Jefferson County by the Numbers

Start with the Heart:

Carrithers Middle School teacher Darren Atkinson implements the techniques of social and emotional learning.

Credit: Nathan Kirkman

Total students: 99,000 in grades preK-12, in 89 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, and 18 high schools

-- 53 percent are Caucasian
-- 36 percent are African American
-- 11 percent are of other race/ethnicity
-- 59 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch
-- 5 percent are English-language learners

Average expenditure per pupil: $12,107.34

Superintendent: Sheldon Berman arrived in July 2007 from Hudson, Massachusetts, where as superintendent he launched popular programs in civics education, service learning, and social and emotional learning.

Launch of the CARE for Kids program in social and emotional learning: summer 2008

Schools participating in the first year of CARE for Kids: 28 elementary schools and all sixth-grade teachers

Schools joining in the second year of CARE for Kids: 27 more elementary schools and all seventh-grade teachers

Annual expenditure on CARE for Kids: About $500,000 for professional development, or about $5 per student

Jefferson County students scoring "Proficient" or "Distinguished" on the Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) in 2009:

Elementary school reading: 65 percent
Elementary school writing: 50 percent
Elementary school math: 62 percent

Middle school reading: 58 percent
Middle school writing: 35 percent
Middle school math: 50 percent

High school reading: 62 percent
High school writing: 45 percent
High school math: 43 percent

Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary School students scoring "Proficient" or "Distinguished" on the KCCT:

Reading
-- 2008: 59 percent
-- 2009: 60 percent

Writing
-- 2008: 34 percent
-- 2009: 45 percent

Math
-- 2008: 61 percent
-- 2009: 69 percent

Olmsted Academy North (middle school for boys) students scoring "Proficient" or "Distinguished" on the KCCT*:

Reading
-- 2008: 32 percent
-- 2009: 26 percent

Writing
-- 2008: 14 percent
-- 2009: 24 percent

Math
-- 2008: 15 percent
-- 2009: 26 percent

*Note that Olmsted changed from coed to all boys in summer 2008.

(Year-to-year comparisons on the KCCT cannot be made for Carrithers Middle School due to significant changes in its student population.)

School-culture changes at CARE for Kids schools, 2007–08 to 2008–09

Breckinridge-Franklin
- Decline in suspensions and discipline referrals: 50 percent
- Decline in tardies and early dismissals: 13 percent

Carrithers
- Decline in in-school suspensions: 9 percent
- Decline in time-outs: 52 percent
- Total classes failed by students in the first six weeks of school in 2008: 411
- Total classes failed by students in the first six weeks of school in 2009: 195 (53 percent decrease)

Olmsted
- Decline in discipline referrals: 50 percent

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