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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 370 732 RC 019 623 AUTHOR DeYoung, Alan J. Whose KERA Is It Anyway? TITLE Kentucky Univ., Lexington. Appalachian Center. INSTITUTION PUB DATE 94 4p.; Photograph will not reproduce. NOTE Journal Articles (080) PUB TYPE JOURNAL CIT Across the Ridge; p3-5 Spr 1994 EDRS PRICE MFOI/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Change Agents; Change Strategies; *Educational Change; Educational Finance; Educational Legislation; *Educational Philosophy; Educational Policy; Element,lry Secondary Education; *Politics of Education; Rural Education Kentucky; *Kentucky Education Reform Act 1990; Reform IDENTIFIERS Efforts ABSTRACT This paper addresses misconceptions about the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Advocates claim that there has never been a statewide school reform of KERA's significance and magnitude. However, Kentucky legislators, both in 1909 and in the mid-1950s, passed governance and finance reforms considered to be as revolutionary as those of KERA. A second claim of KERA advocates is that the myriad of unrelated KERA components are in agreement with the national school reform movement; however, when closely examined, the legislation contains inconsistencies and competing aims. Finally, there is the argument that statewide economic woes are due primarily to poor education; whereas, the reverse is true--Kentucky education has been inadequate due to the lack of industry and leadership to support good schools. Historically, there have been four competing views about school reform and improvement: the humanist view, advocating the teaching of music, poetry, ind philosophy; the social efficiency movement, stressing the importance of providing an education that has meaning and social utility; the developmentalist view, stressing consideration of children's mental and psychological development when providing learning experiences; and the social meliorists, who believe that the purpose of education is to improve the social condition of children born into poverty and neglect. KERA draws much of its appeal from the fact that all reformers can recognize their vision of school improvement in the Act. However, supporters of KERA who believe that all involved have an equal stake in the Act probably underestimate complexities and competing interests. The author's primary interest in KERA is in its emphasis on site-based councils, extended school services, family and youth service centers, and enhancement and retention of small schools that serve multiple needs of rural communities. (LP) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS U.S. DEPARTNENT Of EDUCATION gamMIN (Mc. of Educatateml Remerch and Imptoyeinmont MATER!AL HAS REEN GRANTED BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION p/p-,,J CENTER (ERIC) Whose KERA Is It Anyway? H Ye; cSocument Ras been reproduced es deportation roccved f rom fh poison of Originating it by Alan J. DeYoung CI Minor changes nav been made to Improve 4 reprOctuCtIOn Quality ocaniona stated in this docu- or TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Ponta of official ment do not necesSanlY represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." policy p011itiOn or OE RI (Educational reform, after all, sible in a longer format; Supporters of the Ken- not primarily about instructional others 1 review below. tucky Education Reform objectives. It is primarily a refo- Finally, there is the Act rightly point out that cusing and reform of social and "all eyes arc on Ken- argument that our state- %....political objectives. wide economic woes are tucky," because ours is primarily due to poor one of the very few states education. As an educator, I would argue the which is currently attempting systemic and com- reverse: Kentucky schools are comparatively prehensive schoot reform. KERA supporters are poor because we have historically not had the somewhat less candid about other aspects of sort of industry and leadership to provide good KERA as they strive to explain and defend the schools. We'd all like to believe that better Act, however. In their zeal to convince us about schools will bring about better jobs: I believe the sancthy of KERA, advocates conveniently that better jobs will bring about better schools. overstate or misstate important facts. Ironically, A good example of this may be in Scott County KERA aficionados seem to fear that a public, where Toyota is apparently having a large im- educated about the complexities and vagaries pact upon school quality there. I don't believe of KERA, will lose faith in its ostensible magic Toyota was attracted to Scott County because before the enemies of a well-educated citizenry the elementary and secondary schools were par- are vanquished. ticularly good at the time. As an academic, three particular misconcep- In any event, much of the rhetoric behind tions about KERA appear to me most blatant. KERA is inflated and uncritical. Other portions The first is the claim that never before has there are only partly accurate. This doesn't mean that been statewide school reform of KERA's sig- we shouldn't support the Act, for it is clearly a nificance and magnitude. This is an arguable dramatic and important piece of legislation with assertion. Kentucky legislators twice this cen- great potential for improving our schools and tury, in 1909 and in the mid-1950s, passed gov- our state. On the other hand, keeping silent on ernance and finance reforms considered at the time virtually as revolutionary as those of the overstatements and improbable claims about KERA may in the long run prove counterpro- KERA. Redefining equitable and adequate fund- ductive. KERA will be challenged and amended ing formulas, as well as devising interesting in legislative sessions ahead, but hopefully for accountability mechanisms, happens often in the right reasons. Kentucky and other states. They will happen again. KERA in Historical Perspective A second persistent claim of KERA advo- School reform in the U.S. has a 150-year his- cates is that the myriad of unrelated KERA com- tory, and KERA is clearly now part of this his- ponents in governance, finance and curriculum tory. Herbert Kliebard of the University of Wis- fit seamlessly together in a context of unilateral consin argues that there have been four compet- agreement among national school reformers re- ing visions about school reform and improve- garding the merits of these KERA policies and ment during this period, which he describes as strategies. This is clearly an overstatement at Efficiency, Social Humanist, the best. For a set of policies put together quickly Developmentalist, and Social Meliorist educa- by a committce, KERA is an impressive piece tional reform advocates. In the age when mas- of work. But there are inconsistencies and com- tering the liberal arts and humanities were syn- peting aims within the legislation. Some of these points require the sort of discussion only pos- continued on next page Across the Ridge page 3 2 AVAILABLE BEST COPY de- through stages of mental and psychological cultivating the in- onymous with schoofing, when velopment which determines what and "gentl.:!- tellect and preparing for the life of a humanists and they can learn. Since both the man" was the focus of education. We in teaching the social efficiency camps urged the academia still carry seeds of this hope to of someone else's knowledge, developmentahsts talk of sys- most of our classes. Thus, when formal rejected both of those perspectives on temic school improvement surfaces, human- of schooling. ists flack to the schoolhouse with visions Kliebard labels his final category of histori- expanding the teaching of music, poetry, These cal school reformers as social meliorists. philosophy and civics to the masses. condi- folk believed that improving the social Humanists were roundly criticized by the tion of children born to poverty and neglect social efficiency group Kliebard describes as schools. ought to be the primary focus of public aficionados in the late nineteenth century. and And they believed that public schools could These folk were much and should be the agency which investigated more pragmatic in day. helped to solve the social problems of the Supporters of KERA their educational con- the Social ameliocate advocates argued that cerns, and wanted to who believe that ail the humanists were loo tied to the past; that make sure that what- social efficiency folks would primarily enhance ever was being taught Kentuckians have an trajectories the mindles Q. economic development in the public school eoat stake in the Act of a culture losing touch with human and com- was being taught be- might munity needs; and that developmentalism cause it had real-world probably underestimate noth- elucidate some educational means, but had vocational or social of ing to say about the desirable social aims utility for students its complexities and schooling. once they left school. competing interests. They were also most Kliebard and KERA concerned that what- If you are like me, you probably found your- ever was being taught self identifying with one or another of Kliebard's and effectively. was being taught efficiently and categories. You may also concur with him, Such a competing philosophy of educa- exclusive. The me, that they are often mutually tion led to interesting battles between human- reform battle between different educational ists and social efficiency proponents earlier educational philoso- groups holding different this century, just as they do today. Then, for phies has raged now since the late nineteenth instance, humanists' proposals for extend- grounds to judge century. There are few rational ing the teaching of Greek in our high schools for which educational philosophy is "correct," in the early twentieth century--because it was val- they are each attached to competing social beaten the language of culture and art--were their supporters and ues, and they each have They back by social efficiency proponents. defenders. claimed that Greek was not only a dead lan- Kliebard does argue, however, that signifi- much to teach com- guage, but that it cost too this century cant school reform has occurred of pared to French or German. The teaching when two or more of the four groups have come uni- Greek was thus relegated to colleges and briefly together; i.e., when one group's solu- versities, still the domain of humanists. tion appeals to one or several other groups. Civil Then there were the deveiopmentalists. rights, desegregation and the expansion of Dcvelopmentalists argued that whatever schooling in the 1960s migilt be a good example: its origin passed for education had to have Here, social meliorists were convinced that the child. within the mind and experience of equality of educational opportunity could solve be im- Education could not and should not the social problems of racism and unemploy- children go posed from without, for all page 4 Across the Ridge ment; social efficiency advocates believed that is in its emphasis on more schooling for everyone would have posi- site-based councils, tive benefit for the national economy; human- extended school ser- ists would get more kids in college to teach; and vices, and family and developmentalists opened up free schools where youth service centers. there were no adult rules for children to follow. I am much less enam- Of course, thirty years later, we still have rac- ored with all the mil- ism, underemployment, not enough philoso- lions of dollars being phers, and few "free schools" or "open" class- spent on measuring rooms. learner outcomes in KERA, too, draws much of its appeal from novel ways, or spent the fact that believers in each of Kliebard's four on technology. As edu- educational philosophers can see their vision of cation dollars either school improvement in the Act. Social efficiency fall short or get redi- supporters love the way KERA speaks to school- rected to other govern- inf., for better employees and transitions to the ment programs, I will world of work. They also love the accountabil- complain about the ity proposals, where rewards and sanctions lack of money for en- based on new competency tests will drive which hancing and retaining schools and which teachers get monetary incen- small schools which '1! for good t i ves performance. Some Alan J. DeYoung is Associate Director of the serve multiple needs Appalachian Center and Professor of Educational developmentalists, on the other hand, love un- of rural communities l'olicy Studies and Evaluation at the University graded primaries and hope for restructured high in the face of those of Kentucky. who chant about schools where no children will fail because "all children can achieve at high levels." "world class stan- We in academia, as I noted before, continue dards" and call for ever greater expenditures on to believe that well-educated high school stu- better portfolio assessments and more comput- dents will love the sort of humanities classes we ers in the classroom. teach here, and that KERA will bring about a My educational values center upon the im- flowering of enthusiasm for literature, music and portance of using schools to enhance communi- civic participation. Most of my colleagues ties and link children to those communities. So, haven't heard yet about the mission of some i will speak highly of the KERA objectives that KERA advocates who claim higher education address these values. I will remain skeptical and will have to be restructured next. These folk critical of the ones which conflict with my val- claim that our reputed lecture courseswhich ues. Educational reform, after all, is not prima- make students, rather than the instructors, ac- rily about instructional objectives. It is prima- countable for learning--are on the way out. Sup- rily a refocusing and reform of social and politi- posedly, the excited learners produced by KERA cal objectives. KERA is neither the beginning at the high school level will find commonwealth nor the end of such refocusing. Rather, it is an institutions of higher education boring in the effort at recreating the "common wealth." We future, which will demand new ways of teach- all have a continuing stake in debating and fa- ing by university faculty. cilitating the common wealth, not just in imple- Which gets me, at last, to the point. Support- menting KERA. ers of KERA who believe that all Kentuckians Note: For further considerationsee Herbert have an equal stake in the Act probably under- Kliebard, Struggle for the American Curricu- estimate the complexities and competing inter- lum, 1893-1953, Boston, Rout1edge and Keegan ests. As a "communitarian" in the social Paul, 1986. meliorist tradition, my primary KERA interest 4 Across the Ridge page 5