This study investigated the effect of probation on individual performance motivation, organizational processes, and patterns of instruction in schools that were on probation for low achievement in Maryland and Kentucky. Findings are based on case studies of 11 schools on probation, 7 in Maryland and 4 in Kentucky, and all 11 schools had high…

The Kentucky History Center (Frankfort), a 20,000-square-foot museum facility, is a walk through time, complete with the sights, sounds, and smells of the past. The museum's eight chronological areas feature artifacts, images, and life-size environments that evoke places in time. A ready-made reference area in the center of the exhibit provides a…

This guide to the core exhibit of the Kentucky History Center (Frankfort) focuses on the relationship between Kentuckians and the land. The guide extracts text from the exhibit's eight chronological areas and lists environments, displays, and other exhibit features to help students understand the ways people have settled, farmed, mined, and…

Kentucky's goal of reaching academic "proficiency" by 2014 illuminated problematic findings in 2002 reading test scores: 44.30% of middle and 71.25% of high school students scored below "proficient." The research question was, "Do teaching practices in schools with high reading achievement scores differ from teaching…

From 1997-2001, the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council have cosponsored an annual Kentucky Folklife Festival to celebrate the traditions of diverse groups from across the state. Folklife, or folklore, includes traditions that are shared by a group of people who have a mutual background or interest. Folklore can be expressed…

This guide to the core exhibit of the Kentucky History Center (Frankfort) focuses on African American history in the commonwealth of Kentucky. The guide extracts text from seven of the exhibit's chronological areas and lists environments, displays, and other exhibit features to help students understand some of the events that shaped the African…

The Kentucky edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on teacher…

One of the largest problems facing rural school counselors is that of confronting the low career expectations that many rural students have by the time they reach high school. The relationship among the fear of success (FOS), self-concept, and career decision making of adolescents was examined in this study. Special attention was given to whether…

"Learning to Lead Together: The Promise and Challenge of Sharing Leadership" examines the dilemmas for school leaders and administrators, and the benefits for schools and students, when principals work with teachers (and their communities) to share leadership. Most schools function within existing hierarchical structures that contradict…

Under the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS), Kentucky's public schools have been assigned individualized "baseline" and "improvement goal" indices based upon past school performance in relation to the 2014 statewide index goal of 100. Each school's CATS Accountability Index, a measure of school performance based…

Editorial cartoons are useful resources for middle school and high school classrooms. They reflect multiple viewpoints about events in history and incorporate visual counterparts to literary elements, such as irony and symbolism. They appeal to visual learners and challenge students to use analytical thinking skills. The cartoons of Hugh Haynie…

While actual, "objective" experiences with crime in school are very important, so too are "subjective" experiences with crime including cognitive perceptions of the likelihood of experiencing school crime and the emotionally-based fear of school crime. Moreover, objective and subjective experiences with crime (and the…

This report provides selected results from the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for Kentucky's public-school students at grades 4 and 8. Since 1992, reading has been assessed in four different years at the state level (at grade 4 in 1992 and 1994, and at both grades 4 and 8 in 1998 and 2002). Kentucky participated in all of…

An experimental project was implemented to test the effectiveness of full inclusion of students with learning and behavioral disorders at a rural middle school within the Appalachian region of Kentucky. Thirteen students with behavioral disorders or learning disabilities were placed in four regular classrooms for 3 months. Five teachers…

Objectives of the study were (1) to develop and implement an alternative work experience program for a middle school; (2) to test the effect of the program on attitudes toward school, career maturity, and vocational interests of the students; and (3) to provide information and procedures for a model work experience program. Western Kentucky…