As of January 2025, there are more than 200 dedicated Teach Kentucky teachers making a difference in schools across the Commonwealth. We take pride in fostering the ongoing professional development of educators who have excelled in their teaching careers. A significant number of our teachers have achieved National Board Certification,
As Teach Kentucky matures as a program, we are beginning to see more clearly how our recruitment, retention and networked teacher support can have a positive impact, especially when there is a high concentration of TKY alumni and current participants at a single school. At Frederick Law Olmsted Academy North,
Lauren Niemann (2010 Cohort) teaches a self-designed Environmental Science class at Fern Creek in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). Below she shares some of the exciting work she’s currently leading in JCPS, while raising young children with husband and fellow TKY alumn, Jacob Reed (2009).
Because she has been there before, Cassie understands the unique challenges of learning English, being part of an immigrant community, and having other learning challenges. From this understanding of her students, Cassie knows how critical it is to teach them to be resilient and take ownership of their learning.
Jamie Oleka teaches science at Southern High School and is one of two fellows this year in a partnership between Teach Kentucky and the Louisville Water Company designed to bring programming into high school classrooms. School Community Learning partnerships are essential to expanded learning. We have been fortunate enough to partner
Jessie: My experience working as a scientist in San Francisco very much impacts my work, because I look at the students’ experiences in the classroom as preparation for jobs later. I want to help them be successful with real skills.
Tyler: I expect to see Southern High School continue to grow and improve based on a variety of measures. We want all our students to graduate high school with a plan and the ability to implement that plan. We can accomplish this together by focusing on improving the instruction delivered
For Adam, part of being able to push students to those deeper levels has meant providing his visually impaired students with authentic opportunities to experiment and to experience labs through their own senses. “My current students have more significant needs [than did my students in mainstream public schools], so I’ve
Teach Kentucky third-year teacher, Sara Meierding (2014 TKY cohort) now leads the Digital Promise Verizon Innovative Learning school grant at Shawnee Middle School in Jefferson County Public Schools. Sara has worked to leverage the TKY network to support her students’ learning, engagement, access and motivation at Shawnee Middle.
Teach Kentucky’s impact is growing as alumni like Melissa Shearon and Deloreon Burton move into leadership positions. As members of KDE’s Education Recovery Team, these two TKY alumni support other teachers and administrators in JCPS schools that need support.
Teach Kentucky is committed to recruiting educators who reflect the Louisville community. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, age, ancestry, or disability.
