Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

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Achievement School District

Not over yet

Tennessee
21 hours ago

A firm reprimand — but no penalty yet — for two Tennessee districts that defy deadline to share student data

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen had promised to issue consequences if the Memphis and Nashville school districts did not meet the Monday deadline.

good news bad news

Tennessee
September 19, 2017

Most Tennessee districts are showing academic growth, but districts with the farthest to go improved the least

It’s not just Memphis: Across Tennessee, districts with many struggling schools posted lower-than-expected growth scores on this year’s state exams, the data shows.

scrambling for students

Tennessee
September 15, 2017

Lagging enrollment fuels Tennessee charter schools’ push for student contact data

A Chalkbeat analysis shows that 22 schools in the state’s 32-school Achievement School District have lost enrollment from last year.

Movers and shakers

Tennessee
September 11, 2017

Meet the interim leader of Tennessee’s school turnaround district

Kathleen Airhart has played a pivotal role in overhauling the Achievement School District. Now she'll step in as interim superintendent.

Still struggling

Tennessee
September 11, 2017

Long before tragic bus crash, Chattanooga’s Woodmore Elementary offered school turnaround lessons for America

Almost a year after the crash killed six of its students, Woodmore is among five long-struggling schools now facing state intervention over academics.

Q&A

Tennessee
September 7, 2017

Outgoing ASD chief reflects on Tennessee’s school turnaround journey

In a Q&A with Chalkbeat, Malika Anderson reflects on what she's learned during her tenure with the ASD — and what advice she would give her successor.

ASD Exit

Tennessee
September 6, 2017

Anderson to exit as superintendent of Tennessee’s school turnaround district

Malika Anderson will step down at the end of this month as the second superintendent of the Achievement School District.

long road

Tennessee
August 30, 2017

Tennessee’s turnaround district scores worse in nearly all high school subjects

The Achievement School District's disappointing scores came in the second year under Tennessee's new TNReady test.

school turnaround

Tennessee
August 29, 2017

As Tennessee prepares to release more high school scores, McQueen calls turnaround work a challenge

The state's ed chief hints that the trajectory for high school turnaround won't change significantly when Tennessee releases district-level scores on Wednesday.

table talks

Tennessee
August 28, 2017

In Memphis, two competing school districts came together to learn how to play nice. It didn’t work.

A philanthropically funded effort to forge a peace treaty halted in May when the two sides weren't able to agree to terms, according to emails obtained by Chalkbeat.

First Person

Tennessee
August 28, 2017

I went viral for walking my students home from school in Memphis. Here’s what got lost in the shuffle.

I was photographed walking students home in 2015, and the picture went viral. Two years later, I've changed tactics for trying to help young people.

New layer

Tennessee
August 15, 2017

Tennessee cuts ribbon on its first charter school under State Board of Education

The opening of Green Dot's Bluff City High School marks a major shift in how the charter sector can grow in the state.

real estate

Tennessee
August 9, 2017

Two of three Memphis school buildings left empty by state-run charters will get new life, including Raleigh-Egypt

Shelby County Schools reclaims a school building that formerly housed a state-run charter school.

building woes

Tennessee
August 1, 2017

Two state-run Memphis schools to start late due to roof damage

Students at Georgian Hills Achievement Elementary School will be relocated to nearby Frayser Achievement Elementary until the roof can be replaced.

Memphis Lift

Tennessee
July 28, 2017

How one group is defying conventional wisdom on parental involvement in Memphis schools

Marking its second anniversary, Memphis Lift has risen from obscurity to influence on the city's increasingly splintered education landscape.

Achievement School District

Tennessee
July 21, 2017

Tennessee’s turnaround district gets new leadership team for a new chapter

Achievement School District Superintendent Malika Anderson will have a mostly new inner circle under new hires announced on Friday.

new chapter

Tennessee
July 11, 2017

Frosty relationship thaws between parents group Memphis Lift and Shelby County Schools

Superintendent Dorsey Hopson pays a visit to Memphis Lift as part of the group's speaker series for parents.

Charter move

Tennessee
July 10, 2017

Here are the losers as a Memphis charter school packs up and moves across town

Memphis Scholars’ decision to relocate its Raleigh middle school creates frustration for families, faculty and community stakeholders.

Movers & shakers

Tennessee
June 14, 2017

Why the new director of KIPP Memphis calls the city’s charter landscape ‘beautiful and elegant’

In a Q&A with Chalkbeat, Kendra Ferguson talks about KIPP Memphis, with an eye toward bolstering academics and student retention.

ASD Pivot

Tennessee
June 7, 2017

Tennessee’s turnaround district is reaching the end of an era

The Achievement School District isn't going anywhere, but it’s taking a backseat to other school improvement tools for the Tennessee Department of Education.

Dealing with discipline

National
May 25, 2017

Former Newark schools chief Cami Anderson’s new mission: getting schools to rethink student discipline

After a rocky tenure as superintendent of the Newark Public Schools, Cami Anderson is now working with charter networks and school districts to reform…

packing up

Tennessee
May 22, 2017

Charter school in Tennessee’s turnaround district relocating out of neighborhood it signed up to serve

Memphis Scholars announces the school will reopen next year in a building 16 miles away, where it already runs another school under Tennessee’s turnaround district.

Notable departure

Tennessee
May 18, 2017

Last original leader resigns from Tennessee’s school turnaround district

Deputy Superintendent Margo Roen is set to leave the state-run Achievement School District on June 30.

A new way

Tennessee
May 17, 2017

Tennessee considers a new approach for getting local schools to improve: working with them

The State Department of Education is eyeing Chattanooga for Tennessee's first foray into a “partnership zone” approach.

from the top

Tennessee
May 12, 2017

Haslam reaffirms commitment to Tennessee’s turnaround district, even as the state downsizes its office

Gov. Bill Haslam says the state-run district is “evolving” and that he wants to see its work continued after he leaves office in 2018.

ASD overhaul

Tennessee
May 11, 2017

Here’s how Tennessee’s downsized turnaround district will look — and what charter leaders are saying about it

Under its new structure, the Achievement School District aims to do mostly the same work with half as many positions.

on the ground

Tennessee
May 8, 2017

In Memphis neighborhood hit hardest by ASD cuts, residents worry changes could hurt their students

State officials promise the job cuts won’t hit classrooms at Achievement Schools in Frayser, but residents aren't sure.

ASD Reset

Tennessee
May 4, 2017

To cut costs, Tennessee’s Achievement School District slashes staff

The state-run Achievement School District is cutting about half of its 59 staff members tasked with overseeing the five Memphis schools it operates directly.

ASD REAL ESTATE

Tennessee
May 1, 2017

Tennessee’s turnaround district is about to return a school to its local district — but it’s just a building

Shelby County Schools will be figuring out what to do with a mostly empty building, not a revitalized school, when Klondike Elementary returns to its fold this summer.

Fighting summer slide

Tennessee
April 28, 2017

Nine Memphis schools will have state-funded summer reading camps

Statewide, more than 200 schools will host summer camps through the Read to be Ready initiative.

iZone expansion

Tennessee
April 25, 2017

Raleigh-Egypt would join Memphis Innovation Zone under Hopson budget

The high school joins Sheffield Elementary in the planned expansion of Shelby County's Innovation Zone to 23 schools.

Doing the math

Tennessee
April 25, 2017

As lawmakers scrutinize the price tag of school vouchers in Memphis, here’s a cost breakdown

The estimated price tag for Shelby County Schools is about $18 million a year, but the true cost could be far more — or less.

school improvement

Tennessee
April 20, 2017

Tennessee reveals quicker exit plan for schools in the Achievement School District

A school will return to its local district if it improves and stays off of two consecutive “priority lists, or if it fails to improve.

The Homestretch

Tennessee
April 14, 2017

It’s past the halfway point at the Tennessee legislature. Here are proposals that still could change the state’s schools.

Less than half of the more than 150 separate proposals originally filed with the Tennessee General Assembly are still standing, on issues ranging from school discipline to turnaround.

How I Teach

Tennessee
April 7, 2017

Why this Memphis teacher asks her students to create a mixtape every year

Natasha Wilkins integrates music into her classroom at GRAD Academy Memphis, a charter high school within Tennessee's Achievement School District.

The Fine Print

Tennessee
March 27, 2017

Why charter operators exiting Tennessee’s turnaround district can walk away

Even after signing contracts, two charter operators are preparing to exit three Memphis schools in the Achievement School District.

Delay

Tennessee
March 14, 2017

Debate over Sunday sports bumps vote on Memphis school tuition vouchers

About 40 Memphians made the seven-hour round trip drive to Nashville, only to have the voucher bill that rallied them delayed.

Art education

Tennessee
March 9, 2017

How I Teach: This Memphis art teacher uses her own childhood scribbles to inspire her students

After working in the legal field for a decade, Anna Barton Schnadelbach went back to school so she could become an art teacher.

vouchers

Tennessee
March 7, 2017

Tennessee’s voucher proposals target schools already struggling with low enrollment

Public schools in Memphis stand to experience most of the fallout if state lawmakers decide to approve voucher legislation this year.

Black girls and trauma

Tennessee
March 2, 2017

Here’s how one Memphis school is changing the way it disciplines girls of color

Aspire Coleman responds to research pointing to trauma as a root of disciplinary problems that lead to higher rates of suspension among black girls.

Charter changes

Tennessee
March 1, 2017

Tennessee’s largest districts could charge charter schools more under tweaked bill

A bill that rewrites Tennessee’s charter school law passes its first hurdle with a few revisions.

Achievement School District

Tennessee
February 28, 2017

The enrollment problems that plagued ASD schools in turmoil? They’re not unique.

A Chalkbeat analysis finds that half of the state-run district's 33 schools have faced deep enrollment challenges.

under study

Tennessee
February 23, 2017

No longer at the bottom: These 20 schools are Tennessee’s model for turnaround

The Tennessee Department of Education is studying these schools that have launched off its list of worst performing to inform future turnaround work.

Unleashed

Tennessee
February 21, 2017

McQueen rips Tennessee’s school turnaround work as ineffectual, overdue

Calling outcomes "a little embarrassing," Education Commissioner Candice McQueen notes that the state has only moved 10 schools off its “priority” list since 2012.

school turnaround lessons

Tennessee
February 14, 2017

Too many good teachers are quitting Tennessee’s Achievement School District, researchers say

Researchers examine whether the state-run ASD and local iZones have been able to recruit and retain teachers with top ratings.

Shrinking

Tennessee
February 13, 2017

It’s official. Achievement School District will close a second school in Memphis

Tennessee's school turnaround district won't seek a successor to operate KIPP Memphis University Middle School, an ASD official confirms.

ASD Reset

Tennessee
February 8, 2017

Tennessee’s Achievement School District would return to its original purpose under a bill that its leaders support

Lawmakers will consider a bill that would stop the state-run district from starting new charter schools, rather than just overhauling struggling schools.

second chance

Tennessee
January 31, 2017

Achievement School District opts for new charter operator over closing Memphis Humes

ASD and state leaders give Frayser Community Schools the green light to run the under-enrolled North Memphis charter school.

All shook up

Tennessee
January 30, 2017

Elvis’ high school is now an under-enrolled charter school. And state officials will soon decide its fate.

This week, leaders of Tennessee’s Achievement School District are expected to announce whether the 91-year-old Memphis school will remain open.

Overlapping

Tennessee
January 17, 2017

One campus, two districts: Memphis Raleigh-Egypt navigates enrollment standoff

To retain students from a state takeover, Shelby County Schools added middle school grades to the high school beside its former middle school. Here's how it's going.
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