This book tells a compelling story of how Kentucky's Department of Education, in collaboration with a diverse array of partners, embraced continuous improvement approaches to support and strengthen many of the state's highest needs schools. Through the voices of state, district, and teacher-leaders, Allred and Foster provide a deeply personal account of Kentucky's improvement journey and offer lessons for others seeking to adapt these approaches in their own contexts. -- Anthony S. Bryk, president, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Kentucky's journey of continuous improvement to sustainability of systems using School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds is evidence that the struggle was and is worth it. There are no easy and universal answers, but there are successes when school improvement implementation is based on proven organizational and instructional strategies while being just-in-time supported and monitored for effectiveness. -- Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, 2009-2015
With the implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state education agency leaders must model intentional leadership for local districts about effectiveness and efficiency in reaching college and career goals with all students. States can learn much from each other about how to build sustainable processes to meet those goals. Kentucky's District 180 story is one such process to be shared. -- Chris Minnich, executive director, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2012-2018
Packed with practical tools, sound advice, and compelling examples this book is a remarkable case study of practical approaches to the kind of data-driven school improvement processes necessary for schools to improve student learning. -- Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president/CEO, AdvancED
From 2007 to 2015, Kentucky's education system significantly improved its national reputation for innovation and reform. We strengthened support for the lowest performing schools through District 180 and the Educational Recovery Initiative focusing on increasing the capacity of teachers and administrators in those identified schools and giving all students a chance at a quality education. -- Steve Beshear, Governor of Kentucky, 2007-2015
This book is as much for education leaders as it is for the communities that surround our schools and want to make a difference for our young people. Kelly and Susan give us reason for hope that educational excellence can be achieved anywhere if we are willing to come together, within and outside of the school house, in a spirit of shared responsibility and courageous honesty, celebrating even the smallest successes and recommitting daily to a march of continuous improvement together. -- Brigitte Blom Ramsey, executive director, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Lexington, KY
An incredible book that will inform the practice for all of us working to improve the lives of children! I want to thank Kelly Foster and Susan Allred for their contribution to the field of education. This book delves into the lesson's learned around a wide range of specific topics related to school improvement. Despite all that has been learned across the nation school improvement continues to encounter many barriers that has prevented lasting and sustainable reform. Whether it's external factors such as school-community relations, the political climate; or, internal factors such as teacher and principal turnover or principal and teacher capacity- at any given low performing school a myriad of challenges continue to exist. This book is an asset to the field of education as it provides real lessons learned from across many attempts at school improvement reform. In this book, education leaders can find a great deal of guidance specific to addressing existing barriers to sustainable and systemic school improvement. -- Carlas McCauley, director, Center on School Turnaround at WestEd
