The Courier-Journal

In 1994, Engelhard Elementary, an urban school with poor test scores, became the first in Jefferson County to adopt a year-round calendar to boost student achievement.

Every year, dozens of students apply to Brandeis Elementary, an urban Louisville school with a popular magnet program focusing on math, science and technology -- only to be turned away for lack of space.

Before you start reading, tell your child to look at the pictures in the book and predict what will happen in the story. Tell your child to skip the word and read a few more sentences. Then tell your child to go back to the difficult word to try to figure it out again. This strategy teaches students to use context to read unfamiliar words.

Tuition would rise 13 percent next school year for more than 90,000 students in Kentucky's community and technical colleges under a proposal approved by the schools' regents yesterday

Nearly nine in 10 public elementary school parents in Jefferson County say it's important to bring together students from different races and backgrounds to learn, according to a University of Kentucky survey released by Jefferson County Public Schools last night.

Ideally, students develop solid reading skills by the time they get to high school, where teachers concentrate on content rather than reading instruction. But parents still should encourage their teens -- even if they already read well

The Kentucky Education Department is proposing $46 million in cuts to school districts as part of Gov. Steve Beshear's request to reduce state agency spending by 12 percent for the coming fiscal year.

Ciera Thompson and Colin Butin are two reasons why Jeffersonville High School is no longer on academic probation. Like many other students, the two 16-year-old sophomores struggled with the annual Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, or ISTEP, as freshmen in 2006.

Faced with a lawsuit they say they couldn't win, officials with Jefferson County Public Schools say they will no longer consider race when hiring or transferring teachers.

Postsecondary education council seeks more funding
Saying deep state budget cuts would lead to higher tuition and diminish financial aid, Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education passed a resolution yesterday calling on legislators to find revenue somewhere to offset the reductions.

Jefferson County's first all-boy and all-girl public schools in decades would open their doors this fall -- and any middle-schooler in the district would be eligible to attend, under a new proposal before the school board tonight.

He's been Kentucky's education commissioner for only two months, but Jon Draud should get the same amount of sick time and vacation as if he were a 15-year veteran, the state Board of Education decided yesterday.

Race, income and education would be considered equally in assigning students and keeping Jefferson County's public schools integrated under a student-assignment plan released yesterday.

$650,000 would go for teacher support
Determined to raise student achievement in mathematics, science and social studies, Jefferson County school Superintendent Sheldon Berman is proposing an overhaul of the center responsible for developing the district's curriculum.

New educators can work in charter schools
A program that taps professionals to fill teacher shortages in key subject areas will expand next year from the state's largest school district to include charter schools.