By Claire Lewis

The University of Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development has received a gift of $1 million from the Mary K. Oxley foundation, in hopes that it can help fund educational improvement for schools in some of Louisville’s most impoverished neighborhoods. The gift will be used to attract talented, innovative teachers to the Louisville area, in addition to aiding educators in their pursuit of certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Initially, the gift will be targeting two Jefferson County Public Schools: J.B. Atkinson Elementary School and The Academy at Shawnee High School. The Academy is a department of the school that educates students who want to pursue a career in aerospace engineering and energy technology. As of 2009, 90 percent of Atkinson Elementary students were on the JCPS free or reduced lunch program, compared to only 28 percent of the student body at St. Matthews Elementary School, a school in the East end. Only 55.9 percent of Atkinson students scored proficient or above on the 2009 reading portion of the Kentucky Core Content Test. This percentage is below both district and state averages and significantly below the scores at St. Matthews Elementary.

“These schools aren’t getting the attention or the resources that they need,” said the mother of a third grade student at Atkinson Elementary. “And it’s just a matter of location. We are all relieved to hear about what U of L is doing.”

Statistics show that, in some cases, location isn’t necessarily the only problem. Seventy-eight percent of Shawnee High School students are on the free or reduced lunch program and only 26.09 percent of the student body scored proficient or higher on the reading section of last year’s KCCT. Meanwhile, less than six miles away, students at DuPont Manual High School beat both district and state averages, with 94.51 percent of the student body scoring within or beyond the proficient category on last year’s test. Both institutions are considered magnet schools.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, that school’s out in the projects, the ghetto, the West side,’ and just blame everything on that,” said Kristen Newland, a U of L freshman and recent DuPont Manual graduate. “But the real problem is about who’s doing the educating and who gets the funding.”

The $1 million will also pay for a Teacher in Residence post, to be filled by an educator with skills and experience in understanding and meeting the needs of urban schools. The improvement plan is part of U of L’s Signature Partnership Initiative. The program, launched by the university in 2007, hopes to improve the lives of West Louisville residents and increase the opportunities available to them.

The gift was awarded by Debby Oxley, an educator who graduated from U of L. She attended the daily morning meeting at Atkinson Elementary and was moved by what she saw. Every day around 9 a.m., all students, staff, and faculty members gather in the school’s gymnasium where they are addressed by Principal Dewey Hensley, and then led in a cheer where each grade shouts the year they will graduate from high school and attend college.

“Everything they do at that school is focused on getting kids ready for college,” says Starr Lewis, Assistant to the Dean for Teacher Education Partnerships and Development at UofL.

The students then recite a pledge that reads:

“I am proud of me. I am proud of my teachers. I am proud of my school. Each day I pledge to: Show how much I care. Demonstrate CHARACTER. Meet all CHALLENGES. Get ready for COLLEGE.”

“You can’t imagine how moving it is to hear several hundred students

calling this out with conviction.” said Lewis.

The funding may later be stretched to include other schools in Louisville (specifically Portland Elementary, Western Middle School, and Central High School), spreading hope amongst many residents for better educational opportunities to be made available to students. A header on the Academy at Shawnee website reads: “A rich history. A new beginning.” A new beginning is precisely what students, parents, and educators at all levels in the Louisville area are hoping for.