Empowering leaders at each level of the implementation of improvement processes is essential if public schools are to survive moving forward. The story of Kentucky's continuous improvement can be evidenced from the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990, and the intensive systems work since 2009 outlined in Senate Bill 1 and amended by House Bill 176 (2010). Even with a significantly different governance and support approach outlined in Senate Bill 1 (2017) by aligning federal statute regulation and initiatives, state statute and regulation, state school board goals, local school board policies and school improvement plans, a consistent message of expectation is clarified for schools and classrooms. Key core work processes aligned behind those policies lead to systems that can be flexible and adjust to the political and economic climates that surround the work of learning without total disruption of the system. The use of transparent design and common instruction while monitoring quality tools is making a recognizable difference. Funding from the sometimes-maligned School Improvement Grant (SIG) process from the United States Department of Education and work with key partners enables the establishing of sustainable systems for continuous improvement in the areas of planning, use of data, fiscal management, student support, and teacher support owned by leaders at each level of implementation. The pertinent data and reports, the human story, the tools used, and lessons learned are a continuous improvement story into sustainability which will resonate with all who lead in education at any level reaffirming that we can do this!
About the Author: Kelly Foster is a Kentucky native whose family has lived in Kentucky for generations. She attended public schools and public universities where she earned her BA and MA from Eastern Kentucky University and MA in Administration and EdD from Morehead State University. After teaching and administrative experience in schools and districts, she is an associate commissioner at the Kentucky Department of Education. Susan Allred received a BA from UNC-Charlotte, MA from Gardner-Webb University and an EdS from Appalachian State University, all in NC. She taught in public middle and high schools for 20 years and was an administrator for 20 years at the school, district and state levels in NC, SC, and KY