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Recent press releases:
Bullying
Bill a Thinly Disguised Gay Rights Bill (01/30/04)
"We can deal with bullying in
schools without writing gay rights language into state law," said Martin
Cothran, senior policy analyst for The Family Foundation of Kentucky.
Do
"High Schools that Work" Really Work? (12/11/02)
Kentucky schools designated as "High Schools that Work" rank
below average in terms of ACT scores and drop out rates, according to Family
Foundation policy analyst Martin Cothran.
Worry
More About the Cloning Lawmakers have Allowed Here (08/04/02)
The
kind of cloning that former University of
Kentucky researcher Panayiotis Zavos announced yesterday that he was doing
oversees is bad, says a Lexington, Kentucky-based family group, but what the
State Legislature has allowed his former university employer to do is even
worse.
Jefferson County African-American graduation rates still low after adjustment (11/14/01)
A New York think tank which made national news yesterday for its report on graduation rates for the 50 states said it made a statistical error in calculating graduation rates for African-Americans in Jefferson County, but the rate remains extremely low for both the county and the state.
Kentucky 4th graders fall further behind nation in math, says new national report card (08/01/01)
Kentucky 4th grade students have fallen further behind the nation in math performance, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released today,
raising questions as to the effectiveness of Kentucky’s education reforms in an important area of basic skills.
State
family group calls on KET to stop attack on Boy Scouts (06/18/01)
“IF KET IS GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN GAY PRIDE MONTH through its programming,” said Martin
Cothran, spokesman for The Family Foundation of Kentucky, “then they need to
find a way to do it without using taxpayer money, and they certainly shouldn’t
do it at the expense of the Boy Scouts.”
State
School Board Votes to Grade Test on a Curve (06/05/01)
"WHAT THIS DECISION ESSENTIALLY MEANS is that the statewide CATS tests will now be graded on a curve," said a spokesman for an educational watchdog group,
"and everyone knows that when you grade on a curve it's easier to get a high score."
Family Foundation Joins Conservative Groups to Repudiate U. S. House Version of Bush Education Plan (05/03/01)
"A CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT should have a conservative education policy," said a spokesman for The Family Foundation of Kentucky, "but this is not a
conservative education plan." Martin Cothran, spokesman for the group said it was joining today with other national organizations, including the Family Research
Council, to oppose the Bush education plan in the House by signing a statement of opposition.
State
School Board to Make Decisions on Inflation of State Test Scores in June
(04/06/01)
THE KENTUCKY BOARD OF EDUCATION discussed
a new scoring method for state tests yesterday, and announced that it would
make a decision about the matter in its June meeting. The new testing
method could dramatically inflate student scores on the state's CATS assessment
tests in many areas, said a spokesman for The Family Foundation of Kentucky.
State
School Board to Review Dramatic Inflation of State CATS Test Scores
(04/05/01)
THE KENTUCKY BOARD OF EDUCATION will take
up the issue of setting new testing standards that could dramatically inflate
student scores on the state's CATS assessment tests in many areas, according
to a Family Foundation of Kentucky spokesman. The new scoring proposal
could also give some lower performing schools reason for arguing that they
should have received cash awards in 2000.
Kentucky
family group calls legislative election filing schedule "Incumbent Protection
System" (01/16/01)
THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF KENTUCKY called
the current filing deadline for legislative challengers in early January
the "Kentucky Incumbent Protection System." In an opinion piece sent
to community newspapers, Martin Cothran, spokesman for the group,
pointed to the practice of placing the filing deadline before most legislative
votes were cast, rather than after, as a way of avoiding accountability
to voters, since it results in fewer challengers filing to run against
incumbents.
Best
are worst and worst are best in national education report, says Kentucky
watchdog group (01/11/01)
THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF KENTUCKY today
pointed out inconsistencies in a national report released yesterday that
ranked Kentucky higher in some categories than others state that are leaders
in more objective national comparisons. "According to this report,"
said Martin Cothran, "some of the best states are the worst when it comes
to education, and some of the worst states are best. Go figure."
