This blog is the third in a series about the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. My two previous blogs, Let the games begin and Grappling with testing questions provide additional background information. Terry Holliday This week, it was my honor to represent Kentucky and my fellow chief state school officers at a U.S. Senate Health, Education, [...]
Jana Bryant By Jana Bryant jana.bryant@daviess.kyschools.us Barnett Berry, one of the authors of Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools, believes “it is time to blur the lines of distinction between those who teach and those who lead.” This distinction ought to become even more blurred with Kentucky’s Professional Growth and Effectiveness [...]
Terry Holliday For the first time in years, it appears there may be serious talk of trying to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Its most recent iteration, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, was due for reauthorization in 2007, but as with its predecessor, political acrimony has held up progress. However, recent activity [...]
Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year Joshua Underwood gives instructions to juniors Megan Huber and Amanda Lee during chemistry class at Mason County High School.Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 9, 2015 By Joshua Underwood josh.underwood@mason.kyschools.us Being a teacher is often as much about being an entertainer as it is being a conveyor of knowledge. We have to [...]
Terry Holliday It was my honor to attend the State of the Commonwealth speech last week when Gov. Steve Beshear made his eighth and final such address. A written copy of the full speech is available online, as is a video and audio recording courtesy of KET. It was very exciting to have the governor list the amazing [...]
Marcia Sharp This is one of a series of guest columns from teachers implementing the Kentucky Core Academic Standards for Science this school year. By Marcia Sharp marcia.sharp@cville.kyschools.us This is a very exciting time for elementary teachers in Kentucky as we implement the Kentucky Core Academic Standards for Science in our classrooms. If you love teaching science as [...]
Terry Holliday More than ever before, preparing students to become college- and career-ready (CCR) involves a close partnership among K-12 schools, higher education and the business world. Two events from December illustrate that point. The first involved the “career” aspect. The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a report urging that states take several steps to [...]
By Natalie McCutchen, Mike Stacy and Brad Clark Across the state, self-reflective teachers and supportive administrators are building communities of practice where all stakeholders are re-evaluating all aspects of instructional effectiveness. This is a time of rapid, meaningful change in our schools. As Kentucky educators embark on this intensive professional learning continuum, we must find new ways to guide student [...]
Terry Holliday At the December Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) meeting, the board finalized my evaluation and agreed upon the goals that will be used for my 2014-15 evaluation. Viewers may read my evaluation summary and see the goals that KBE set for me for 2014-15. The Kentucky Board of Education has used this process during my tenure [...]
Ryan Mann By Ryan Mann ryan.mann@scott.kyschools.us With this year’s rollout of Kentucky’s new Teacher Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (TPGES), some of the biggest concerns I’ve heard from other teachers are over the “Peer Observation” section. Teachers have long been wary of administrators critiquing their classroom performance based on a brief observation, and adding a peer into the [...]