It gave them the opportunity to help make decisions about what students are learning and how the school's money is spent. Decision making at the school level is a key component of Kentucky's education reform system. The idea of school-based decision making is to improve student achievement by letting those closest to the students make decisions.
Councils make policy decisions about issues such as curriculum, discipline, technology, and budget.
A parent involved in decision making becomes involved at the ultimate level. They get down in the trenches with teachers and principals and see first-hand the real needs of the school. The institute, launched in 1997 by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, has trained almost 700 parents. Many graduates are empowered to become actively involved in school-based decision making. One graduate has been appointed to the Kentucky Board of Education.