookings Institution; and 2
3. The Millennial Success Sequence by Wendy Wang and Brad Wilcox 3
of the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family 4
Studies. 5
(5) The department or a superintendent may partner with Kentucky-based nonprofit 6
organizations with an established track record of providing instruction on the 7
Success Sequence in the development of the curriculum required by this section. 8
(6) The board shall promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS 9
Chapter 13A and KRS 156.160 to establish academic standards for courses and 10
programs in the Success Sequence. 11