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n 1991, the executives of Kentucky's three largest employers — Oz Nelson, Chairman and CEO of UPS, David A. Jones, Chairman and CEO of Humana Inc., and John R. Hall, Chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. — established the Partnership on behalf of the national Business Roundtable.
Believing that education is the back bone of economic stability, these founders invited 50 other Kentucky leaders to join them in making a 10-year commitment to the successful implementation of education reform. Since that time, the Partnership has worked for the improvement of Kentucky's schools within the framework of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA).
In the fall of 1996, the Partnership for Kentucky School Reform was renamed the Partnership for Kentucky Schools. This name change reflected the fact that education reform was now no longer in the implementation stage, but a vital part of the everyday life in Kentucky classrooms.
The Partnership has become a model for business-driven education improvement organizations around the country, and has won numerous awards and national recognitions.
