The authors write about evaluation, testing, and research and their relation to policy, planning, and program in the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Louisville, Kentucky. The authors focus on evaluation and testing for accountability and on managing the unit for this purpose. In detail they show the many evaluation demands from both…

This research examined how three elementary school principals conceptualized within the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 the development of teacher leaders. Two major criteria were used to select these principals: (a) their schools had continuous student achievement for three consecutive biennia despite high levels of student poverty;…

In this study, Kentucky elementary school teachers provided feedback concerning the state's school reform process after 13 years of implementing the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA). Five counties were randomly selected out of twenty-four in western Kentucky, with one school chosen from each county. Elementary teachers who had taught…

The goal of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 was that all schools would be successful as measured by the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The Kentucky Distinguished Educator Program was created to promote the goal. The program sought to create a pool of distinguished educators who would serve in School…

One mandate of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 is that students develop a writing portfolio. The Kentucky Department of Education and AEL, Inc., collaborated to help schools discern areas for improvement in their writing programs, then developed a needs assessment process instrument, the School Study of Writing Instruction (SSWI). This…

This book describes the nation's most comprehensive and longest-running statewide school-reform initiative: the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Focusing on the broad picture, the book is a compilation of 17 articles by education experts who were asked to examine the intended and unintended consequences of Kentucky's reform law. The book…

Describes the University of Kentucky's Masters with Initial Certification program, which helps preservice secondary teachers integrate theory and practice during 1 field-based, professional year, integrating diverse components of teacher education. The program developed as a response to the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act and a result of a…

Following the Kentucky Supreme Court's 1989 ruling that declared the state's common school system unconstitutional, lawyers and educators sued the state legislature for failure to provide an efficient school system. The role of litigation and lawyers in Kentucky education reform is examined in this paper. Part 1 describes how a group of lawyers…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) is one of the most comprehensive education reform efforts attempted in the United States. This document presents an overview of factors leading to KERA's passage, its accomplishments, and areas in need of improvement. The conditions leading up to passage of KERA included disparities across Kentucky…

Since the 1990-91 school year, an ongoing project has studied the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in four rural Kentucky school districts. Study methods have included over 1,200 interviews with various stakeholders, observation of over 500 classroom instruction hours, and a comprehensive review of key documents. This…

This case study examined the process of change employed by a rural Kentucky elementary school identified as having successfully implemented the state's primary program. The main purpose of the study was to analyze how the school implemented the primary program based on characteristics of effective change. The case study was based on a total of 23…

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)

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) totally rebuilt Kentucky's curriculum, governance, finance structures, and processes for elementary and secondary education. The Kentucky system developed 75 valued outcomes related to the 6 broad learning goals named in KERA. A valued outcome is the ability to demonstrate consistent quality…

This report assesses student perceptions of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with approximately 100 students in 6 schools in 3 geographically different school districts across Kentucky. In addition, a brief exit interview was conducted with principals to solicit feedback concerning…

This guide is intended to provide direction to Kentucky districts and schools as they develop local curricula designed to meet the state's six learning goals and academic expectations as identified in the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Specifically, the guide provides direction to local curricula development teams; effects change by…