Owsley County Educators Report Increased Positivity in 2025–26 Survey

Educators across Kentucky reported higher positivity about their work in the latest Impact Kentucky Working Conditions Survey, offering Owsley County schools fresh data to shape local support and staffing priorities. The survey, administered Nov. 10-Dec. 19, 2025, drew 40,462 certified educator responses and the Kentucky Department of Education released statewide results on Feb. 2.

Two headline findings underline the shift in morale: educators responded 80% favorably to questions about staff-leadership relationships, two percentage points higher than the previous report, and 76% of educators said they felt like they belong at their school, also up two percentage points. Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher framed the results as cause for cautious optimism. “We are seeing an increase in positive comments nearly across the board with the latest Impact Kentucky Working Conditions Survey, and all of our school leaders should feel a sense of pride,” Fletcher said. “The work our educators and our communities are doing across the state to make things better for our teachers is showing results and, while the work continues, we should feel confident that we are on a good trajectory.” He added that the survey can drive local action: “A lot of information is packed into the Impact Kentucky Survey that can initiate positive change for our districts, our educators and our students.”

Panorama Education administered the survey in partnership with KDE. All certified educators who work in a school at least half-time were eligible to participate, and KDE and Impact Kentucky make results available at statewide, district and school levels so local leaders can see their own trends. The survey protects individual anonymity: “Codes cannot be traced back to an individual educator in the school. The codes and therefore the data can only be aggregated to a school and district level.” Superintendents were notified about the fall administration as part of planning that began in August 2025.

For Owsley County, the report offers both a temperature check and a planning tool. School leaders and boards can review their school-specific reports to target mentorship, leadership development, and retention efforts where staff-reporting suggests need. Impact Kentucky provides role-based user guides and classic reporting pages to support local analysis, and KDE says the results are intended to help districts examine strengths and areas for improvement.

KDE also emphasized accessibility for the public and for stakeholders reviewing results. “KDE is committed to ensuring that our web content is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. The 2026 results in Classic reporting pages are fully accessible. If you need information in an alternate format, please contact us through the KDE Accessibility page.”

Readers seeking more detail can request deeper analyses through the Impact Kentucky Report Access process or contact KDE’s Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness at 300 Sower Blvd., Frankfort, KY 40601, phone (502) 564-4606. With participation from more than 40,000 educators, the survey gives Owsley County a data-backed starting point to build on gains in leadership relationships and belonging as districts plan for staffing, supports, and equitable working conditions moving forward.