Devin Katayama

Louisville is adding more college-going resources to the city’s West End with the announcement of a partnership between the Shawnee branch library and the University of Louisville to create the first “College Shop.”

"What a lot of people need is they just need somebody telling them you can do it, and we're here to help," said Mayor Greg Fischer.

Inside the newly renovated Shawnee Library there are four laptops that are only to be used for college preparation and planning. This includes financial aid completion and placement test preparation.

No facilities are expected to close now that Kentucky youth services agencies Bellewood and Brooklawn have merged, but some staff members may lose jobs.

The new entity, called Uspiritus, will provide  foster care, counseling and psychiatric treatment. The agencies are also partnered with Jefferson County Public Schools and offer alternative education programs.

About 875 University of Louisville students are expected to walk Thursday evening in the school’s winter commencement ceremony -- among them is the school’s first African-American student to earn a master’s degree in bioengineering.

Britt Faulkner says she grew up in a single parent household. When electronics needed to be fixed, she was often the one giving it a try. So, she says bioengineering was a natural fit. But the program was challenging.

“I’ve wanted to change majors a million times probably.”

Officials will announce the merger Thursday of two leading agencies that have helped at-risk youth in Louisville and around Kentucky for over 160 years.

Bellewood Home for Children and Brooklawn Child and Family Services both offer services that help children, many of whom are wards of the state. The agencies offer combined services that range from psychiatric care and counseling to places to live.

The agencies are also partnered with Jefferson County Public Schools and offer alternative programs on site.

Jefferson County Public Schools is opening a hotline Wednesday and Thursday nights to answer questions parents and families may have regarding state test results that have been mailed.

The number to call between 5 to 7 pm is 485-7190.

Officials say experts will be on hand to answer questions about testing and the reporting itself. You can also get a tutorial here.

Gov. Steve Beshear says negotiations on a lease deal to reopen the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park are close, and he’s “excited” about the progress being made.

Beshear made his comments on WHAS-radio this week, saying, “I think it’s fair to say that we’re fairly close to negotiating a lease and if we get there and the fair board approves that, then the next step would be for the bidder to come up with the financing on it.”

An education co-op representing 23 central Kentucky school districts has won $40 million in race to the Top grant funding.

The Kentucky Department of Education won $17 million in funding last year, but this is the first time the U.S. Department of Education has made Race to the Top grants available to school districts.

Kentucky Protection and Advocacy has asked the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence to include special education information for participants in next year’s parent leadership institutes.

KPA is a federally mandated state agency that protects persons with disabilities. KPA attorney Leslie Jones says the agency spends a lot of time working with students.

Now, KPA wants to add an element to Prichard’s program that has been newly named the Governor’s Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership.

The Indiana Department of Education will send nearly $190 million to school districts across the state this week to help fund full-day kindergarten programs, which have seen a nearly 20 percent increase in enrollment this school year.

A coalition supporting charter school legislation rallied before the Jefferson County Board of Education meeting Monday night and released a second report focusing on achievement gaps in the district.

The group is calling itself the Community/Parental Choice Coalition and includes members of the Black Alliance of Educational Opportunities (BAEO). Also rallying with the group was the conservative-leaning policy group Bluegrass Institute, which released a report being used to support charter school legislation.