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Thousands of educators participated in JCPS’ Academic Innovation Summit. Submitted photo

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is on a mission to transform what teaching and learning look like for every student. At the center of this work is Journey to Success, an initiative that goes beyond access to grade-level content and empowers students to actively engage in their learning, demonstrate their growth, and develop the skills to thrive as prepared and resilient learners, productive collaborators, emerging innovators, effective communicators, and globally and culturally competent citizens.

Through Journey to Success, JCPS envisions vibrant, student-centered experiences where learners show what they know in multiple ways; from painted essays and math discourse to formal defenses of learning in grades 5, 8, and 12. But turning that vision into reality requires aligned high-quality instructional materials, tools and systems that support teachers in bringing that kind of learning to life.

The district began its transformation with a focused effort on early literacy, recognizing that foundational skills are the gateway to long-term reading success. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just about incremental improvement,鈥� said JCPS Chief Academic Officer Terra Greenwell. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about setting a strong, early foundation that will propel students鈥� literacy journey for years to come.鈥�

As the district鈥檚 momentum grew, so did its commitment to knowledge-building using rich, grade-level text; strengthening adolescent literacy; building coherence across grade levels; and deepening professional learning for educators. To bring this vision to life, JCPS adopted 99re视频精品 Department of Education (KDE)-approved high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) for literacy across all K鈥�12 classrooms, ensuring that the instructional resources are tightly aligned with the district鈥檚 strategic priorities and student-centered goals.

These resources were selected through a rigorous, collaborative process, including third-party vetting, school site-based decision-making consultations and input from a 50/50 stakeholder committee representing teachers, administrators, union leaders and specialists from high-needs schools, Exceptional Child Education (ECE) and multilingual learner (ML) programs.

鈥淲e were looking for a resource that was closely aligned with our systems and pillars – equity, student engagement and culture and climate,鈥� said Shauna Evans, middle school English language arts specialist for JCPS.

Professional Learning That Builds Capacity and Community

In order to build capacity and ensure success for their teachers, JCPS paired its HQIR adoption with robust curriculum-based professional learning systems. Teachers and leaders participated in two years of onboarding training focused on effective HQIR use. Academic coaches and administrators received regular professional learning, including walkthroughs with feedback aligned to use of their HQIR. Educators were also offered the opportunity to dive deep into the science of reading through the 99re视频精品 Reading Academies鈥� Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training. LETRS participants were supported by stipends, peer communities, and visible leadership participation. Finally, the district introduced a three-part series on adolescent literacy and started the quarterly academies for continued educator development.

This year, the district is shifting ownership. Teachers and principals led summer trainings through the Academic Innovation Summit, with more than 3,000 educators registered to learn from peers who are successfully implementing the materials. Greenwell says, 鈥淣ow, in year three, we’ve focused intensely on cultivating capacity and leadership within our teaching staff, empowering them to become the architects of this ongoing transformation. The recent 2025 Academic Innovation Summit served as a powerful testament to this, with nearly every session 鈥� from concept to delivery 鈥� led by our own talented classroom teachers and principals. This teacher-led professional development reflects a new level of confidence in the classroom, where educators are leveraging progress monitoring in truly meaningful ways to meet the diverse needs of their students.鈥�

Student Empowerment

Schools are using Journey to Success as a framework to empower students to reflect on and showcase their learning. A shared rubric for determining high-quality student artifacts of learning supports both teacher coherence and student ownership, reinforcing that learning is not just about mastering content鈥攊t鈥檚 about applying knowledge in meaningful ways. By intentionally selecting high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) that naturally support artifact creation, the district ensures that learning is both rigorous and relevant, with students actively owning and sharing their learning journeys.

鈥淭he implementation of the early literacy work was a natural extension of our Journey to Success mission,鈥� said Joy Billops, principal at Greenwood Elementary. 鈥淭he literacy HQIR gave us a concrete, research-based framework to bring that mission to life in classrooms every single day. Students are not only learning content, but also they are learning how to learn, how to reflect, how to lead, and how to persevere. High-quality literacy resources and Journey to Success work hand in hand to create a learning environment where all students can find purpose, voice and a path forward.鈥�

During the Academic Innovation Summit, the district included a student artifact gallery. Evans said her favorite part was seeing how students are connecting their learning to their local community and current events.

“Our students really latched on to the Harlem Renaissance unit and recognized that the themes in the Harlem Renaissance are relevant to our lives now,” Evans said. “One student took a Langston Hughes poem about rivers and expanded on the importance of rivers in our city, and the importance of a journey, the importance of having hope, no matter what the situation is. This curriculum has really impacted them as students, and it has been absolutely wonderful to see.鈥�

By selecting HQIRs aligned to a bold student-centered local vision, JCPS is increasing access to grade-level learning and creating the conditions for authentic, empowered learning experiences that will carry students beyond the classroom.

鈥淥ur students have learned to LOVE reading! They see themselves as researchers, writers and experts in their topics. Student work lines the halls of our building – writing that shows real growth and pride,鈥� Billops said. 鈥淭he literacy work in JCPS has truly changed our school for the better. It has reignited a passion in teachers, empowered our students and created a culture where deep learning and high expectations are becoming the norm.鈥�