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| memphismagazine.com |
Like many urban areas in the U.S., the public schools of
Memphis, Tennessee have been buried in bedlam for years with failing schools,
high segregation and little opportunity for graduates to qualify for college. What was before a low-hope environment for public school
students, is now becoming a place where the possibility of high school diplomas
that lead to college education and greater opportunities is broad. Memphis is
inviting strong leaders and educators to reveal the potential change in
education that is attainable for the southern city.
Memphis Public Schools in 2012
As of the beginning of 2012, Memphis public schools were treading
water. About eighty percent of the
lowest-performing schools in Tennessee were located in Memphis. The majority of
all children attending public schools lived in neighborhoods of concentrated
poverty and half of these children changed schools at least once a year. As a result of their poor education
around 5,000 students turn 19 without a high school diploma each year.
Tennessee Launches the Achievement School District
After decades of a struggling education, the Tennessee
Department of Education launched the state-run Achievement School District (ASD) in the fall of 2012.
Schools that qualified for the ASD were in the bottom 5 percent of Title
I schools statewide on combined math and reading/language arts scores or had a
graduation rate of less than 60 percent. The ASD’s goal for theses schools is to turn them into the top 25% of
state ranked schools within five years.
Like other state run districts, such as the Louisiana
Recovery School District, the ASD will do this through creating a portfolio
district of direct run and charter schools. The ASD has plans to both expand existing Memphis charter
organizations, such as KIPP Memphis, and also invite new charter operators into
the state. The new charters
include Aspire Public Schools and Green Dot Schools of California and YES Prep
of Houston.
In order to reach the grand goals for its students, the ASD
has high expectations for incoming charter networks. The district has created a comprehensive team that evaluates
charter applications and includes national charter school experts, local
community evaluators and representatives from the Tennessee Department of Education.
As of June 3, 2013 the ASD approved nine new charter
operators to begin serving students in the 2014-2015 school year. This will triple the number of students
served within the ASD from 1585 to 6000.
In addition to the charter schools, the ASD ran three direct-run schools
in the 2012-2013 school year, and will add more in the upcoming school year.
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| horancommunications.com |
Teachers and school leaders that are joining the Achievement
School District from in and out of state have the opportunity to be part of the
strong and impactful shift of a
changing education environment.
Many key players, such as community leaders, politicians, parents and
teachers are talking about the education system. Memphis has become one of the
nation’s new epicenters for education change.
The ASD admits that improving their failing schools and
changing the lives of their students for the better won’t be easy. But they ensure teachers that it is the
toughest job they’ll ever LOVE.
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