The University of Louisville has announced a $5 million matching gift from the Mary K. Oxley Foundation to its College of Education and Human Development for an initiative that will promote teacher preparedness, retention, and professional development at five Louisville-area schools.

To be matched by $2.5 million from the University of Louisville Foundation, the gift will benefit five Jefferson County Public Schools — the Academy @ Shawnee, Westport Middle, and Atkinson, Cochran, and Portland elementary schools — through the university's Signature Partnership Initiative, an effort launched in 2007 to improve quality of life for residents of West Louisville. Among other things, the funds will provide summer enrichment opportunities for at-risk students; professional development opportunities for teachers; support for JCPS teachers to pursue national board certification; an intensive, clinical education program that pairs student teachers with experienced mentors as they work collaboratively to customize learning plans for students; and resources for an expansion of a teacher-in-residence program. The $5 million gift renews and expands programs initially funded by a $1 million gift from the foundation in 2010.

"This extraordinary gift allows us to do even more to train outstanding teachers," said University of Louisville president James Ramsey. "It will expand our nationally recognized clinical model of teacher preparation and provide other opportunities for teachers to meet the needs of at-risk youth."