LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Following the release of the Kentucky Department of Education's latest school report card, teachers in the state's biggest school district say their dip in average test scores doesn't tell the whole story.
Some Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) educators tell WHAS11 the scores reflect socioeconomic disparities existing long before the pandemic, though Kumar Rashad does admit COVID-era learning exasperated them.
"If we want to really fix this problem, we got to put our money into eradicating poverty," said Rashad, who's a teacher at Breckinridge Metropolitan High School in Louisville. According to a U.S. News report, 88% of students at Breckinridge are minorities and 76% are economically disadvantaged.
"If we're just being based upon a single test measure or test score, it's really disheartening," he said. "A lot of my students have to survive first, and a lot of these survival skills aren't measured."
Rashad believes JCPS and state leaders need to address root issues like inconsistent funding.
Southern High School teacher and Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) Board member Emilie McKiernan Blanton agrees, saying until schools are equitably funded, little will change.
"There's this mentality of, 'You just got to pull yourself up by your boot straps,' but they're born without shoes," McKiernan Blanton said referring to kids who grow up in poor families.
She said, "The students who are in low-performing schools don't have the opportunity to always have a full-time certified teacher in their classrooms, [and] that's a problem. They also don't have the same opportunities their more affluent peers have before they ever touch the school building."
And with a persistent teacher shortage plaguing the district, McKiernan Blanton says a better path forward again circles around getting more support and resources from leaders in Frankfort.
Meanwhile, teachers like Rashad said they are encouraged about students' increased readiness out of high school and hope continued investment in trade programs within JCPS will have a positive impact.
►Contact reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at IKimMartin@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter