Kentucky Primary: A Missed Opportunity?
From contributing blogger Alyson Klein:
Kentucky and Oregon hold their Democratic primaries today. And I have to say, I'm sorry we didn't get to the Blue Grass State earlier in the election cycle, when it might have actually mattered more. The state has a storied history of education redesign, dating back nearly two decades with the Kentucky Education Reform Act. And there's a great debate going on there right now about whether to revamp the state's assessments or leave in place the current system, which includes student portfolios.
It's the kind of in-the-weeds, local issue that typically doesn't get addressed in a presidential contest, but if Kentucky had as much influence as say, Iowa, New Hampshire or (this time around) Pennsylvania, the candidates might have felt compelled to talk about it, maybe as part of seeking the endorsement of teachers' unions and other education groups in the state.
That would have given us a good idea of where the candidates stand on using multiple measures to assess student progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, which has been a major issues in the debate over the law's reauthorization. The law's renewal will likely be completed under the next president's watch.
