The Jefferson County Public Schools Board of Education at a meeting Tuesday night at the VanHoose Education Center took no action on renewing its collective bargaining agreement with the district’s teachers’ union. Bluegrass Institute president and CEO Jim Waters (second from right) and Kentucky Pastors in Action Coalition leaders, including Pastors Roland Brown (far left)…
Here we go again. A new Tweet says Jefferson County Public Schools apparently announced tonight that it is adopting a deeper learning program for all students. In doing that, the district turns its back on more than half a century of research that shows another approach, Direct Instruction, is better for disadvantaged kids. Note, as…
One of the clearest presentations yet of the issues involved with the recommendation for Kentucky to take over the ailing Jefferson County Public School District (JCPS) was recently made by Interim Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis on the KET Connections show with Renee Shaw. Click the link below to hear this informative, fact-based discussion that…
Multiple media outlets in the Louisville area have reported on recent actions by the Jefferson County Board of Education to drop its $15 million federal grant and back away from operating the Head Start preschool program in Louisville. The board also voted to move those Head Start preschoolers over to the district’s separate, state-funded preschool…
Stands in the way of progress in Kentucky’s schools Echoes BIPPS concerns Bob King, President of Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education, attended his last meeting of the Kentucky Board of Education on Wednesday, and, setting aside his prepared remarks, he wound up delivering a retirement call to arms, calling for major revisions to Kentucky’s education…
“He’s right that the school system he presides over does a grave disservice to black and Latino children. But he’ll never admit that the reason is because the public schools are run by and for adults, i.e., the teachers unions that are Mr. de Blasio’s political allies.” Wall Street Journal Editorial Board on NYC Mayor…
In my latest Bluegrass Beacon column released to newspapers today across the commonwealth, I highlight reports of abuse and neglect in the Jefferson County Public Schools’ Head Start program and once again called on the Kentucky Board of Education to intervene in this failing district. Federal Head Start officials had warned the district that it would lose its…
Meanwhile, more questionable statistics for the district continue to pile up As the Kentucky Board of Education prepares to hear an appeal of a recommendation from Kentucky Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis for a state takeover of the troubled Jefferson County Public School System (JCPS), multiple sources such as the Courier-Journal report that the “Father…
“The structure of KERA, which you see most significantly magnified in Jefferson County because of the size of the district, is such that it undermines any kind of credible accountability. The reality is that the superintendent can’t hire the principals, the principals frankly don’t hire the teachers.” Robert King, President of the Kentucky Council on…
Over at the Jay P. Greene’s Blog they just posted an item with the same title as this blog discussing the really outstanding performance of The Lone Star State’s charter schools in the new 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results. It makes for an interesting read, especially since Texas charters have ultra-high minority…