Jeffersontown public schools are part of the
Jefferson County Public School District (JCPS), the 26th-largest school
district in the United States and the largest school system in Kentucky.
The district’s student-to-teacher ratio is 18-to-1, the per-pupil
expenditure is $8,824, and the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools accredits all schools.
Jeffersontown Elementary’s Primary School
Program has been chosen as a model for the Kentucky Department of Education.
Students can receive law-related education, and the Aerospace Program
allows students to attend space and environmental camps. Jeffersontown
offers Early Childhood Jump Start programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, before-
and after-school child care services, and a Family Resource Center for
students and parents. Parents can be involved with the School-Based
Decision Making Council.
Tully Elementary’s facility includes a computer technology center,
a fireside room for taping a morning telecast, an equipped science lab
with an attached greenhouse, and a large, grassy play area with state-of-the-art
playground equipment. Students benefit from innovative teaching strategies
that include the integration of technology into the curriculum, literature-based
reading, environmental education programs and cultural-diversity programs.
The school offers the Advance Program, Extended School Services, and
Early Childhood Jump Start programs for 3- and 4-year-olds. Tully is
a School-Based Decision Making school.
When JCPS students enter the sixth grade, they
are assigned to one team within their school and grade level. Teams
of two to five teachers work with the same students in the same part
of the school building. This makes the transition from elementary school
easier. Jeffersontown’s middle school, Carrithers Middle, features
a “back to basics” curriculum in core subjects like language,
math, science and social studies. Carrithers’ Business/Technology
Immersion Program centers on an in-school mini-mall where students may
spend money they earn for being good students. Carrithers students recently
won national honors in Robotics in the middle school division of the
Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Jeffersontown High’s mission is to prepare
students for future opportunities. Students are assessed to find where
their aptitudes lie, and resources are provided for both liberal arts
and engineering sciences. Jeffersontown High has developed numerous
business-education partnerships, and the educational experience at Jeffersontown
High includes job shadowing, mentoring and job-placement opportunities.
Students may also take advanced-placement courses and college-credit
classes. Jeffersontown High boasts a nationally prominent Marine Corps
JROTC program, as well as a full range of academic, athletic, curricular
and extracurricular activities. Jeffersontown High’s nationally
acclaimed pre-engineering magnet program, Project Lead the Way (PLTW),
is a four-year program of five courses focusing on math, science and
technology. PLTW allows students to explore engineering and technology
careers, and students can earn college credits and participate in senior
internships with local businesses.
The Academy for Individual Excellence (AIE) helps
students of all abilities reach their potential. A varied mix of students
is placed together in each classroom to benefit from shared experience.
AIE’s curriculum has three focuses: rote memorization and a thorough
grounding in basic subjects like math, reading, history and science
are familiar educational aspects, while “sponge” learning
is based on the belief that children can “soak up” information.
The “sponge” room is a large resource and activity room in
which students can focus on any subject that catches their interest.
Catholic education is also an option for Jeffersontown parents. The
Archdiocese of Louisville is the parent parish of two churches in Jeffersontown,
St. Edward and St. Michael, that offer Catholic schools for residents.
St. Edward School, located at 9610 Sue Helen Drive, was established
in 1884. Contact the school at 502-267-6633 for more information. St.
Michael School, established in 1975, is located at 12707 Taylorsville
Road and can be reached at 502-267-6155.
McKendree College • 11850 Commonwealth Drive • 502-266-6696
With so many businesses choosing Jeffersontown, it makes sense for a
business college to choose the city, too.
“The location matched well with our mission to serve the business
community,” says McKendree College President Dr. Bob Gervasi. “My
predecessor had a sense the Jeffersontown area was going to be the growth
engine of the region.”
McKendree is a non-profit, four-year, career-oriented liberal arts college
with a curriculum that features professional majors on a broad base
of general education courses. Degree programs are offered in accounting
(BBA), business administration (AS & BBA), computer information
systems (BS), management (BBA), nursing (BS) and organizational communication
(BA).
The college was the second building in Blankenbaker Crossings, now home
to such notable businesses as Papa John’s, Sears and SAM’s
Club. As students work to train for business careers, they can also
thrive on the burgeoning energy of the industrial park.
Since 1973, McKendree has offered degree programs on accelerated schedules
designed for working professionals in Kentucky. Classes are scheduled
on a unique one-month modular system that allows students to earn three
to four semester hours of credit per month by attending three sessions
a week. Most of the students attending McKendree are adults, juggling
work and/or family responsibilities. This type of modular scheduling
offers flexibility for those who have other commitments and find it
difficult to attend college under the traditional semester concept.
McKendree College was recently named one of America’s “Top
100 Best College Buys” by Institutional Research and Evaluation,
Inc. for its long-standing history of providing a high-quality education
at a cost well below the national average. Tuition is 33 percent lower
than the average cost at four-year colleges.
McKendree specializes in helping students who seek to advance their
current careers, make a change to a new career, enter the workforce
for the first time or re-enter after time away. “We enjoy working
with students to upgrade their skills to be even more productive,”
Gervasi says.
“Our main mission,” Gervasi concludes, “is to provide
business degrees to our people, making the business community a better
place.”
ITT Technical • 10509 Timberwood Circle, Suite 100 Louisville,
KY • 502-327-7424
It’s no surprise that ITT offers degrees in computer and information
technology. But what many don’t know is that it also offers a variety
of complementary services to business and industry recruiting professionals.
The Career Services department of ITT Tech helps businesses through
applicant pre-screening, multiple on-campus interview options, graduating
a steady stream of trained new candidates through quarterly graduations
in most programs, and promoting interest in area companies through on-site
career fairs held at no charge for students or employers.
ITT strives to help students develop the technical knowledge and skills
needed in the current employment market, while helping businesses find
qualified candidates to fill open positions in their companies.
