"Transforming Science Assessment: Systems for Innovation," is a series of resources designed to provide state education leaders with: (1) Information about how states are currently pursuing statewide assessment systems in science; (2) Analyses of what features influence different approaches, with an eye to supporting state leaders as…

The Early Learning Challenge (ELC) program awarded more than $1 billion in four-year grants to 20 States to implement comprehensive and cohesive high-quality early learning systems that support young children with high needs and their families. A key lever in making these improvements was the enhancement of States' Quality Rating and Improvement…

Improving teacher quality in early education is a major part of ensuring young children's school readiness and closing the achievement gap. This is the book decision-makers and administrators need to begin developing coordinated, effective teacher quality systems--ones that not only get teachers ready for the classroom, but also promote continuous…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

Provides a qualitative analysis of the Kentucky school-based performance award program at four elementary and two secondary schools. Teachers were motivated to modify teaching approaches to enhance student performance, but seemed to be experiencing high stress levels. Teachers and principals at the six award-winning schools reported attitudes and…

This document answers the questions Kentuckians asked Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson (Kentucky) about his proposals for educational reform. Governor Wilkinson claims that the traditional school structure leaves the educational needs of many children unmet because it is not flexible enough to meet their different learning needs. The Governor…

"The 2009 Legislative Briefing" is a topical summary of actions during the 2009 legislative sessions that affect education in the 16 SREB states. Topics include: state budgets and the economy; tax and revenue; teacher and faculty pay raises; retirement systems; issues affecting teachers and education leaders; health and safety;…

If rewards are to be used as a school-reform tool, their formats must be more closely tailored to the organizational characteristics of schools and to the purpose of improving teaching and learning. This paper describes lessons learned from Kentucky's collective incentive system, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The…

In 1998, the Kentucky General Assembly called for a new testing system known as the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) to determine how much children are learning in school. This brochure tells the basics about Kentucky's system of public education. The "Core Content" document describes what students should know and be…

Accountability is high on the education reform agenda as taxpayers, business leaders, and elected officials demand proof of results. Although several states show promising improvements in their accountability arrangements, none has in place a comprehensive system. Such a system includes three fundamental accountability elements: (1) clear and…

Policy makers are turning away from individual performance pay, favoring school-based rewards that expand curriculum or fund other improvements. Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas have adopted performance-based rewards and sanctions. Policy makers must balance state and local control and align performance indicators with school…

As part of a Kentucky effort to improve public education and to increase taxpayer confidence in expanded educational funding, a citizen committee examined and made recommendations on approaches to school accountability and assessment, particularly student testing in the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The recommendations…

Policymakers are exploring whether schools should be allocated state funds as rewards for improving student achievement and other performance indicators. Team-based rewards specified in 14 states' statutes represent a limited form of performance-based school finance. This article examines financial rewards in four states and makes policy…