FRANKFORT, Ky. (September 21, 2020): 16 state legislators begin year-long project to provide a framework for state education systems to achieve at the highest level.

Senator Max Wise (R-Campbellsville) has been appointed to the 2020-2021 Cohort of the Legislative International Education Study Group. This select, bipartisan group of legislators and staff will embark on a year-long study of the highest performing countries, provinces, and states in the ways they organize their education systems for successful outcomes for all students.

Through 2021, the study will be focused on policies and practices of world-class education systems, including:

• Rigorous and Adaptive Learning Systems
• Effective Teachers and Principals
• Equitable Foundation of Supports
• Coherent and Aligned Governance

Study Group members will also spend over six months thoroughly examining how other systems have implemented equitable and efficient changes to produce world-class performance. Upon conclusion of the study, they will publish their findings to share with their state legislative colleagues and education policy experts here and abroad.

“I appreciate the opportunity to join this vital study of education policies and best practices across the globe,” said Senator Wise. “During these unprecedented times, education policy remains a top priority in Frankfort and throughout the world. I am eager to begin working with this talented group to examine global education standards and practices, which produce world-class performances. I look forward to providing Kentucky with new policy insights and recommendations for the future of our education system.”  

The Legislative International Education Study Group of 16 state legislators and eight legislative staff members responsible for education in their states who were invited and convened by the National Center on Education and the Economy, the National Conference of State Legislatures and Southern Regional Education Board. This is the second such study group, after the first produced the 2016 report No Time to Lose, the most widely read report ever released by NCSL.

Especially relevant in the time of a global pandemic, the legislators will look through the lens of our current distance learning reality to hear how high-performing systems in other jurisdictions have been positioned to innovate to provide a strong and equitable education to all students. The group will also learn how states in the U.S. have begun implementing systemic education redesign based on the recommendations of No Time to Lose.

During their first (virtual) meeting, the study group:

• Learned how the U.S. compares to top-performing education systems and understand the potential impact on our state economies if we fail to improve.
• Explored and discuss NCEE’s policy framework, which distills 35 years of research into the common policies and practices of top-performing education systems to?achieve equity, excellence and efficiency.
• Discussed challenges with benchmarking other countries and why it is a useful approach. 
• Selected a jurisdiction to further study in a small group through December.

Resources

NCSL Forms International Study Group Aimed at Improving Education

NCSL International Education Study Group Report Released