Kentucky’s public education system continues to face a number of problems, but one of the most serious problems involves the state’s chronic white minus black achievement gaps. We previously examined long term gap trends from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Today, we’ll start to look at the evidence from one of a series of…
Kentucky’s public education system continues to face a number of problems, but one of the most serious issues involves its chronic white-minus-black achievement gaps. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. In the early days following the passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA), Kentuckians were told: “All children can learn at…
More reasons why Kentucky’s science standards should also be reviewed, right now As we pointed out some time ago, Kentucky’s Common Core State Standards areas of math and English Language Arts are currently undergoing a review that will last until April 30, 2015. Unfortunately, Kentucky’s new science standards, which are basically just a repackaging of…
We’ve heard excuses for years that Kentucky’s education system suffers a disadvantage in comparison to other states because of higher student poverty rates. Well, that may no longer be true. The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates – believe it or not – that Kentucky’s poverty rates are now essentially…
The Hechinger Report from Columbia Teachers College in New York City isn’t exactly a Red State conservative newsletter, but even this journal is asking, “Are we on the verge of a mass Common Core repeal?” Hechinger points out that many state legislatures were taken over by conservatives and Republicans in the recent elections and many…
Echoing comments we at the Bluegrass Institute have frequently made in regards to K to 12 education, Dr. Aaron Thompson, the executive vice president and chief academic officer for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, says, “Kentucky must double up efforts to close achievement gaps.” But, Thompson adds new information that the serious and often…
Is a new day of accountability for school staff involvement with cheating on state tests at hand? WDRB reports that about a year after allegations first surfaced of cheating on ACT Compass tests in Louisville’s Male High School, the principal involved has lost his bid to regain his job using Kentucky’s tribunal process. The Compass…
No-one is watching for fraud in Kentucky’s school districts???!!! A huge brouhaha is unfolding in Shelby County as discussions continue to swirl around the embezzlement of about $600,000 of Shelby County School District funds by a former district finance person. The latest shot, reported by the Shelby County News-Sentinel in “Board questions auditor over fraud,”…
Has Common Core implications Backing up reservations we have been talking about for some time, researchers from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission’s Office of Education Accountability (OEA) made their opinion of Kentucky’s new College and Career Ready (CCR) statistics very clear in their briefing today. This slide (Figure 1) from their Power Point presentation to…
$2.4 Billion MORE!!! I wrote yesterday about a pending report from a consortium of Kentucky school districts that would tell us how much more money they need to do their job well. I was expecting sticker shock. I got sticker Tsunami! The Herald-Leader just reported that the new report says Kentucky’s educators need $2.4 Billion…