For more than 30 years, Education Commission of the States has tracked instructional time and frequently receives requests for information about policies and trends. In this Education Trends report, Education Commission of the States addresses some of the more frequent questions, including the impact of instructional time on achievement, variation…

The educational achievement and attainment of young people in the United States has been a long-standing issue of concern. While analyses of long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students in the United States have made gains in reading and mathematics over the past few decades, a sizeable…

One hotly-debated topic related to scheduling is year-round schooling. While still the exception rather than the rule, year-round schooling (also called extended learning) is growing in popularity. According to the National Association for Year-Round Education (NAYRE), 3,180 public schools were operating year-round in 2002-2003. California leads…

The educational systems and requirements of Japan and Kentucky are compared in seven different areas. The first area compares total instruction days and illustrates the differences with a chart. Kentucky requires 175 days of instruction while Japan requires 240 days. Because of this Japanese students spend 150 to 300 more hours per year in school…

The Extended School Services (ESS) program was established in 1990 in Kentucky. The program extends the school day, week, or year for students at risk of academic failure. All Kentucky school districts receive funding for ESS implementation. This paper reports on a comprehensive evaluation of the ESS program during the 2001-02 school year.…

This report describes the methods and results of a 29-month project to make available to Kentucky's school children the best and most recent programs and techniques in innovative teaching through an improvement of curriculum management. The project identified and examined eight management areas and provided consultative service to local district…

This paper describes the processes and methodology used in a 3-year study of the Kentucky Foundation Program--a body of related Kentucky revised statutes which directs the amount and flow of State aid for public education in the State. A technical committee, a research committee, a citizens advisory council, and local study committees examined…

This review of research identifies, reviews, and summarizes studies that address the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) and that focus on the effects of the reforms on students, teachers, and other stakeholders. Introductory summary overviews are included in the areas of finance, governance, and curriculum, and on…

To improve its cultural development, increase the economic efficiency of its public investment, and optimize equality of opportunity, Kentucky must introduce a new State school finance program. Such a program should provide for more efficient use of the public dollar, establish a framework wherein the public can measure school productivity, return…