Interview with Diana Taylor, June 24, 2014

Partial Transcript: Okay, it's June 24th, 2014. This is an interview with Diana Taylor for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence Oral History Project.

Segment Synopsis: Diana Taylor talks about her attitude towards politics. She says civil society is motivated more by altruistic purposes instead of self-serving political objectives. She talks about cynicism and skepticism in public affairs. She says she became involved with the Kentucky Center for Public Issues when they needed an editor.

Keywords: Brereton Jones; Business Round Table (BRT); Carolyn Witt Jones; Kentucky Center for Public Issues; Kentucky Journal; Leadership Kentucky; Partnership for Kentucky Schools

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: I wanted to hear more--I know you, uh, were very involved with Bob in editing the Mobil, Mobilizing Citizens for Better Schools, and I wonder if you would just talk more about the process of working with him on that?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about working with Bob Sexton in editorial work on various projects. She says Sexton was an excellent writer and talks about his style. She says the book they worked on together was more than a history of the Prichard Committee.

Keywords: Citizen activism; Kentucky Journal

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: And, um, what did you learn in the--you, you mentioned being kind of surprised by what you learned--how much you learned about the Prichard Committee.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the substantial volume of work involved in the Prichard Committee's activities for education reform. She talks about the status of education being in "crisis" mode. She talks about the content of "Mobilizing Citizens for Better Schools."

Keywords: Kentucky Educational Television (KET); Martha Layne Collins; Mobilizing Citizens for Better Schools; Rose v. Council for Better Education

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: You also said something last time about how you witnessed Bob getting an education--a, a political education during the time that you got to know him.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the development of Bob Sexton's political instincts. She talks about conversations about politics she had with Sexton over the course of time.

Keywords: Bert Combs; Council on Higher Education; Ned Breathitt; Pam Sexton

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Um, would you--do you have any reflections on women's roles in the Prichard Committee?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the prominent role played by women on the Prichard Committee and its staff, and she attributes much of the success of the committee to that gender diversity. She talks about the dynamics of forming the original task force.

Keywords: Bob Sexton; Dorothy Ridings; Feminism; Gender roles; John Y. Brown, Jr.; League of Women Voters

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: --leads me to wonder also if you have any reflections on the way that--on Pam and Bob's partnership?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the relationship between Bob and Pam Sexton and their respective but equal roles. She describes Bob's role as the "profile."

Keywords: Bob Sexton; Chamber of Commerce; Education policy; Interpersonal communications; Pam Sexton

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Well, through m--uh, your work through Mobilizing Citizens for Better Schools and in, uh, producing Committed to Excellence, the 25 year anniversary of the Prichard Committee documentary...

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about producing a television documentary about the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Prichard Committee. She talks about the process of selecting interview subjects for the documentary and how that process guided the content.

Keywords: Bob Sexton; Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA); Town forums

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: I wondered if you would just talk a little bit about some of your other work over the last twenty years. Uh, your--you've done work, uh, consulting with--for the Shakertown Round Table, is that right?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the resurrection of the Shakertown Round Table to discuss early childhood education and the economy. She talks about a variety of issues that have been discussed by the Shakertown Round Table.

Keywords: Al Smith; Center for Public Issues; Early childhood education; Robert Clay; Shakertown; Three Chimneys Farm

Subjects: Education policy & development

Partial Transcript: You mentioned last time that you had been influenced also in, in your work with the Prichard Committee by the bipartisan nature of the Prichard Committee's work.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about her change of attitude regarding partisanship during her transition from journalist to political consultant. She says bipartisanship is the best approach for the clients of her consultant business.

Keywords: Charter schools; Private sector; Public schools; Research and development

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Now that--well I--just to kind of, uh, let, uh, anyone who may listen to this know, we, uh, we've lost Pam Sexton in the last week and uh, and Bob Sexton's been gone for a few years.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the future role of the Prichard Committee after the deaths of Bob and Pam Sexton. She notes that Kentucky's historic low ranking in education has improved to a mid-range position, which she attributes to the work of the Prichard Committee.

Keywords: Brigitte Ramsey; Cindy Heine; Public schools; Stu Silberman

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence