Judicial decisions focusing on equal educational opportunity involve significant issues of educational governance and often involve explicit questions about the extent to which authority to make educational decisions should be centralized or decentralized across various institutions and entities. This review aims at clarifying scholars'…

Among several innovations in public school curriculum and financing, the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) also included a school-governance provision. School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Councils include administrators, teachers, and parents in addressing school-level curriculum and instructional issues. These groups have not had a…

Equity, the driving force of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, serves as the underpinning for an array of initiatives including the Kentucky Education Technology System (KETS). Sparse research exists on decision-making practices relative to equity measures associated with the distributions of KETS resources. The purpose of this…

Whether changes mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) influenced eligible teachers to make the choice to retire was studied through a questionnaire completed by 70 former primary-level teachers. Fifty-two indicated that KERA had influenced their decisions, with philosophical disagreement with program components the reason most often…

Educational reform offers the possibility of effecting change in both educational policy and practice that can result in increased personal empowerment for teachers. However, changes brought about by school reform will result in increased levels of perceived stress for practitioners. Consequently, planners need to consider the role and value of…

As school-based decision making continues to be a popular governance option throughout the country, the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Kentucky in "Bushee," upholding the power and autonomy of school councils in relation to school boards, may act as a bellwether to other locations. (119 footnotes) (MLF)

Presents observations and lessons drawn from two years of Kentucky school reform. Implementing the Kentucky School Reform Act of 1990 teaches that reforming schools also requires addressing the ways in which communities raise their children. Community work, with parent and student participation, improves family conditions and political decision…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act legislated by the 1990 General Assembly created a high-stakes school performance accountability system to monitor the progress of implementation. One major component of the accountability system is a schedule of consequences designed to reward those schools making sufficient progress in improving student…

Two vignettes illustrate the new roles and responsibilities of primary grade and high school teachers under the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Effects of the KERA on the changing needs and roles of teachers engaged in systemic reform are discussed. Classroom practice is becoming more activity centered. (SLD)