Group of diverse students huddled around the Jefferson County Leadership Academy Logo

Leadership Development Opportunities

Jefferson County Leadership Academy

An equity-centered leadership development initiative within Jefferson County Public Schools.

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is committed to becoming the nation's premier urban school district. This commitment extends beyond academic excellence to fostering a supportive environment for all staff members, from teachers to leaders. By investing in our leaders, JCPS aims to create a thriving learning environment that empowers every student to reach their full potential.

As Kentucky's largest school district, JCPS prioritizes leaders who:

  • Drive student achievement for all students.

  • Understand the critical need to close achievement gaps, particularly among Black students.

The Jefferson County Leadership Academy (JCLA) is dedicated to developing exceptional leaders to achieve these goals. JCLA offers a range of programs and services, including:

  • Certification programs

  • Mentorship and coaching for aspiring, new, and current administrators

  • Identification and development of future school and district leaders

  • Professional development for experienced principals and supervisors

Programming

Our equity-centered leadership pipeline is a system that Jefferson County Public Schools uses to recruit, prepare, support, and retain school leaders. Leadership pipelines are proven to positively impact student achievement, teachers, students, and the entire school community.

Apply for JCLA Programming

Programming applications are posted on district communication channels throughout the year and are directly emailed to those that have expressed interest in receiving JCLA communications.

Definitions

Working Equity

Our definition of equity refers to fairness and justice. Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge, embrace, and adjust for imbalances. Therefore, in Jefferson County Public Schools, we value equity and understand that creating equity in Jefferson County Public Schools requires us to address institutional barriers that may impede learning, growth, and a sense of belonging for students of marginalized groups, especially students of color. We aim to eliminate prejudice and biases that limit individual student growth, and outcomes. Equity in Jefferson County Public Schools includes the reallocation of resources to better address disparities that impede our students and their families as we work together to build a thriving community with fairness and justice as its foundation.

Working Equity-Centered Leader

In Jefferson County Public Schools, we define an equity-centered leader as someone who understands that equity refers to fairness and justice.  An equity-centered leader implements systems to ensure equity and access for all students and our community while intentionally addressing the historical marginalization and disproportionate outcomes of students of color.  An equity-centered leader makes equity-centered decisions that drive continuous improvement efforts and results for their work location, acknowledges and makes adjustments to imbalances found in data to influence results, and intentionally problem-solves to assist the district in achieving its student achievement goals.  Equity-centered leaders show confidence in leading and, based on this definition, can demonstrate the JCPS Equity Dispositions.