Marcia Carmichael-Murphy named new principal at Coleridge-Taylor Elementary School

She will start her new role on Sept. 10

By Toni Konz Tatman | JCPS Communications 

Marcia Carmichael-Murphy has been selected as the new principal of Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary School.

Carmichael-Murphy began her career with Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) as a social studies teacher at Pleasure Ridge Park High School. She is currently an assistant principal at Fern Creek High School and has previously worked as a teacher at Doss High School and the Louisville Metro Department of Youth Corrections, as a goal clarity coach at the Academy @ Shawnee, and as an education recovery specialist with the Kentucky Department of Education.

"Dr. Carmichael-Murphy is a committed and resourceful educator with many experiences leading her to this leadership role," said Joe Leffert, an assistant superintendent of elementary schools for the district. "The entire Coleridge-Taylor Montessori community can be excited about the next chapter in the school’s history under Dr. Carmichael-Murphy’s leadership."

Carmichael-Murphy will start her new role on Monday, Sept. 10. Retired district administrator Kevin Nix has been serving as principal at Coleridge in the interim and will continue to help with the transition.

Over the past four years at Fern Creek, Carmichael-Murphy has served as the ninth-grade administrator, and she organized and administered activities to promote a college-going culture to provide more equitable opportunities for disadvantaged. She has also managed the school's Racial Equity Plan and Racial Equity Task Force and is one of the co-founders of Color Brave JCPS, an organization that seeks to elevate social justice through education. 

"I am honored to be selected as the new principal at Coleridge-Taylor," Carmichael-Murphy said. "I have spent my career working with students. I understand what their needs are when they get to middle and high school, but I have always wanted to help reach students earlier because I truly feel that reaching them at younger age increases their ability to successfully transition into the real world and be ready for postsecondary work."

Carmichael-Murphy said she is particularly excited about Coleridge-Taylor because of its Montessori Program--a learning environment that offers hands-on learning tools specifically used in multi-grade classrooms.

"I love this kind of learning because students truly have choice and voice and are able to show what they know through a variety of avenues," she said. "This type of education will work very well as we work to integrate the district's Backpack of Success Skills and Deeper Learning initiatives into our classrooms. These are all valuable skills we know that students will need for the next level."

She added, "When I think about it in strategic fashion, I want to make sure all teachers and students have voice and choice, but also come up with an intentional strategic plan to move Coleridge-Taylor forward."

Throughout her career, Carmichael-Murphy has been drawn to working with children who come from at-risk backgrounds. 

"I understand some of our district’s most disadvantaged students because I have walked in their shoes," she said. "I come from a biracial family and was raised in foster care. I had a lot of discipline problems, but I was also a high-achieving student. I understand, personally and professionally, that we have brilliant children who come from a variety of backgrounds and how important it is to support every child who walks in our door."

Carmichael-Murphy said she knew she wanted to be an educator because she had strong teachers who supported her throughout her childhood.

"I knew that education was the only way I would not replicate what happened to me," she said. 

Carmichael-Murphy earned her bachelor's degree in secondary education from Spalding University and her master's degree and doctorate from the University of Louisville. 

She and her husband have four children who attend Noe Middle School, Field Elementary and Coleridge-Taylor. Their youngest child, a toddler, will also attend Coleridge-Taylor. 

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