History of Education Reform in Kentucky Oral History Transcribing Project

The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1990 in response to a ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court that declared Kentucky's educational system was unconstitutional. The legislature enacted sweeping changes regarding funding and curricula for Kentucky's primary and secondary school system. More local control of the curricula was ceded to the local school boards, and funding was more equitably distributed t~roughout the commonwealth. Although some of KERA's provisions have proven to be controversial, test scores and other measurable criteria indicate that the reforms have succeeded in improving Kentucky's educational system. KERA has brought Kentucky to the forefront of educational reform in the United States and around the world. In 1998, The Ford Foundation and Harvard University awarded Kentucky's education system the Innovations in American Government Award. The History of Education in Kentucky: Education Reform Oral History Project contains interviews with individuals who played key roles in the reformation of Kentucky's educational system including participants in the original lawsuit against the commonwealth, educators, legislators, and government officials. The interviews were conducted largely by William H. McCann, Jr. and doctoral candidates at the University of Kentucky's College of Education.