When the Model Work Standards were first crafted more than two decades ago, they were built on the premise that quality child care jobs are the cornerstone of high-quality services for children and families. The intent of these standards is to make it possible for those who choose family child care as a career to reasonably and responsibly support…

This guide is intended to stimulate professional reflection, dialogue and debate about mathematics and how to improve it. It draws together themes, features and characteristics of effective improvement in mathematics and descriptions of good practice. It offers a reference point for staff and teachers who are working together to improve…

This report provides guidance and information on resources to assist elementary schools, parents, community members, and policymakers in implementing a systemic approach to standards-based education. It makes clear recommendations on how schools can achieve a coordinated system in which standards, assessment, accountability, and curriculum are…

Quality teachers are the single greatest determinant of student achievement. Teacher education, ability, and experience account for more variation in student achievement than all other factors. Studies have found that 40 to 90 percent of the difference in student test scores can be attributed to teacher quality. Knowing the subject matter,…

This booklet includes descriptions of new communications technologies and case studies of how they can be used in planning for appropriate and effective use of technology to enhance service to the public. Single-page overviews of satellites, broadcasting, videotex, cable television, microcomputers, teleconferencing, personal video, and telephones…

The Kentucky Department of Education, Office of Leadership and School Improvement presents this revised and updated technical assistance manual for the 2004-2006 Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) cycle to assist local educators as they implement EILA. The law was established to "encourage and require the maintenance and development of…

This workbook was created as a "do it yourself" tool for helping organizations and career counseling services develop policies and standards to enhance the quality of services. The process is aimed at helping articulate policies that are sensible for each organization and challenging and achievable by staff. It is intended to be a…

This booklet provides information intended to contribute to the business community's knowledge about major issues and goals of teacher education. In addition, the booklet offers specific suggestions on ways corporate funders, concerned about the quality of classroom teachers, can develop and support appropriate projects to promote better teacher…

This action plan for reading success calls for educators, policymakers, and others to adopt practices that are consistent with available research on how to teach reading effectively. In early childhood, parents, care providers, and other community members should give children a strong base of cognitive skills related to print, background…

The role of the legal community in ensuring school safety is discussed, and effective antischool-crime programs involving attorneys and judges are described. Introductory passages comment on the overall role of courts and lawyers in education, the current national concern over crime and violence in schools, and national and California initiatives…

The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is a comprehensive resource for establishing and sustaining a quality preschool program. The first of two volumes of trainer's guides to The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, this book offers detailed workshops and handouts on the foundation of the curriculum, four of the five components of the curriculum…

This issue brief offers principles and guidelines for evaluating educational policies on the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings. Special education's development into an increasingly separate system since 1975 is noted, as is the continuing influence of policies that segregate students by disability. The brief…

Intended for parents and community members, this pamphlet summarizes provisions of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA), outlines specific school improvement developments to watch for during 1991-92, and provides concrete suggestions for facilitating the process and obtaining further information. The updates are grouped according to…

Noting that the continuing need for services that support families is often met by home visiting, this guidebook compiles personal stories, relevant research, and practical strategies to allow social workers, educators, and other early childhood professionals as well as those who train home visitors to better understand the complex nature of this…

This annual report is intended to assist parents and citizens to stay informed on the changes in Kentucky schools. The document also is intended as a reference source for information concerning specific programs or areas of interest in Kentucky schools. Most sections provide information concerning the following: basics of the law; what is new in…