The Lexington Herald-Leader ran an article today titled “Report: A large majority of Ky. kids aren’t reading proficiently by fourth grade.” The headline is correct, and the new report the paper references from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Kentucky Youth Advocates is, sadly, pretty much on target. But, that didn’t stop education commissioner…
Criticisms of Charter Schools in Ohio 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. It is important to understand that not all state charter school programs, and the laws that create them, are created…
An article in the Central Kentucky News-Journal about the controversy over teaching cursive writing provides insight into what some of our teachers are being told about teaching anything not explicitly in the Common Core State Standards. Says Fourth-grade teacher Mandy Cox: “If it’s not assessed, we’re not supposed to be spending class time doing it.”…
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…