Case Study:
Tackling Teacher Retention with a Multi-Faceted, Whole-Person Approach in Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY)
Date: May 2024
Authors: Geoff Marietta, Ed.D., University of the Cumberlands
Summary: Jefferson County Public Schools, the largest district in Kentucky and 30th largest in the US, responded to a diminishing pool of candidates by establishing the Office of Teacher Retention. Beginning with a Fall 2020 pilot, JCPS expanded its partnership with Upbeat district-wide by Fall 2022.
The case study includes interviews from:
- Six principals in Jefferson County on successful strategies they implemented in their district to support their teaching staff- Dr. Aimee Green-Webb and Dr. Marco Munoz, HR leaders in the district, who crafted this plan and are integral to the district's teacher retention strategy
- Two leadership coaches from Upbeat who partnered with the district and principals to produce action plans by campus and in the district to drive teacher retention results
The Executive Summary provides a clear overview of how Upbeat partnered with JCPS to improve teacher retention.
This case study:
- walks through the key outcomes of the district’s partnership with Upbeat, including 94.9% teacher retention in the 2023-2024 school year
- provides insight and data from six principals, including how to support generation differences of wellbeing and teacher appreciation