This CN|2 report says Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday is in favor of charter schools for Kentucky. Holliday knows there are now outstanding examples of charter school successes. CN|2 quotes Holliday asking: “What are these outstanding charter schools doing that we could bring to these districts of innovation in Kentucky?” That is a great…
Real cases of student data compromises reported There is real, growing concern about the way sensitive personal data is being collected and stored on government computer systems. Already in the new Kentucky legislative session, House Bill 5 has been introduced to tighten rules for collection and security of personal data across all state agencies. This…
Choice, Accountability and Flexibility in Charter Schools It’s national school choice week, and as part of the Bluegrass Institute’s observations we are featuring a series of videos on school choice issues of interest here in Kentucky. This is our third video in the series, and it discusses how charter schools offer expanded school choices for…
The Bluegrass Institute has cautioned before that Kentucky’s lack of modern, business-friendly tax codes puts the state at a disadvantage in competing for business to settle here. It’s not just theory. Yesterday’s Kentucky Enquirer had a front page/inside article, “Fear of losing startups may lead Ky. to offer tax credits, Ohio incentives already snagged OneMorePallet.”…
Tennessee The Tennessean Newspaper is running a 1-question poll online about the Common Core State Standards. Here is the question: “Should Tennessee delay the implementation of Common Core standards and its companion test?” As of Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2014, there were 7,426 votes. Here is the breakdown of the responses: • Yes, Tennessee needs…
Charter School Types Vary It’s national school choice week, and as part of the Bluegrass Institute’s observations we are featuring a series of videos on school choice issues of interest here in Kentucky. Our first blog for the week released yesterday and dealt with some general questions about what charter schools actually are. In today’s…
This just up from Politico regarding pushback on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS): “The board of the New York state teachers union this weekend unanimously withdrew its support for the Common Core standards as they have been implemented — a major blow for Common Core advocates who have been touting support from teachers as…
Today kicks off the national school choice week, and as part of the Bluegrass Institute’s observations we will be featuring a series of videos on school choice issues of interest here in Kentucky. Of course, our biggest choice issue in the Bluegrass State is that we have just about the worst school choice programs of…
House Bill 215, which would eliminate the use of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in Kentucky, was introduced last week in the Kentucky legislature. The bill description in the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission’s web site says: “Create a new section to KRS Chapter 158 to prohibit the…
A relatively new group, StudentsFirst, has some on-target goals for public education. They say: “We are on a mission to transform public schools and equip every child with the skills and inspiration necessary to achieve their life’s dreams. We are driven by the belief that every child—regardless of background—has the capacity to learn if put…