Fayette Schools Need Effective, Inspiring Leader

There is a leadership crisis in our school district that needs to be fixed quickly. As the school board considers superintendent candidates, it is appropriate to discuss whether the next superintendent should be from inside the district or outside, and what qualities are crucial. Given recent history, I can think of nothing more important than finding a qualified person who knows the district, shares the board\u27s vision and has a demonstrated commitment to Fayette County and its children. We need a steady hand on the wheel

Whose Standards are These? A Chronological Glossary of Standards in P-12 Education

Whose Standards Are These? A Brief Historical Timeline of the Development of the Common Core State Standards with References to Next General Science Standards, and the C3 Framework for Social Studies

Labor Law - Federal Pre-Emption - An Inroad Through the Violence Doctrine

The Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court\u27s enforcement of an order obtained by the Kohler Company from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Board enjoining the appellant union, as a violation of the Wisconsin Employment Peace Act, from further engaging in mass picketing, coercion, and other activities, which were also unfair labor practices under the amended National Labor Relations Act, to which the Kohler Company was subject. On appeal to the United States Supreme Court, held, affirmed, three justices dissenting. While, as a general matter, a state may not, in furtherance of its public policy, enjoin conduct which has been made an unfair labor practice under the federal statutes, an injunction based on the dominant interest of the state in preventing violence and property damage can properly be granted. The dissenting justices maintained that a state cannot duplicate an administrative remedy prescribed by Congress reaching identical conduct. United Automobile Workers v. WERB, 351 U.S. 266 (1956)

Cassidy Prides Itself on Helping Minority Parents and Students

Essentially, a spat with Herald-Leader columnist Merlene Davis which resulted in her writing a retraction

Tyranny of the Majority

The Kentucky Supreme Court decision upholding a temporary injunction preventing Dana Seum Stephenson from serving as a state senator was welcome relief. I was beginning to wonder whether the Senate majority was simply going to be allowed to disregard the law, outvote the minority and bend the rules to fit their fancy. One thing is certain: With a super majority hanging in the balance, a lame court would have produced even more disregarding, outvoting and bending in the Senate

First in Reform: The Adoption of Common Core State Standards in Kentucky

On February 11, 2010, in an unprecedented joint meeting, the chairs of the Kentucky Board of Education, the Council on Postsecondary Education, and the Education Professional Standards Board signed a resolution directing their respective agencies to implement the Common Core State Standards in English/language arts and mathematics. This act formalized Kentucky’s commitment to integrate the nascent standards into the state’s public education system – the first state to do so. This article will trace the antecedents to Kentucky’s adoption of the standards as one expression of the late 20th century/early 21st century “corporate school reform movement” as manifested in the Commonwealth. The state that led America to reconsider how its schools should be funded, now celebrated a new-found spirit of interagency cooperation as it leapt at the opportunity to join with other states in an effort to define what students needed to know, and be able to do

On School Funding, State is Inadequate

While it may be amusing to watch those in power above us blame each other and make excuses, in the end, it is disheartening. Those of us at the school level know that no matter who ultimately gets blamed, we\u27re the ones who must be here for the children. We are reminded daily, there can be no excuses for failure. The legislature, the school board -- everyone -- must do his or her job, so that we can do ours