Explore successful models of intervention. No Child Left Behind has set the high expectation that every child meet grade level expectations. This publication synthesizes the research on intervention programs and best practices related to mathematical instructional pedagogy and differentiation to assist teachers, schools, and school districts in…

In its firm commitment to competency-based vocational education, Kentucky has gone beyond its V-TECS catalogs to develop modules that will give teachers almost complete flexibility in individualized instruction. Implementation of the model is fully described. (HD)

In 1990, in response to court orders, Kentucky took the unprecedented step of throwing out the state's entire public educational system. Using outside consultants, they fashioned a model for education reform that many experts have hailed as the best in the United States. The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) has become a beacon of hope for a…

In this report are the approved guidelines for an environmental education program to be implemented in the public schools of Kentucky. The contents include a definition of environmental education and an assessment of the current statewide situation. Needs, resources, and strategies, as identified at a statewide conference, are included in these…

The impact of Kentucky state testing on educational practices in Kentucky public schools was investigated via a survey study. Randomly selected urban and nonurban teachers and principals (4 groups, N=180) throughout the state participated in the survey. Findings indicate that this state testing program has substantial impact on educational…

Part of a series on contemporary school reform and special education, this report discusses how states are building capacity for standards-based reform. An introduction describes seven key areas in which states must build classroom and organizational level capacities, including: (1) teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions; (2) students'…

This position paper suggests ways in which the practice of multiculturalism in teaching could be enhanced within the context of Kentucky's school reform. The Kentucky Education Reform Plan advocated high educational goals for students; developed an accountability system that rewarded schools which improved the success of students and intervened in…

Tech prep and school-to-work (STW) programs, partly based on the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools that Work, are being used to restructure secondary education in Kentucky. Tech prep aims for a better understanding and application of technology, career awareness and planning, skills for a highly educated work force, a more focused…

The first of five documents developed as an outgrowth of funded programs for career education in Kentucky, the school administrator's guide offers an overview of career education covering goals, curriculum relevancy, components, roles, and stages of development. Some basic conceptual components proposed are: (1) self-awareness, (2) career…

The second of five documents developed as an outgrowth of funded programs for career education in Kentucky, the booklet offers practical help in implementing career education into a school system. It deals with the broader concepts permeating career education on a nationwide level and those having grown out of the practical experience of…

The perspectives in these essays present an examination of the Kentucky educational reform effort, with an examination of its rationale, various facets, and the reactions to its implementation. The ambitious assessment system includes multiple-choice and open-ended items, performance tasks, and portfolio assessments. The following are included:…

In 1988 the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld a previous decision that the state public education system had failed to provide an efficient system of common schools. The Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA, 1990) came from this decision. This paper reviews the restructuring of a primary school under the KERA, focusing on one collaborative effort…

This paper describes activities of Morehead State University (Kentucky) to support public schools in adjusting to state-mandated educational reforms in curriculum, instruction, assessment, support for children and their families, shared decision-making, and paradigm shifts from Skinnerian behaviorism concepts to social constructivism. Activities…

This draft document presents an analysis of all major educational reform proposals before the Illinois General Assembly, assessing the costs of implementation and what benefits might be expected for the funding levels contained in the proposals themselves. The 18 areas examined are (1) student testing; (2) student retention/remediation; (3)…

While some proponents of testing rest their hopes for stronger learning on the expectation that tests alone will motivate students to work harder, most posit that better learning will result primarily from better teaching--due to curriculum changes, greater attention to student needs, stronger teacher motivation, or focused investments in…