Education Commissioner Terry Holliday In the coming weeks, more than 650,000 public school students will fill the classrooms and hallways of Kentucky’s schools. It’s an exciting time of year for students, parents and educators. As has been our focus since the passage of Senate Bill 1 (2009), the 2015-16 school year will build on our efforts to move [...]
Terry Holliday A guiding principle for our work in Kentucky is that we do the hard work of reform WITH teachers and not TO teachers. What does this principle look like in practice? In 2011, Kentucky implemented the TELL Kentucky Survey to allow teacher voice on key working conditions such as facilities, resources, leadership, professional development, time, etc. [...]
Terry Holliday I came across an interesting article recently on results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The PISA evaluates education systems worldwide by testing 15-year-olds in key subjects. The man in charge of the PISA tests, Andreas Schleicher, the Director of education and skills with the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD), says the [...]
Kentucky Department of Education Chief of Staff Tommy Floyd is Commissioner Terry Holliday’s guest writer this week. He shares some of his experiences and thoughts on the implementation of the higher compulsory school attendance age and how it is really focused on helping each and every child in Kentucky become successful. Tommy Floyd I vividly remember the first high school [...]
Terry Holliday As a parent, it is always difficult balancing between supporting your children and monitoring their behaviors and actions, which in some cases may require a disciplinary follow through. Teachers face a similar balancing act – supporting and nourishing students while also monitoring student behavior and academic performance. Principals confront the challenge of supporting teachers, but also [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]