The Organizational and Governance Structure at the Kentucky State and Local Levels for K-12 Schools - Assignment Example

s s The coordination, development and implementation of the K-12 education programs are managed via The Kentucky Board of Education. The Board looks after all of the 173 commonwealth`s districts. There are around 1,233 public schools functional in Kentucky. The statistics from 2003-2004 indicate that the number of students enrolled in these public schools are 656,503 while around 12,170 children are being home-schooled in the state of Kentucky. Also, the number of teachers enrolled for the purpose are 43, 767 during the period 2009-2010. However, over the years, Kentucky saw various educational reforms with an effort to enhance equity and access standards throughout the state, the details of which are elaborated below; 1. The organizational and governance structure at the Kentucky state and local levels for K-12 schools in the Kentucky The organizational as well as the governance structure of the Kentucky state and the local educational institutions can be well understood by analyzing the mission statement of the Kentucky Education Department which states that; “The Kentucky Department of Education’s mission is to prepare all Kentucky students for next-generation learning, work and citizenship by engaging schools, districts, families and communities through excellent leadership, service and support” (Kentucky, 2011) Thus, to achieve the missions underlined in the statement mentioned above, the Department is headed under the leadership of the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner further includes cabinet officials i.e. the Chief of Staff, the Policy Advisor and the Chief Performance Officer. Furthermore, the Department also has seven divisions which are managed via offices listed below; Administration & Support Office Assessment & Accountability Office Career & Technical Education Office Guiding Support Services/General Counsel Office Knowledge, Information & Data Services Office Next Generation Schools & Districts Office Next Generation Learner Office Furthermore, the state board of education has been developed to adopt certain regulations to enhance educational standards in the district. This board is further constituted of twelve members, out which eleven members are appointed via the governor of the state. Out of these members seven represent Supreme Courts while four are members at-large. However, the twelfth member would be the nonvoting member who would serve with the President of Council at Postsecondary Education. These members are elected for a term of four years, while the chair and the vice chair are elected on a yearly basis. (Williams 2005) 2. Kentucky State law regarding funding for schools such as charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling Back in 2009, the legislature of Kentucky passed a Senate Bill unanimously declaring education reform with an aim to achieve elated standards of education. The reform called for a major collaboration between the elementary as well secondary educations to reach new standards. Assessments were held later in 2012 to measure the collaboration efforts. This legislature further called for a cut in the higher education budget, where around $6 million were allocated to fund the programs for the education (Kentucky 2012). In 2010, Kentucky adopted the Common Core collaboration, which also proved to be a task care for measuring policy. Furthermore, the General Assembly of Kentucky also created various Family resources alongside different youth services which formed a significant component of Kentucky Education Reform (KERA) which was passed earlier yet amended recently. Under the law, schools can apply for grants i.e. the FRYSC grants only when around 20% of the students enrolled would be eligible for free as well as reduced meals at schools. The legislation holds significance in context to state level partnership between the Cabinet for Children and Families, and the Department of Education. The partners are thus responsible for correct implementation of centers in the state. Also, via the legislation, Inter-agency Task Forces for the implementation of FRYSC were also established where significant stakeholders were incorporated. Moreover, the five year plan was developed under the legislation by the Task Force to form an efficient network in the state for the FRYSC`s. Ever since the legislation was accepted in the state, the Department of Education has been offered support and technical assistance for the education mandate. Furthermore, as part of KERA funding was also infiltrated via Support Educational Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK). As part of this program, districts were to receive revenue per student. The amount increases for children at risk, also for those with transportation needs and those with excellent academic background. The district, however, also has to offer a minimum amount of revenue towards the program. (Kentucky, 2011) 3. The impact of Kentucky state funding of education on access for all students to quality educational programs at the local school level At local level, school districts various measures were determined to test the performance of the students. A great measure of equity was observed in terms of opportunity as well as adequacy in funding. While the spending enhanced to around 36% and interventions took place in low-performing institutes, considerable level of improvement was observed. When the percentage for students was tested for college graduated via tests, the figures showed a 9% increase (Kentucky 2011). Yet, there was a gap reflected in the score where whites were showing improved signs of success. Since the program offered funding depending on the performance of the schools, the high achievers belong to the high income groups, also whites, thus, the standards of equity were observed to be compromised, though legislation was flawless. 4. The Kentucky state initiatives and funding for improvements to teacher and administrator preparation programs through higher education and professional development Kentucky state introduced education reforms in context to institutional landscapes regarding improvement in teaching standards. These reforms include incorporation of charter schools, vouchers, service contract and also site councils for the teachers. Also, a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was institutionalized for certified training of teachers. Also, compensations system along with the labor management landscape was experimented with. Also, under the KERA act, as a result of long-term policy changes, there was a 3.86% of increase in overall salaries of the teachers (Knoeppel, Brewer & Curtis 2011). However, research indicates that though the increase in salaries is significant in Kentucky, yet the raise didn’t come directly from the funds. More so, the act called for more teachers to be incorporated by schools such that more teachers are allocated so that quality of education isn`t compromised by adding more students to one class. As a result a higher number of teachers were hired for the purpose. However, due to limited funding, schools had to cut back on the administrative staff, where number of teachers outnumbered the administrative staff in schools. Also, after having certified via National Board for Training, the teachers were also tested, and bonuses were given away to the teachers on an improved performance of the tests which was directly reflected in their teaching as well. Thus, overall teaching methods were enhanced as a result of state legislation. 5. A comparison of the interventions that occur at the Kentucky state and local levels and how they impact learning in the local schools. Although the interventions via legislative reforms were implemented at the state level, the long term effects were to be reflected on local levels. Efforts were made via KERA and other reforms to incorporate uniform practices throughout the states, where eligibility criteria focused primarily on the test scores of the students. Thus, an argument which floats massively suggests that at the local level interventions were successful where high achievement is prevalent in context to academics. However, those localities with white majority and high-incomes groups were at an advantage since high achievement is directly correlated to some extent. Thus the Support Excellence Act (SEEK) left a somewhat negative impact on local levels, especially in context to low income group areas, however generally the overall trend reflected a positive tilt. Another trend reflected at local level education was the downward trend in context to managerial outcomes (William 2011). Especially in the localities constituting the country-side, the management of the schools wasn’t as efficient, given the requirement to hire more teachers which effectively cut back the administrative staff, thus, this loophole also needs to be addressed. Thus, where education reforms in Kentucky state show improvement at a state level, a few discrepancies may be observed at local level. 6. A conclusion that ties the paper all together and sums up the thesis of the paper. Conclusively, the coordination, development and implementation of the K-12 education programs are managed via The Kentucky Board of Education. The Board looks after all of the 173 commonwealth`s districts. There are around 1,233 public schools functional in Kentucky. The statistics from 2003-2004 indicate that the number of students enrolled in these public schools are 656,503 while around 12,170 children are being home-schooled in the state of Kentucky. Also, the number of teachers enrolled for the purpose are 43, 767 during the period 2009-2010. However, over the years, Kentucky saw various educational reforms with an effort to enhance equity and access standards throughout the state. In order to deal with the reforms, the Department is headed under the leadership of the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner further includes cabinet officials i.e. the Chief of Staff, the Policy Advisor and the Chief Performance Officer. There are other sib-divisions having various offices across the states to ensure the implementation and monitoring of the reforms. The legislature of Kentucky passed a Senate Bill unanimously declaring education reform with an aim to achieve elated standards of education. The reform called for a major collaboration between the elementary as well secondary educations to reach new standards. This legislature further called for a cut in the higher education budget, where around $6 million were allocated to fund the programs for the education. In 2010, Kentucky adopted the Common Core collaboration, which also proved to be a task care for measuring policy. Furthermore, as part of KERA funding was also infiltrated via Support Educational Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK). As part of this program, districts were to receive revenue per student. The amount increases for children at risk, also for those with transportation needs and those with excellent academic background. The district, however, also has to offer a minimum amount of revenue towards the program. At local level, school districts various measures were determined to test the performance of the students. A great measure of equity was observed in terms of opportunity as well as adequacy in funding. However, since the program offered funding depending on the performance of the schools, the high achievers belong to the high income groups, also whites, thus, the standards of equity were observed to be compromised, though legislation was flawless. Thus the Support Excellence Act (SEEK) left a somewhat negative impact on local levels, especially in context to low income group areas, however generally on the state level the overall trend reflected a positive tilt. Another trend reflected at local level education was the downward trend in context to managerial outcomes. Especially in the localities constituting the country-side, the management of the schools wasn’t as efficient, given the requirement to hire more teachers which effectively cut back the administrative staff, thus, this loophole also needs to be addressed. Thus, where education reforms in Kentucky state show improvement at a state level, a few discrepancies may be observed at local level. (Williams 2005) Works Cited: Kentucky. (2012). A guide to the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990. Frankfort, Ky: The Commission. Kentucky. (2011). Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) preschool programs. Frankfort, Ky: Kentucky Dept. of Education. Knoeppel, Robert C., & Brewer, Curtis A. (2011). Education Reform, Equal Opportunity and Educational Achievement: Do Trend Data Adequately Report Progress?. College of Education University of South Florida. William, E. E. (2011). A History of Education in Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. Williams, B. T. (October 01, 2005). Standardized Students: The Problems With Writing for Tests Instead of People. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49, 2, 152-158. Read More