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Contents

About the Prichard Committee

See also: Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, Community Accountability Team

Dusting off the armor Article about the Prichard Committee written by the Kentucky Post

Annual Meeting 2000: Articles with news from the Prichard Committee's 2000 annual meeting, held July 9 and 10, appeared in the Courier-Journal and the Herald-Leader:

Annual Meeting 2001: Articles about the Prichard Committee's 2001 annual meeting, held July 15 and 16, appeared in the Courier-Journal and the Herald-Leader:

Annual Meeting 2002:

Annual Meeting 2003:

20th Anniversary Photos

Photos of the tree planting ceremony for Prichard Committee member Thomas D. Clark's 100th birthday

All Eyes Forward: Public Engagement and Educational Reform in Kentucky (222 KB, pdf), by Molly Hunter, Journal of Law & Education, Vol. 28, No. 4 (October 1999).

Citizen and Parent Support for School Reform (57 KB, pdf), by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. From All Children Can Learn: Lessons from the Kentucky Reform Experience, ed. Roger S. Pankratz and Joseph M. Petrosko, Jossey-Bass (2001).

"Citizen Reformers: The Prichard Committee Experience," by Robert F. Sexton, Exploring Topics in Education, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (December 1994). Address delivered on November 1, 1994 to the Charles A. Dana Symposium at the New School for Social Research in New York.
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

The Collaborative for Teaching and Learning's 2001 Leadership in Education Awards press release (23 KB, pdf) and program notes (7 KB, pdf); the Prichard Committee received the award for Leadership in Collaboration.

A decade of leadership: Prichard Committee report evaluates state's education reform (10 KB, pdf), by Tom Lewis, Ashland, KY Daily Independent (November 28, 1999).

"Educational Policy in the States," from State Politics, Parties, & Policy, by Sarah McCally Morehouse and Malcolm E. Jewell, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (2003). This chapter includes a description of the Prichard Committee's role in education reform in Kentucky and profiles Robert F. Sexton, executive director.

The long road to education reform (13 KB, pdf), remarks by Dr. Thomas D. Clark at the Prichard Committee's 20th anniversary celebration on June 7, 2003; published in the Louisville Courier-Journal (August 3, 2003).

"Kentucky's Education Reforms Proving Their Worth,"article written by executive director Robert F. Sexton published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on August 11, 2003

Parents go back to school: Institute teaches adults the skills to make a difference where it counts, by Cheryl Truman, Lexington Herald-Leader (September 15, 1999).

"The Prichard Committee and Kentucky School Reform," by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. From Strategies for School Equity: Creating Productive Schools in a Just Society, ed. Marilyn J. Gittell, Yale University Press (1998).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (6 KB, pdf), from The Kentucky Encyclopedia, University Press of Kentucky (1992).

The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence: Building Capacity for Public Engagement in Education Reform (122 KB, pdf), by the Harvard Family Research Project, for The DeWitt Wallace - Reader's Digest Fund (May 2000).

The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence: Credible Advocacy for Kentucky Schools (145 KB, pdf), by Jacob E. Adams, Jr., for the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (December 1993).

Remarks at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Prichard Comittee (29 KB, pdf), by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (June 7, 2003).

Remarks by Dr. Thomas D. Clark (13 KB, pdf) at the Prichard Committee's 20th anniversary published in the Courier-Journal.

"Schools where students excel despite poverty will be studied" Courier-Journal, April 9, 2004 

Study urges broad commitment to education, by Chris Kenning, Louisville Courier-Journal (July 14, 2002). A new report on Louisville by the Brookings Institute recommends that the new metro government create a version of the Prichard Committee to create a broad community commitment to improved education.

Who was Ed Prichard? (18 KB, pdf), by Robert F. Sexton; a book review of Short of the Glory by Tracy Campbell. (purchase Short of the Glory)

See also: a story about Ed Prichard by Dorothy Ridings, Prichard Committee honorary chair, and the entry on Prichard (5 KB, pdf) from the Kentucky Encyclopedia.

Assessment and Accountability

"Most Kentucky schools meet federal testing goals" Courier-Journal, August 3. 2005
 
The Case for CATS (Commonwealth Accountability Testing System) Summary document

See our Kentucky Education Data page for links to the most recent school data including test scores, drop out rates, teacher certification information and more.

Read the 2003 Quality Counts Report giving Kentucky high marks in teaching quality and assessment and accountability. Also read an Education Week press release (48 KB, pdf) about teaching quality and a Kentucky Department of Education press release on the full report.

2003 CTBS Scores released August 13. Read an article in the Herald-Leader and check reports from the Department of Education.

Kentucky makes gains in education attainment. Read Courier-Journal story.

Read stories about 2003 CATS scores in the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Louisville Courier-Journal

CATS scores 2001:

CATS taken seriously by most students, Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center (October 2000). Presents results of a statewide survey.

Closing the minority achievement gap (9 KB, pdf), by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (June 2001).

CTBS scores 2001: View individual school scores (810 KB, pdf) and individual school dropout data (61 KB, rtf) from the Kentucky Department of Education.

CTBS scores 2002:

CTBS scores 2003:

Each & Every Child: Your Guide to Testing and School Accountability in Kentucky, by Susan Perkins Weston, for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (1999).
Order Each & Every Child

Kentucky 4th graders outscore nation on writing; 8th grade achievement gap narrowed, Kentucky Department of Education (July 10, 2003). Press release explaining results of Kentucky's 2002 writing scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Performance and Poverty 1999, by Susan Perkins Weston, for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (July 2000). The following charts from Performance and Poverty 1999 show the poverty levels (based on number of students who receive free or reduced price school lunch) for the top twenty elementary, middle, and high schools in seven test categories of the 1999 Kentucky Core Content Test:
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy of the full report)

Performance and Poverty 2000, by Susan Perkins Weston, Kentucky Association of School Councils (January 2001).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Raising Achievement and Reducing Gaps (3.6 MB, pdf), by Paul E. Barton, for the National Education Goals Panel (March 2001). The report shows that Kentucky is one of four states making progress on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. A press release (22 KB, pdf) summarizing the report is also available.

Testing in Kentucky, Kentucky Department of Education. A series of two publications designed to help parents better understand Kentucky's school assessment and accountability system.


Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership

www.cipl.org is the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership's Web site.

"Making A Difference" USA Weekend, August 12-14, 2005

"Parent leadership program gaining national exposure," press release, August 16, 2005

"Initiative to emphasize parental involvement in science, math education," press release, August 9, 2005

UPS Foundation supports Prichard Committee, Commonwealth Institute, press release, March 3, 2005

Parent Power
A Kentucky institute takes seriously the proposition that families are key partners in learning, equiping parents with detailed knowledge about the state's accountability system.

Annual Report, the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, available for 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, and 2000-2001 (734 KB, pdf).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership was chosen as the Drucker Nonprofit Innovation of the Week for August 21-27, 2002.

Read about the 2002 Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership in a Herald-Leader story.

Educators to parents: We want you, by Holly Coryell, Louisville Courier-Journal (November 27, 2000).

Every Child Counts: Raising Student Achievement in the Middle Grades (1.6 MB, pdf), from the Community Accountability Team, a group of Jefferson County parents and citizens. CAT members went into five Jefferson County Middle Schools and interviewed principals, teachers, parents, and students. The team found common challenges to high academic achievement and made recommendations for improving the middle schools. Also read the press release and report highlights (22 KB, pdf).

"I Didn't Know I Could Do That:" Parents Learning to be Leaders Through the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (145 KB, pdf)

Institute teaches school activism, by Molly Harper, Paducah Sun (December 4, 2000).

Kentucky Parents, Learning to Lead, by Susan Phillips, Connect for Kids (April 15, 2002).

Parent Leader, the Commonwealth Institute newsletter:

Parent Perspective, FINE Forum e-Newsletter, Harvard Family Research Project (Spring 2003). Read about projects Kentucky parents have initiated to support math standards as a result of their participation in the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership.

Parents go back to school: Institute teaches adults the skills to make a difference where it counts, by Cheryl Truman, Lexington Herald-Leader (September 15, 1999).

The Power of Parent Partnership, by Anne T. Henderson, Karen Jones, and Beverly Raimondo, Our Children: The National PTA Magazine (April 1999).

Preparation for Building Partnerships with Families (102 KB, pdf), released by the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership. Strong majorities of teachers and administrators at all grade levels in Kentucky say they have received insufficient training to work with families to improve student achievement, but most educators would welcome more assistance. (The questionnaires used in the study are available by calling 1-800-928-2111.)

Setting the Stage for Success: Bringing Parents into Education Reform as Advocates for Higher Student Achievement (78 KB, pdf), by Janet Kroll, Robert F. Sexton, Beverly N. Raimondo, H. Dickson Corbett, and Bruce Wilson, for The Pew Charitable Trusts (November 2001). A report on the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership.

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership received the 2002 Vision Award (17 KB, pdf) from the Kentucky Association of School Councils.


Family/Community/Business Involvement

"Beyond the Classroom," an address to the Lexington Rotary Club, by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (May 22, 1997).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

"Building Family-Friendly Communities: Observations and Lessons from Two Years of Kentucky School Reform," by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Equity and Choice, vol. 9, no. 2 (Winter 1993).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

The Community Accountability Team in Louisville: Waking a Sleeping Giant (50 KB, pdf), by Anne C. Lewis, for the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (August 2002).

Conway Middle School Student-Led Conferences (166 KB, pdf), Jefferson County Public Schools in cooperation with the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and Conway Middle School (2001). A different kind of parent teacher conference.

"Engaging Parents, Communities Will Make Better Kentucky Schools," by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, The Kentucky City (August 1997).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Every Child Counts: Citizens Tackle School District's Achievement Gap (17 KB, pdf), by Anne Henderson and Beverly Raimondo, Middle Ground (February 2002).

Family and Community Engagement Ideas, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and the Partnership for Kentucky Schools. Eighty-two ways parents and family members can be involved in education (November 1997).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

"The Family is Critical to Student Achievement," abridged from A New Generation of Evidence, ed. Anne T. Henderson and Nancy Berla, Center for Law and Education (1996).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Glossary of Kentucky Education Terms (114 KB, pdf), Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (August 2002).

A Parent's Rights and Responsibilities in Kentucky (22 KB, pdf), Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (July 1998). Print copies are available for $1.00 each; call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111.
        Versión en español (22 KB, pdf)

"Putting Parents in Their Place: For Public Schools, That Means Offering More Involvement Than Fund Raising and Field Trips," by Holly Holland, Education Week (September 22, 1999).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Unlocking Parent Potential, by Beverly N. Raimondo and Anne Henderson, Principal Leadership (September 2001). Features Kentucky parents and schools.


Higher Education

Read a new study on Kentucky's Postsecondary Education Reform (52 KB, pdf) and a press release from the Prichard Committee. Also read stories from the Herald-Leader and the Courier-Journal.

An Assessment of Postsecondary Education Reform in Kentucky (52 KB, pdf), by Aims McGuinness, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, prepared for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (October 15, 2002).

Budget must shore up higher-education system, by William McCann, Lexington Herald-Leader (March 27, 2000).

Education and the Common Good: Social Benefits of Higher Education in Kentucky (1 MB, pdf), by Amy L. Watts, Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center (2001).

Issues in Kentucky Higher Education: Essays by Kentucky Educators, ed. A. D. Albright (October 1993).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Opportunity at Risk: Equity in Access to Higher Education (990 KB, pdf), by Michal Smith-Mello, from The Road Ahead: Uncertainty and Opportunity in a Changed World (17.3 MB, pdf), Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center (2002)


High School

Final Report from the High Achieving High Schools Task Force

Recommendations were made for improving high schools at the Prichard Committee's May 13, 2005 meeting.

Prichard Committee focuses on high school improvement, Press Release, May 16, 2005
Read media coverage:
     Major Changes Urged to Fix High Schools, Courier-Journal, May 14, 2005
     Changes backed for training, pay, Courier-Journal, May 14, 2005
     Schools urged to expect more, Courier-Journal, May 14, 2005
     Task Force Members, Courier-Journal, May 14, 2005
     Panel offers road map to improve high schools, Kentucky Post, May 14, 2005
     Report: Ky. high schools fail to challenge students, Herald-Leader, May 14, 2005
     Report suggests fixes for Ky. high schools, Courier-Journal, May 13, 2005

 

Kentucky Education Reform: Background

"Acorns in a Mountain Pool: The Role of Litigation, Law and Lawyers in Kentucky Education Reform," by Ronald G. Dove Jr., Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (1991).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Creative Constitutional Law: The Kentucky School Reform Law, by Bert T. Combs. Report on the legal case that initiated Kentucky school reform (Summer 1991).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Kentuckians' Expectations of Children's Learning: The Significance for Reform (62 KB, pdf), by Roberts and Kay, Inc., a report prepared for the Prichard Committee and the Partnership for Kentucky Schools (September 1993).

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, by Jack Foster (1990).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Overview of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (1990).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

"Systemic Reform: The Kentucky Example," ERIC Review, vol. 3, issue 2 (Fall 1994).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)


Kentucky Education Reform: General

KERA: In Midlife Crisis Or Golden Years? (Education Week Article)

All Eyes Forward: Public Engagement and Educational Reform in Kentucky (222 KB, pdf), by Molly Hunter, Journal of Law & Education, vol. 28, no. 4 (October 1999).

Big gains in little Ezel: School's teachers make system work, by Linda B. Blackford, Lexington Herald-Leader (March 27, 2000).

Changes in Our Schools, column by Robert F. Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee:

  • August 2003: "Really Good Ideas Prevail," by guest columnist Dr. Thomas D. Clark (9 KB, pdf)
  • February 2003: "It's Time for Leadership" (19 KB, pdf)
  • November 2002: "Crisis ahead for school funding" (12 KB, pdf)
  • June 2002: "A Great Kentuckian Passes On: Justice Robert Stephens, 1927-2002" (7 KB, pdf)
  • March 2002: "Making a Down Payment on Quality Teaching" (8 KB, pdf)
  • November 2001: "Public Schools' Most Important Job" (8 KB, pdf)
  • June 2001: "Closing the minority achievement gap: Learn from examples" (9 KB, pdf)
  • March 2001: "Coming Up: Teacher Salaries" (9 KB, pdf)
  • December 2000: "Teacher recruitment in Kentucky: balancing need and quality" (396 KB, pdf)
  • July 2000: "Good teaching makes the difference" (9 KB, pdf)
  • June 2000: "High teacher standards: tough it out" (9 KB, pdf)
  • April 2000: "More ground to cover" (10 KB, pdf)
  • January 2000: "Whose poor scores are they?" (9 KB, pdf)
  • November 1999: "Schools that work" (12 KB, pdf)
  • September 1999: "Fighting illiteracy in Kentucky" (13 KB, pdf)
  • July 1999: "Court decision marks start of a new era in Kentucky education" (13 KB, pdf)
  • May 1999: "When parents get involved in schools" (13 KB, pdf)
  • April 1999: "Why can't all schools do it?" (13 KB, pdf)
  • March 1999: "Kentucky needs to learn from its reading scores" (13 KB, pdf)
  • February 1999: "Schools capitalize on decisions at the local level" (12 KB, pdf)
  • January 1999: "By the company we keep" (12 KB, pdf)

Citizen and Parent Support for School Reform (57 KB, pdf), by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. From All Children Can Learn: Lessons from the Kentucky Education Reform Experience, ed. Roger S. Pankratz and Joseph M. Petrosko, Jossey-Bass (2000).

Creating Successful Schools: A Continuous Commitment (22 KB, pdf), by Jane David, prepared for the Partnership for Kentucky Schools and the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (September 25, 1999).

The District Role in Building Capacity: Four Strategies (45 KB, pdf), by Diane Massell, CPRE Policy Briefs (September 2000). This policy brief from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education provides a look at district strategies to improve teaching and learning, including those in some Kentucky districts.

"Education reform and higher education: making connections," by Robert F. Sexton, Exploring Topics in Education, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. An edited version of this report was published in the Kentucky Journal and in Issues in Kentucky Higher Education, ed. A. D. Albright (October 1993).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

"Education reform model for health care system," by Robert F. Sexton, Exploring Topics in Education, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Article also appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal (June 10, 1993).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

8th-graders make progress in science, by Linda B. Blackford, Lexington Herald-Leader (November 21, 2001). Kentucky's students made progress in science scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests.

Elementary Change: Moving Toward Systemic School Reform in Rural Kentucky, by Patty J. Kannapel, Lola Aagaard, Pamelia Coe, and Cynthia A. Reeves, AEL (2000).

"Following the progress of Kentucky school reform," by Robert F. Sexton, Exploring Topics in Education, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Article originally presented in May 1994, to the Seminar on School Finance Reform at the Howard Samuels State Management and Policy Center of the City University of New York.
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Gaining Ground: Hard Work and High Expectations for Kentucky Schools (1 MB, pdf), Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (November 1999).

Appendix:
  • Analysis of Kentucky Test Data (86 KB, pdf), by Susan Perkins Weston, Kentucky Association of School Councils (June 1999).
  • Analysis of National Test Data (140 KB, pdf), by Susan Perkins Weston, Kentucky Association of School Councils (March 1999).
  • Making It To Graduation: A Cohort Survival Analysis of Kentucky Public High Schools, by Thomas G. Mortenson (August 1999).
    (Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)
  • Prichard Committee Report on Reading (55 KB, pdf), Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (October 1999).
  • Teaching for Kentucky's Future (87 KB, pdf), a report from the Task Force on Teaching for Kentucky's Future, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (October 1999).

How One School System Makes the Grade (115 KB, gif), by Siobhan Gorman, National Journal (May 13, 2000). Describes President Clinton's visit to two Daviess County elementary schools and the success of the school reform efforts there.

Jefferson program defies basic notion of education reform, by Cheryl Truman, Lexington Herald-Leader (November 15, 2000).

Keepin' On: Five Years Down the Road to Better Schools, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (December 1995).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Kentucky, Indiana chosen for school study, by Dick Kaukas, Louisville Courier-Journal (November 28, 2001). Kentucky is one of five states chosen for the American Diploma Project.

Kentucky School Updates: A Parent/Citizen Guide for 2002-04 (524 KB, pdf) by Cindy Heine, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, July 2002. Downloaded copies may be reproduced as needed.

You may also want to view or download Kentucky School Updates by chapter:

Kentucky's education reforms proving their worth, by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, appeared in the Lexington Herald-Leader (August 11, 2003).

KERA in the Classroom, AEL Notes from the Field, vol. 7, no. 1 (March 2000).

KERA Pro and Con: CON: Huge expenditures, trendy gimmicks haven't raised competence in basic skills (113 KB, gif), by Martin Cothran, appeared in the Courier-Journal (April 15, 2000). PRO: Though challenges remain, much has been accomplished and KERA has wide support (116 KB, gif), by Senator David Karem, from the same issue. Also, a letter from Prichard Committee Executive Director Bob Sexton (31 KB, pdf) responding to Cothran's column.

Literacy Summit Keynote (19 KB, pdf), speech by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, from the June 13, 2001 Governor's Literacy Summit.

Louisville School Ratings at Odds With Kentucky Goals, Robert C. Johnston, Education Week (November 15, 2000).

"Making School Reform Work," by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal (June 14, 1992).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Mission: Possible, by Ronald A. Wolk, Teacher Magazine, vol. 12, no. 8 (May 2001). Column about the success of Kentucky education reform.

The motivational effects of school-based performance awards (59 KB, pdf), by Carolyn Kelley et al., CPRE Policy Briefs (February 2000).

National Education Association article "Good News about Public Schools in Kentucky"

No One Left Behind? Trends in Educational Attainment and Achievement (536 KB, pdf), by Amy L. Watts, from The Road Ahead: Uncertainty and Opportunity in a Changed World (17.3 MB, pdf), Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center (2002)

The Path to a Larger Life: Creating Kentucky's Educational Future, second edition, a report by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, University Press of Kentucky (1990).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Perspectives, the Prichard Committee's newsletter:

Primary School, School-Based Decision Making, Family Resource/Youth Services Center, first-year reports to the Prichard Committee by James Raths, Lilian Kantz, John Fanning, Jane L. David, and Phillip W. Roeder (July 1992).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Primary School, School-Based Decision Making, Family Resource/Youth Services Center, second-year reports to the Prichard Committee by James Raths, John Fanning, Jane L. David, and Phillip W. Roeder (September 1993).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Quality Counts 2001: A Better Balance: Standards, Tests, and the Tools to Succeed, Education Week (January 11, 2001).

Quality Counts 2002: Building Blocks for Success, Education Week (January 10, 2002). Kentucky is one of ten states earning highest overall grades. Also read a press release (38 KB, pdf) about the report.

Quality Counts 2003: The Teacher Gap, Education Week (January 9, 2003). Kentucky received high marks in teaching quality and assessment and accountability. Also read an Education Week press release (48 KB, pdf) about teaching quality and a Kentucky Department of Education press release on the full report.

Results Matter: A Decade of Difference in Kentucky's Public Schools 1990 - 2000, the Kentucky Department of Education (April 11, 2000). A 10-year report on KERA.

The Road to Improvement: Conference Report on Interventions in Low-Performing Schools (149 KB, pdf), by Jane L. David, for the Partnership for Kentucky Schools (February 1999).

Rough road to reform: Promise unfulfilled in Knox, by Linda B. Blackford, Lexington Herald-Leader (March 26, 2000).

School-Based Management: Rhetoric vs. Reality, Progress of Education Reform, vol. 2, no. 5, Education Commission of the States (April-May 2001).

Schooled Out of Poverty, by Debra Viadero, Education Week (December 13, 2000). A story on Wolfe County.

School Reform by the Numbers, Changing Schools in Louisville, vol. 4, no. 1 (Spring 2000). This newspaper about the Jefferson County, KY school system reviews the wealth of student and school achievement data available and describes how some schools are attempting to use that data to help students meet state and local academic standards.

"School Reform Is Not a Spectator Sport," by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, appeared in Education Week, vol. 12, no. 8 (October 28, 1992).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

State Summary of Kentucky (557 KB, pdf), from Education Watch Online, the Education Trust (2001).

Technology Counts 2001: The New Divides, Education Week (May 2001).

Trends and Issues Affecting Primary and Secondary Education (50 KB, pdf), by Robert F. Sexton and Stephen K. Clements, Exploring the Frontier of the Future, the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center (December 1996).

When Theory Hits Reality (218 KB, pdf), by Jane L. David and Patrick M. Shields with Daniel D. Humphrey and Viki M. Young, prepared for Pew Charitable Trusts (August 2001). Offers some of the best reflections on reforms like Kentucky's that we have seen.


National Stories

America's Kindergartners, by Jerry West, Kristin Denton, and Elvira Germino-Hausken, National Center for Education Statistics (February 2000). This report provides national data on children’s skills, knowledge and experiences as they enter kindergarten for the first time.

Better Together: report of the Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (2000). Robert Sexton and Prichard Committee member Carol Lamm helped develop the report. Read the press release.

Bush plan for schools resembles Ky. reform, by Lisa Deffendall, Lexington Herald-Leader (January 27, 2001).

Dispelling the Myth: High Poverty Schools Exceeding Expectations (489 KB, pdf), the Education Trust (1999).

Dispelling the Myth Revisited: Preliminary Findings from a Nationwide Analysis of "High-Flying" Schools (361 KB, pdf), by Craig D. Jerald, the Education Trust (2001).

Appendices: School contact information (776 KB, pdf) and School characteristics (834 KB, pdf).

Dispelling the Myth Online is an interactive database that expands on the above report and allows users to identify high-poverty and high-minority schools whose students are achieving at high levels on state assessments.

High Schools of the Millennium: Report of the Workgroup (476 KB, pdf), American Youth Policy Forum (August 2000). Argues that high schools must be redesigned to meet the needs of today's students.

How to Fix America's Schools, Business Week (March 19, 2001). This cover story has good things to say about Kentucky education. Roundstone Elementary (Rockcastle County), which we featured at our 2000 annual meeting, gets well-deserved special attention.

No Excuses: Lessons from 21 High-Performing, High Poverty Schools (806 KB, pdf), by Samuel Casey Carter, The Heritage Foundation (2000)

Patton pleased by Bush's education proposal, by Frank E. Lockwood, Lexington Herald-Leader (January 27, 2001).

Quality Counts 2001: A Better Balance: Standards, Tests, and the Tools to Succeed, Education Week (January 11, 2001).

Quality Counts 2002: Building Blocks for Success, Education Week (January 10, 2002). Kentucky is one of ten states earning highest overall grades. Also read a press release (38 KB, pdf) about the report.

Quality Counts 2003: The Teacher Gap, Education Week (January 9, 2003). Kentucky received high marks in teaching quality and assessment and accountability. Also read an Education Week press release (48 KB, pdf) about teaching quality and a Kentucky Department of Education press release on the full report.

Southern Synergy: The Columbia Group, Business and Education Reform (474 KB, pdf), the BellSouth Foundation (2000). The Prichard Committee is featured on page 21.

Student Achievement in SREB States, by Joseph D. Creech, Southern Regional Education Board (April 2000). This report answers the questions: How do SREB states compare with the nation? Is student achievement improving? What problems remain?

The United Way State of Caring IndexTM, created by United Way of America, is a new approach to measuring the health and well being of the nation. It analyzes 32 social and economic indicators at the state and national levels in the following six key areas: Economic and Financial Well Being, Education, Health, Volunteerism/Charity/Civic Engagement, Safety , Natural Environment, and Other Factors.

Why Rural Matters, by Elizabeth Beeson and Marty Strange, Rural School and Community Trust. Explores the importance of rural education in each state.


Primary School

Education Week article about Kentucky's Primary School Program

The Primary School: A Resource Guide for Parents (1 MB, pdf), by Bette Burruss and Nawanna Fairchild, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and the Partnership for Kentucky Schools (April 1993).

You may also view Primary School by chapters:
  • Chapter 1: What Will Children Experience in Primary School?
    (8 pages, 25 KB, pdf)
  • Chapter 2: How Do Young Children Learn? How Will Instruction Be Different? (364 KB, pdf)
  • Chapter 3: How is the Primary Classroom Different? (488 KB, pdf)
  • Chapter 4: What Do We Expect Students to Know and Do? How Do We Know They've Succeeded? (30 KB, pdf)
  • Chapter 5: How Can Parents Participate in their Child's Education? (28 KB, pdf)
  • Chapter 6: Reading with Children (48 KB, pdf)
  • Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions About Primary Schools (30 KB, pdf)

School Finance

"School Spending Last in 2 Categories" Herald-Leader, August 15, 2005
 
January 28, 2004 Courier-Journal article: Fletcher's budget calls for sacrifice
January 28, 2004 Courier-Journal article: Critics say Kentucky will suffer...
January 28, 2004 Courier-Journal article: 'Bucks for Brains' unfunded...
January 28, 2004 Courier-Journal article: Programs to boost students success cut...
January 28, 2004 Herald-Leader article: Fletcher tightens the state's belt
 
The Final Test by Peter Schrag; 2003; an important book that makes the case for adequate funding for education; emphasizes the Kentucky court decision and school reform. Available at your local bookstore or click here for more information.

Foresight, a quarterly newsletter from the Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center. Includes good articles on Kentucky's tax structure.

KEA says poll shows voters support higher taxes for education, by Nancy C. Rodriguez, Louisville Courier-Journal (April 11, 2003).

Report to the Sub-committee on Tax Policy Issues (575 KB, pdf), by William F. Fox, prepared for the Committee on Appropriations and Revenue, Kentucky General Assembly (February 27, 2002).


Teaching and Professional Development

"New Reward System Being Eyed for Teachers," by Nancy Rodriguez, Courier-Journal,
April 6, 2005

An Agenda for Change (14.8 MB, pdf), report of the Kentucky School Boards Association's Task Force on Enriching Teaching (2001). Report and recommendations for improving teaching.

"Distinguished Educator Strand: Extremely Preliminary Observations," by Jane L. David and Patricia J. Kannapel, Partnership Professional Development Research Project.
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)

Good Teaching Makes the Difference (19 KB, pdf), commencement speech by Robert F. Sexton, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, to Eastern Kentucky University graduates (May 2001).

Kentucky teachers endorsed nationally, by Linda B. Blackford, Lexington Herald-Leader (November 21, 2001). In 2001, 66 Kentucky teachers earned National Board Certification.

Mapping Teacher Professional Devlopment Opportunities (191 KB, pdf) by Thomas Corcoran, Claire Passantino and Gail B. Gerry, prepared for the Partnership for Kentucky Schools (May 2001).

Professional Development under KERA: Meeting the Challenge (51 KB, pdf), by G. Williamson McDiarmid, Jane L. David, Patricia J. Kannapel, Thomas B. Corcoran, and Pamelia Coe, prepared for the Partnership for Kentucky Schools and the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Preliminary research findings (June 1997).

Teaching for Kentucky's Future: A Report from the Task Force on Teaching for Kentucky's Future, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (October 18, 1999).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)


Time and its Use in the Classroom

A Matter of Time, report of the Prichard Committee Task Force on Restructuring Time and Learning (July 1995).
(Call the Prichard Committee at 800-928-2111 for a copy)


Other Issues

First Thoughts on Reading (55 KB, pdf), Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (October 8, 1999). From Gaining Ground: Hard Work and High Expectations for Kentucky Schools, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (November 1999).

Foresight, a quarterly newsletter from the Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center. Includes good articles on Kentucky's tax structure.

Memo on vouchers (6 KB, pdf) developed by the Kentucky Department of Education Office of Legal and Legislative Services outlining the department's view of school vouchers (July 2002).




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