Southern states are in danger of losing critical, hard-earned gains in early childhood education if state legislatures in the region enact substantial cuts to pre-kindergarten programs (Pre-K), according to a report to be released on March 2 by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) in Atlanta. 

Read the press release. For EXPLORE and PLAN data, and other resources, visit our Data and Resources page.

Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help fund work. Read the press release

Kentucky yesterday became the first state to adopt common academic standards that were drafted as part of a nationwide initiative to establish a widely shared and ambitious vision of student learning, says Education Week.

Kentucky became the first state in the nation to formally adopt new "common core content standards" for math and English language arts in grades K-12 on Wednesday evening, an initiative that will guide public education in the state for years to come, says the Lexington Herald-Leader.