Education Sector commissioned an earlier version of this collection of essays in conjunction with a March 2012 event "Getting to 2014: The Choices and Challenges Ahead." This updated version includes new essays and a revised introduction. The aim of these essays is to present ideas, elicit feedback, and encourage productive dialogue…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report is…

This guide addresses the most common considerations when building school facilities in Kentucky. Included are the regulations for the Capital Construction Process, the Kentucky Department of Education's Project Review Process, and a suggested document filing system. Additionally, it features common questions and answers regarding the Kentucky…

This document is a statement of the basic music skills that Kentucky students should develop. This skills list does not replace any locally developed curriculum. It is intended as a guide for local school districts in Kentucky in their development of a detailed K-12 curriculum. The skills presented are considered basic to a sound education program…

Because of continued concern about school violence, this policy brief examines the trends in school violence in the context of social violence, describes efforts to make schools safe, and reports efforts to curb violence in the four-state Appalachian region (Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia). Perceptions of the extent of school…

This document is a comprehensive directory of Federal offices, programs, and facilities for K-12 education in mathematics and science for the Appalachia Region. The purpose of this directory is to assist educators, parents, and students in attaining the National Education Goals, particularly Goal 4: "By the year 2000, U.S. students will be…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) requires the implementation of school-based decision making in all Kentucky schools by July 1996. The school-based decision making process offers the opportunity for parents, teachers, and principals to use their knowledge and judgment in deciding how to best help children learn in their schools. A…

Intended primarily for Kentucky classroom teachers and administrators, this idea book first identifies three major issues that members of the Writing Advisory Committee felt should be addressed so that writing instruction will not suffer because of use of the writing portfolio. The broad issues emphasized in the idea book are for teachers to: (1)…

Intended for integration into existing secondary education-level vocational agriculture programs, these documents contain 47 competency-based instructional modules on agricultural business supplies and services. The instructor's manual contains guide sheets for each of the modules and a section on addressing students with special needs. The guide…

After the first year of Kentucky's school reform act, a superintendent advises others whose states might undertake school reform to expect delays and revenue shortfalls and to lobby for professional development funds. (MLF)

Despite the school shooting on December 1, 1997, under current state law in Kentucky, school officials and administrators are not likely to be held accountable, even for ignoring the most obvious of warning signs. There should no longer be the rule barring liability that is called sovereign immunity. Instead, the court should examine the actions…

This packet contains an instructor's guide, student task sheets, and an illustrated vocabulary list for a program in automotive technology for handicapped students (special vocational education). The instructor's guide consists of a matrix of modules with vocabulary divided into 30 units of study for Auto Mechanics I and 17 units for Auto…

Data from a 10 percent sample of fifth-twelfth grade students indicate that in four predominantly rural counties of Kentucky, children are exposed to smoking before fifth grade and to drinking by seventh grade. The Health Education/Risk Reduction Grant Program was implemented over a 3-year period in the four county school systems in an attempt to…

This handbook, designed to assist Kentucky school district personnel in planning school psychological services, is organized into four major sections. In the initial section, Overview of School Psychology, information on training and credentialing of school professionals is presented. This section includes information on state requirements for…

This document contains a tool that defines elements of whole-school improvement that school leaders can put into effect at elementary through secondary school levels. The school principal, in collaboration with other members of the school council, can use it to prepare a school portfolio and school profile for self-study or needs assessment.…