It's Been a Century. Time for Another Whilrwind Campaign

Beshear planning education initiative in the fall

Will name task force on KERA,

tour the state for comment

This from Ronnie Ellis in the Daily Independent:

Gov. Steve Beshear is apparently planning a statewide tour this fall to discuss what’s next in education reform after the General Assembly this year passed Senate Bill 1 to revise Kentucky’s academic standards and testing.

News of a major initiative came from Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Helen Mountjoy at Wednesday’s Kentucky Board of Education meeting.“The governor is looking to launch an initiative to draw attention back to education,” Mountjoy told the board.

“The governor plans to travel the state to re-energize people about education and to re-ignite that spark of enthusiasm.” Mountjoy wouldn’t say afterward what form that imitative might take except to say she will meet with Beshear Friday to discuss his initiative.

During his 2007 gubernatorial campaign Beshear called for a “top to bottom review” of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act. But the passage this year of Senate Bill 1 went a long way toward revising KERA, requiring new accountability standards and a new testing system.

New Education Commissioner Dr. Terry Holliday said he plans to accompany Beshear on the tour and expects the governor to seek comment on Senate Bill 1. In addition to the new standards and test, Senate Bill 1 requires the department and the state’s public universities to align curriculum and standards to prepare high school graduates for college work.

Beshear’s spokesman Jay Blanton said the tour will follow the announcement by the governor of a KERA Task Force in the fall.“We are hoping to unveil the task force and charge this fall and initiate some statewide discussions about this next critical phase of education reform,” Blanton said...