Kentucky Moves to Enact Reform Plan

Henderson, Ky.

It's 8:30 A.M. and 45 children, ages 5 to 7, gather in a bright open space at South Heights Elementary School to begin their day with calendar exercises. "Five-year-olds, let's count together,'' a teacher commands, and the youngest members tally up the days of the month thus far. An older child digs through a packet of cards and selects one with "Wednesday'' written on it in large block type.

"Let's spell it together,'' the teacher says. And the whole class chants in chorus. Over the next hour, the students sing songs about the days of the week, identify colors and patterns tied to the calendar activities, and chat about Dr. Seuss, the "author of the month,'' with a second teacher also working with the cluster of 45 youngsters.

Down the hall, nine educators--five teachers, two student teachers, and two aides--convene to plan next week's activities for another group of 5- to 9-year-olds. In the school's conference room, three teachers spend a day away from their classes to score the 4th-grade writing portfolios...