Keeping Kentucky's Kids in School and in Kentucky

Kentucky's future depends on educating all of our children to compete for the best jobs, so that we can bring those jobs here and give our children the opportunities that will enable them to stay in Kentucky. Kentucky's future demands schools that will give our children the foundation they need for tomorrow's jobs – starting with preschool and continuing as far as their abilities allow them to go – right here at home.

Once viewed as a national model, Kentucky's education system is in danger of falling back into mediocrity. I want to make it great once again.

Although the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) put us on the path toward educational improvement, over the years since its passage our progress has slowed to a crawl. In some measures, like state funding, we have actually gone in reverse.

Fewer than half of Kentucky 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in preschool and one-quarter of children eligible for kindergarten are not enrolled. Kentucky elementary and middle school students perform below the national average in math and perform only marginally better than the national average in reading.

And not enough of our children are going on to post-secondary education – a requirement for success in the 21st Century. Only 70 percent of our high school students graduate, and of those, only 44 percent are enrolled in a post-secondary degree program. Only 29 percent of adults have a two- or four-year post-secondary degree compared with 58 percent of adults nationally.

Leadership at the state level has pulled back on its commitment to the reform process and funding of public schools over the last few years. As a result, we are in danger of losing the educational progress we worked so hard to achieve.

Our children, our schools, our families, our businesses and our communities need us to put the reform process back on track, and that's exactly what I intend to do as Governor.
My education plan, It Starts with Schools, includes:

• Expanding early childhood education. Studies show that brain development occurs before the age of 5 and children who begin first grade behind never catch up. We need every child to start school ready to learn and we need to invest in early care and education.

• Getting back to the basics. Schools are not going to give children what they need if they don't provide a firm foundation in the basics so our children can master core subjects and apply basic concepts.

• Valuing teachers and involving parents. Two of the most important factors to improving student performance are ensuring our schools are staffed with highly-qualified teachers and motivated principals, and engaging parents in their children's education.

• Modernizing schools and classrooms. The environment in which our children learn influences student achievement. Research shows that students perform better when they are in smaller schools and classrooms with fewer students.

• Creating an education system that promotes academic excellence. We simply cannot aspire to educational greatness, if we continue to underinvest in the future of our state.

The people of Kentucky must have a world-class public school system in order to succeed in this competitive world and that is what I intend to provide them.

I. Expanding Early Childhood Education

Early care and education (ECE) programs are an essential component to ensuring a child's future academic success. A child's first years in life are particularly important to healthy brain development and provide a small window of opportunity to establish a strong foundation. Research shows that high-quality preschool education programs significantly improve scholastic success and educational achievement for children. Children who participate in these programs tend to have higher test scores, perform better academically and are more likely to graduate from high school, and later in life they are more likely to earn a higher salary, own a home and less likely to be convicted of a crime. Children of low income families especially benefit from an early start in education.

But high-quality preschool programs are not available to all children. There are about 271,000 children ages 0 to 4 in Kentucky and over 67,000 – nearly 25 percent – live below the poverty level. It is estimated that on average families pay about $100 per week and more than $5,000 per year for preschool programs – a cost that many families simply cannot afford. That's why, as Governor, I will:

Increase Funding to Make Voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Available to More 3- and 4-Year-Olds

In 1990, Kentucky developed a state preschool education program to provide a voluntary, half-day preschool program for 4-year-old children living in poverty and all 3- and 4-year-old children with disabilities regardless of their family's income. The program is offered by public schools and through early care and education providers. Children in families with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) are eligible to participate.

Given the stakes in education, I believe we can – and must – do more.

As Governor, I will expand access to high-quality preschool education programs to all Kentucky 3- and 4-year-olds whose family income is below 200 percent of FPL. This preschool expansion initiative could enable as many as 10,000 children and their families to enroll in high-quality, voluntary preschool programs.

We also will set a goal of extending these programs to all children of families at or above 200 percent of the poverty level based on a sliding payment scale. In addition, I will increase per-child funding to school districts for students already served.

As Governor, I will make use of existing resources already offered by Head Start programs, local school districts and other community partners to reduce duplication among ECE providers. My goal is not only to expand access to voluntary preschool education programs to more children and families, but also to develop an improved, coordinated and integrated ECE system to ensure that space is maximized and services – both those provided in the community by Head Start and private providers and those in schools – are optimized to better serve families.

I also propose launching an outreach campaign to ensure that families are aware of the benefits of ECE programs and informed of the new income eligibility requirements that are a part of my preschool education expansion plan.

Establish an Early Care and Education Coordination Committee

There are many providers offering ECE programs to Kentucky families and children. For example, in addition to the federally-funded Head Start program and the state's preschool education program, there are more than 2,150 child care centers and 903 family child care homes serving children and families in Kentucky. Despite the variety of public and private programs and services being offered, there is currently no unified coordination of programs in terms of policy and service delivery.

As Governor, I will establish an Early Care and Education Coordination Committee to bring together representatives from all ECE programs, including Head Start and child care providers, in an effort to coordinate programs and services as well as to reduce duplication. The Committee's mission will be to develop a seamless, high-quality ECE system to better meet the needs of Kentucky's children. The Committee will report directly to the Governor's Office on a regular basis.

II. Getting Back to the Basics

Education is essential to our future success and economic viability. After all, education is the deepest driver of change. Yet today, many students pass through the education system without mastering even the most basic of skills. In 2005, Kentucky 4th-graders ranked 40th nationally and 8th-graders ranked 39th nationally in math. Although our students perform better in science, they still ranked in the bottom two-thirds nationally. When students don't master basic skills, they graduate from high school unprepared for the workplace and post-secondary education. In 2004, over 16,000 students entered our public colleges and universities unprepared in math. This must change. Our goal must be that all students – at a minimum – perform at grade level in all subjects, especially in reading and writing, math and science, but also in subjects like social studies, political science, art and music, among others.

As Governor, I will:

• Enhance math and reading skills. Despite gains in math scores that occurred during the 1990s and the first part of this decade, more recent data on student performance show that our elementary and middle school students lag behind their peers in other states. Moreover, we're finding that improvements in reading by middle school students have ceased. Statistics also show that the achievement gap has widened for middle and elementary school students in math across all races and income levels.

• Clearly, more should be done to boost student performance in math and reading and to close the achievement gap. As Governor, I will:

• Develop after-school and weekend programs for the entire family to improve literacy, strengthen reading comprehension skills and improve communication skills.
• Ensure schools are staffed with teachers well-qualified to teach math and reading.
• Make better use of our public library system by ensuring that every child has a library card.
• In particular, establish enrichment programs, such as:

• Creating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academies to strengthen middle and high school student performance in science and math. Academies have two main goals: 1) to boost teacher knowledge so they can bring new skills to the classroom and 2) to improve student achievement through enrichment programs. As Governor, I will work with education partners – the Kentucky Department of Education, Council on Postsecondary Education, State and Local School Boards, local councils, school districts and teachers – to develop a plan to establish Academies through the state. Academies will enhance both student and teacher knowledge in these areas by:
• Motivating students to pursue advanced degrees in STEM areas.
• Providing professional development, for teachers in all grade levels.
• Linking related private sector businesses to classroom activity.
• Increasing STEM enrichment programs for middle and high school students.

• Promote peer mentoring programs in elementary and middle schools. As Governor, I will work with schools to create peer mentoring programs to benefit students and improve their performance in reading. These programs will pair underachieving students with student mentors a year or two older. The mentors meet regularly with their counterparts to read together. Where this approach has been used, by the end of the school year more than half of the participants were reading on grade level.

• Encourage more students to enroll in advanced placement exams and improve funding for gifted and talented programs for our schools. Only about 16 percent of high school students take advanced placement exams and of those who do only about half score a 3 (out of 5) or higher on at least one of the advanced placement exams they take. In addition, gifted and talented programs are often targeted for cutbacks during tight budgetary times. As Governor, I will work to improve funding for these programs so more schools can offer these programs and more students can participate in them.

• Increase after-school enrichment opportunities and encourage greater student enrollment. Only 7 percent of students participate in after-school programs in Kentucky today – a percentage that ranks us in the bottom five states nationally. After school presents a prime opportunity for students to engage in enrichment programs or remedial help to aid in learning and to improve their overall academic performance. Beyond academic support, extra curricular activities like sports teams or school plays and musicals can help keep children safe and out of trouble while their parents are at work. As Governor, I will work with our education partners to develop greater opportunities to encourage youth participation in after-school programs.

• Ensure that high school adequately prepares students for college and the workforce. Even though college participation is up by nearly 20 percent in the last 10 years, many students arrive at college unprepared for college-level coursework. A study conducted by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education in 2005 found that 54 percent of students who entered certificate degree programs at Kentucky's public colleges in the fall of 2002 were unprepared – many of them in more than one subject. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the KERA reforms, it is time we undertake a comprehensive re-assessment of current high school education to ensure that students progress and graduate prepared to pursue higher education or to transition successfully into today's workforce.

III. Valuing Teachers and Involving Parents

Empower Our Teachers and Principals

I am sure many of us can recall a teacher who made a difference in our lives – the one who pushed us a little further, provided the extra help we needed and the encouragement that enabled us to master a certain skill or subject. I know I can.
Every child is entitled to that same experience, which starts with a high-quality teacher in every classroom and a motivated principal in every school.

Teachers play an integral role in educating our children. We must honor this profession by creating a superior staff of teachers and principals, including recruiting some of our best and brightest students into the teaching profession. Our teachers and principals should be held to high standards and compensated well in return for their service.

As Governor, I will:

• Raise teacher pay. Teachers deserve to be paid well for the invaluable service they provide. Yet even with the recent increase that passed the General Assembly this past spring, our teachers are still paid well below the national average. The typical Kentucky teacher is paid about $42,000 – nearly $5,000 less than their counterparts in other states. As Governor, I will work to raise teacher salaries to the national average.

• Establish a low-interest home loan for teachers. I want to make it easier for teachers to purchase a home, especially for those who agree to serve in communities with the greatest educational need. As Governor, I will establish a low-cost home loan for teachers. Through the establishment of a home loan program for teachers, the state can provide an extra benefit to attract bright young people to teaching at little cost to taxpayers.

• Expand the Kentucky Teacher Cadet Program for high school students to encourage more students to pursue careers in teaching. South Carolina created a Teacher Cadet program that encourages the best and brightest high school juniors and seniors expressing an interest in the teaching profession to participate in a one-year course. Students are taught how to develop a lesson plan, about cognitive learning styles and effective tutoring techniques, in addition to lessons on child development and pedagogy. Students are given college credit for successfully completing the course. The program is similar to the Teacher Cadet Program offered by the Kentucky Leadership Academy. As Governor, I will promote recruitment programs like this one to our school districts as a way to attract more students to pursue careers in teaching.

• Ensure that teachers are familiar with the subject area they teach. Too many of our students are being taught by teachers who are unfamiliar with the subject area they are being asked to teach. This is not only an issue that impacts students ability to learn, but it also places a burden on our teachers when we ask them to teach a subject they are not comfortable teaching. One-third of all middle and high school teachers and half of all teachers in schools in high-poverty areas do not even have a minor in the course areas they teach. This must change. As Governor, I will work with our education partners to strive for equitable distribution of high-quality teachers and work with school districts to revamp teacher development programs to enhance the teaching staff. In addition, I will push for ensuring subject-matter expertise by working with education partners.

• Create training institutes for principals. Principals like teachers benefit from professional development programs. As Governor, I will create institutes specifically for principals to strengthen leadership skills for existing principals and also to prepare future school leaders.

Engage Parents and Guardians in the Education Process

Parental involvement is a primary factor in a child's academic success across all grade levels, and is especially important to children of poverty. There has been plenty of research documenting the correlation between parental involvement and school improvement: students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, attend school regularly, demonstrate better behavior and go on to post-secondary education. That's why this plan includes a strong family-involvement component.

As Governor, I will:

• Encourage parents to sign a Parent Involvement Pledge. Parents should strive to spend a minimum of 20 hours per year volunteering at their child's school or helping them with school or homework. I want to encourage every parent to spend quality time with their children when it comes to education.

• Develop a Safety Dads program to involve fathers in their children's schools. Children benefit from having adults involved in their lives – whether it is a parent, grandparent or guardian. A child performs better academically the more involved a parent or guardian is in their education. One novel program started in an Indianapolis school called Security Dads has effectively increased the presence of fathers in their school. The program uses volunteer dads who are trained on school policies and procedures and provided special clothing so they are easily identified to patrol the hallways, provide tutoring help and play an active role in extracurricular activities, such as athletic events, dances or school plays. The program has reduced behavioral problems and greatly improved adult participation in the school. As Governor, I will consider the development of similar programs in schools throughout Kentucky.

• Provide grants to schools that develop family support programs as Georgia and Wisconsin currently do. Schools in Wisconsin are reimbursed at a higher rate for programs that specifically are developed to engage parents in their child's education like parent homework assignments and programs that encourage parents to attend computer classes and other classes to learn new skills along with their child.

• Sponsor intergenerational tutoring programs. We must strive to involve all stakeholders who are willing to offer their time and effort to serve their local schools. That's why, as Governor, I will encourage all public schools to sponsor intergenerational tutoring programs to draw from resources outside the school to assist students and help improve their educational performance.

• Encourage employers to provide employees up to 24 hours of unpaid leave per year to participate in school activities directly related to their child's educational advancement, and to accompany their children to routine medical and dental visits. Parents should be able to attend a parent-teacher conference at least once per school year, assist their children with their homework and keep their children current on all vaccinations and regular health check-ups.

• Promote the formation of partnerships between schools, parents and the community. Parents should not be expected to do it all on their own. Parent involvement in their children's education is a collaborative process that requires support from all stakeholders. It means creating a school environment where parents are encouraged to participate in their children's education and free to express their concerns or question the decision-making process. It means reaching out and involving local businesses to expand learning opportunities for students and it means parents getting more involved in their children's education.

• For example, some schools might host interactive learning activities for teachers, parents and students to participate in. Others might recruit parents and local business leaders to create computer training programs for both students and parents to learn valuable skills. For instance, Jefferson County Public Education Foundation in partnership with Greater Louisville Inc. and Louisville Metro Government developed a community-wide reading initiative called Every 1 Reads aimed at getting all students reading at grade level. The program recruits individuals from the community to volunteer as reading tutors to work with students to strengthen their reading skills. As Governor, I will promote forming school-parent-community partnerships to enhance student achievement through greater parent and community involvement, and will encourage all schools to put policies in place that promote the formation of effective partnerships.

• Create school catalogues for parents that contain information on a variety of topics: holidays, important events like field trips or classroom celebrations, after-school activities, contact information for a child's teacher, guidance counselor and school administrator, as well as basic curriculum so parents know what their child will be learning during the school year, books they will be asked to read, projects they will be required to complete and testing dates – in short, any information that can be contained in one easy place to tell parents more about their child's education and engage them in the learning process.

IV. Modernizing Schools and Classroom

21st Century Schools

For many years now, numerous studies have confirmed the relationship between class size and classroom results – the smaller the class the better students perform academically. Yet there is growing evidence to suggest that smaller schools have an even bigger impact on student achievement than smaller class size. Research done by the Progressive Policy Institute found that “Smaller schools help promote learning because they are able to offer a stronger curriculum and except in very small schools a comparable level of advanced courses as those offered by larger schools.”

As Governor, I will:

• Form “schools within schools,” to improve student performance, especially in our schools that perform poorly and serve a high proportion of at-risk students. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found that students in small schools felt more connected to their schools, which in turn reduced the risk of violence, substance abuse, suicide and pregnancy. The fact is that smaller schools foster closer relationships among students, teachers and administrators that ultimately affect a student's performance.

• An opportunity exists to convert some of our larger schools into smaller ones by creating two or more schools within one school building. The concept is known as the “schools within schools” approach to reducing school size without the need for building more schools.

• Under this concept, schools housed within one building are recognized as separate entities each with its own budget, planning and programs but share space in one building. The concept is a cost effective way of reducing the size of schools and raising student achievement that is currently being used in states like California and cities like New York City. It's time we explore this approach in Kentucky.

• Redesign the senior year of high school. The senior year of high school is no longer used effectively by many public schools. Virginia succeeded in making major changes in high schools. So must Kentucky. To better prepare our students, we must provide more opportunities to take advanced placement courses, enhance education standards and develop early student interventions. For example, in some Virginia high schools, students are given two choices at the end of their junior year: 1) those who plan to go on to college following high school can take up to 15 college credits during their senior year while earning their high school degree or 2) those who plan to enter the workforce can begin to work toward a certification in an industry of their choice while still in high school. These students are further guaranteed one semester of community college in order to complete their certification.

  I want to foster the desire among our students to go beyond high school and to create the opportunities for them to do so. This requires us to think creatively about ways to reform our education system and close gaps that have shortchanged our students and placed unnecessary limits on their dreams and career goals. Options like these could save students and their families significantly in reduced college tuition costs.

• Establish more Early College High Schools. Dual credit opportunities for high school students contribute to the ability of students to make substantial progress toward a college degree before finishing high school. One such program just getting underway in Kentucky is called the Academy of Math and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University. The academy will admit a select group of high school students to enroll in the academy and live on campus where they will take courses alongside college students and earn credits for college while completing high school. Another similar program called Early College High School is being sponsored by the Gates Foundation and allows high school students to earn up to two years of college credit while enrolled in high school. Early College High School programs basically are small, autonomous high schools that blend high school and college into a coherent education program. The College High School at Owensboro Community and Technical College is Kentucky's only Early College High School at this time. As Governor, I will establish more programs like these and work to expand use of advanced placement courses in all high schools.

21st Century Classrooms

Putting measures in place to reduce class size is an important step toward improving student achievement.

As Governor, I will:

• Continue to attempt to reduce class size. A report by the National Education Association (NEA) – a nationally-recognized professional organization dedicated to improving public education – and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) confirm that small classes can lead to lasting gains academically. The report further defines the ideal class size as 13 to 17 students, beginning first in the early grades and continuing with middle school and eventually including high school. We recognize the problems inherent with reducing class size and we will work with the education community to address these over a period of time.

• Increase technology access for students. In order to better prepare our students for a rapidly changing economy, we need to ensure that they have access to technology. This is especially important for children of low income families who may not have a computer in their homes. As Governor, I will focus on ensuring that the 6-year technology master plan in place is effectively being carried out so we provide teachers and students the educational tools they need. In addition, I will support the use of personal laptop computers by our students during the school day to enhance daily lessons.

• Use technology to broaden and expand educational opportunities through increased distance learning. We can leverage our limited teaching resources to make more course offerings available to more students all across the Commonwealth. We must identify opportunities to create partnerships with elementary, middle and high schools, as well as our higher education system, to expand and broaden the courses available to our students and to give them the best education possible. Given that all of Kentucky's schools are networked and provide Internet access, the capacity to broaden and expand educational opportunities is endless. As Governor, I will work with the Kentucky Department of Education and local school boards to identify ways to bring more advanced and a more diverse variety of courses to Kentucky students through these virtual classroom alternatives.

• Ensure that teachers receive technology training to maximize the use of technology as an educational tool in the classroom. While we have invested in hardware, software and networks for our schools and our students to enhance educational opportunities, we have underinvested in training for our teachers to integrate technology into their course instruction. Despite the state spending approximately $15 million per year on professional development, hardly any of the money is spent on educating teachers how to use the technology in their classrooms and schools. What good is technology if our teachers don't know how to use it? There are a number of states that are working to address this issue. For example, one of six key elements of West Virginia's 21st Century Learning initiative – an initiative to ensure children have the knowledge and skills needed to succeed and prosper – includes providing schools with technology specialists who work with classroom teachers in the development and delivery of instruction using technology tools available in the school and classroom. As part of Wisconsin's 21st Century Skills initiative, students and teachers are learning about the global economy and how it's connected by people from a variety of cultures, which involves linking teachers with those from other countries to share perspectives that in turn can be used to broaden students' understanding. As Governor, I will identify promising professional development programs like these to replicate in Kentucky.

VI. Creating an Education System that Promotes Academic Excellence

Kentucky has a good public school system, improved dramatically with the passage of KERA in 1990. Yet over the past several years, state funding has decreased and, as a result, schools have had to make cuts to important programs like advanced placement courses, after-school programs, among others. We simply cannot expect to create the best education system if we continue to underinvest in the future of our state.

As Governor, I will:

• Reduce unfunded mandates. In 1998, 48 percent of the state's general fund went to the kindergarten through 12th grade system, but by 2002 the percentage had dropped to 41 percent, where it effectively remains. As state funds are being reduced, costs – like fuel to operate buses – are rising and new demands have been placed on local school districts to provide more services, such as preschool, gifted and talented programs, after-school programs and physical education. Yet little is being done to ensure that local school districts have the funds needed to institute new programs and services that the state now requires them to provide. As Governor, I will work to reduce unfunded mandates and see to it that changes made to regulations take into account current funding levels.

• Make every education dollar count through a comprehensive education review – updating or revamping programs and processes that need changing, and eliminating those that are redundant or ineffective. We must make certain that our investments provide us the biggest pay-off as well as look for ways to enhance and retool our education system to enable the best possible outcome. We owe it to students, parents and the community to be accountable for the education provided to students in our public schools. It's no longer acceptable for our education partners – the Kentucky Department of Education, the Education Professional Standards Board and the Council on Postsecondary Education – to collect data only on their own operations without the ability to easily integrate the information. As it currently stands, student performance and teacher preparation cannot be easily evaluated across the continuum of learning from the time a student enters school until he or she completes high school or college.

CONCLUSION

Kentucky ranks in the bottom of all states in a number of key areas. We rank 47th in workforce education, 47th in the number of adults with college degrees and 45th in our ability to compete economically with other states. Ernie Fletcher has underinvested in education, and our people and our economy have suffered as a result. Our employers have laid of 55,000 workers in 2005 – 46 percent more than were laid off in 2004. The state unemployment rate has increased from 5.5 percent to 5.7 percent between 2004 and 2006.

We cannot turn that around and provide a better future for our children if we don't provide better opportunities for advancement through greater investment in education – and that starts with schools.

Kentucky stands at a crossroads. We can choose the status quo that has stunted progress and caused us to lose ground or we can choose a new path, making the tough decisions that are needed to turn Kentucky education into the world class system it can be. I want to start by putting Kentucky back on track with the KERA reforms. I want to restore the enthusiasm we all shared when KERA was first passed. It will require strong leadership from the top to help us get there, but it's a promise we owe our children and its one that I will stand by as Governor.