Deep Driver: Education

Louisville’s relatively low level of education attainment remains its most consequential liability. To become educationally competitive, it must double the pace of improvement over the past two decades. Doing that is now the goal of an unprecedented collaboration among Louisville’s educational institutions and civic leaders.

In May, the presidents of all the region’s postsecondary institutions and Jefferson County’s public and parochial schools joined with Mayor Jerry Abramson and business leaders to sign the Greater Louisville Education Commitment. The goal is to move Louisville into the top tier among its peer cities by
Education Attainment increasing the proportion of working-age adults with a college education to 40% from 30% — or a total of 150,000 – by 2020 and to increase the percentage with an Associate’s Degree from 7% to 10%.

The percentage of young adults with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher has increased to 33% from 31% in 2000, moving Louisville up from 11th to 9th among its peer cities, based on a three-year average of data that captures trends more accurately than year-to-year variations. But the one-year data for 2008 showed a notable jump to 37% — the largest single year increase among any of Louisville’s peer cities. During that same year, the University of Louisville was the only public university in Kentucky that improved its six-year graduation rate, which has risen to 48% from 31% in 2000.

Raising education attainment in Louisville comes down to two major challenges:

• Reducing the racial achievement gap.
• Improving the proportion of all students who go to college and earn a degree.

The percentage of African Americans living in Louisville who have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher is among the lowest of its peer cities, at 14%. Less than half of Louisville adults who attended college came out with a BA or higher — leaving more than 100,000 with some college credits but no degree. About 30,000 have an Associate’s Degree.

The racial achievement gap permeates all levels. In reading and math, the majority of white and Hispanic students in the Jefferson County Public Schools score at proficient or higher levels, while the majority of black students score lower. Science scores are lower for all three groups. Overall, the percentage of students testing at grade level (apprentice or above) remained the same or dipped slightly each of the last three years, and the high school graduation rate has averaged 74% over the last five years, meaning that one in four 9th graders does not graduate on time.