Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Innovation Zone

school closures

Tennessee
April 24, 2018

Board approves merging two Whitehaven schools into K-8 amidst parent division

Manor Lake Elementary School will close and students will be assigned to Geeter Middle School, which is about a half-mile away.

In talks

Tennessee
March 23, 2018

Hopson asks state to let struggling Memphis school remain with local district

The superintendent submits a list of reasons why the state should hold off on its intervention plan at American Way Middle School.

standing firm

Tennessee
March 1, 2018

McQueen: If Memphis school leaders won’t convert American Way to a charter, the state will

The commissioner's comments come two days after Memphis leaders voted to move American Way Middle School into its highly regarded Innovation Zone.

taking a stance

Tennessee
February 27, 2018

Memphis leaders urge state to stay out of their school improvement work

Shelby County Schools plans to move one school to its Innovation Zone and declines the state’s recommendation to close another.

More autonomy

Colorado
February 20, 2018

These Denver schools want to join the district’s ‘innovation zone’ or form new zones

Innovation zones are often described as a “third way” to govern public schools.

a 'third way'

Colorado
February 5, 2018

Denver wants to expand its ‘innovation zone’ even as big money questions remain

Two years after the zone was created, its leaders are asking for even more financial freedom.

At what cost

Tennessee
February 1, 2018

Do schools lose ground when losing top teachers to turnaround schools? A little, but it’s worth it, says Tennessee research

New research addresses a nagging concern about the quest to lure top teachers to struggling schools.

charter talks

Tennessee
January 18, 2018

Hopson weighs charters as school turnaround tool for Shelby County Schools

The Memphis superintendent's comments hint at a potentially significant shift for a district that has battled openly with the charter sector over students.

five years in

Tennessee
November 15, 2017

Tennessee’s two big school turnaround experiments are yielding big lessons, researchers say

Five years in, Tennessee receives a report card of sorts from researchers who have closely followed its two primary models for improving struggling schools.

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.

exclusive

Tennessee
September 18, 2017

Most Memphis schools score low on student growth under new state test

Find out how your school fared in growth on the state's new test in this Chalkbeat exclusive.

chalk talk

Tennessee
September 13, 2017

Memphis’ new iZone chief shares his data-driven plan for fixing struggling schools

Antonio Burt returns to Memphis as assistant superintendent over the program where he started as a turnaround principal.

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.

Feeling flexible

Colorado
August 22, 2017

How five Aurora schools in an “innovation zone” are making budget decisions to meet their own needs

Five schools in northwest Aurora in the district's innovation zone have a redesigned budget specific to their needs as they start a second year of innovation.

Transition

Tennessee
June 16, 2017

New principal named for Memphis school at the center of grading investigation

Shelby County Schools turns to a veteran principal with school turnaround experience to take the helm of Trezevant High School.

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.

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.

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.

Community voices

Tennessee
March 28, 2017

Memphians weigh in on Hopson’s investment plan for struggling schools

Shelby County Schools holds a community meeting about Superintendent Dorsey Hopson's plan to address 19 schools dubbed "critical focus" schools.

Too much too fast?

Colorado
Updated December 8, 2016

Key piece of Aurora Central High School’s reform plan not yet in place

Aurora Central High School has been working on changes from an innovation plan to improve the school, but the change to the school's learning model hasn't happened.

rebranding

Tennessee
November 22, 2016

Seeing needs beyond good teachers, Teacher Town Memphis changes its approach and its name

The philanthropic collaborative revises its public image as its leaders rethink the ways they want to help the city's schools change.

Remediation remedy

Tennessee
August 25, 2016

Memphis high schools change schedules to make catch-up classes the norm

Shelby County Schools is using a new remediation approach that doesn't involve adding time onto the school day.

Big questions

Tennessee
August 16, 2016

What’s the endgame for Tennessee’s Achievement School District? That’s the question facing lawmakers

State lawmakers will answer questions about the future of Tennessee's school turnaround district when they convene on Wednesday.

chalk talk

Tennessee
May 2, 2016

iZone chief Sharon Griffin on fixing Memphis’ most challenging schools

A Q&A on school turnaround strategies that work, the challenges of urban education, the importance of coaching and supporting principals and teachers, and more.

Aye for Innovation

Colorado
April 28, 2016

Denver school board approves innovation zone, granting schools new freedoms

The schools will be overseen by a new nonprofit and will have more control over how they spend the state funding.

Warning List

Tennessee
April 20, 2016

Here’s where Tennessee’s lowest-performing schools stand a year before the state’s next priority list

Here's the so-called "cusp" list from the State Department of Education, along with five things to know before viewing it.

Pilot program

Tennessee
April 19, 2016

Building on Innovation Zone successes, Shelby County Schools to launch separate ‘Empowerment Zone’

Shelby County Schools' prized school turnaround initiative is getting a little sister.

Painful plan

Tennessee
April 6, 2016

Hopson: Proposed budget cuts to Memphis schools could reverse years of improvements

More than $50 million in proposed cuts would impact staffing and programs including special education, the Innovation Zone and CLUE within Shelby County Schools.

Change agent

Tennessee
March 29, 2016

To launch first new iZone school, Shelby County taps established leader

Rodney Rowan has done what few principals have managed to do — turn around a long-struggling school. Now, he’s being asked to replicate that success.

iZone growth

Tennessee
March 10, 2016

Griffin hiring more top leaders for expanding iZone

As Shelby County Schools prepares to add more schools to its school turnaround initiative, regional Superintendent Sharon Griffin is putting three lieutenants in place.

Joining Forces

Colorado
February 24, 2016

In Denver, four schools want to push the boundaries of innovation

The schools want to form an “innovation zone” that would be overseen by a new nonprofit organization that would give principals more freedom.
Tennessee
January 20, 2016

New ASD superintendent asks state lawmakers for patience on school turnarounds

Malika Anderson's first charge as ASD superintendent is to fend off bills to limit — or totally abolish — the district.
Tennessee
January 13, 2016

D.C. Public Schools officials tour Memphis iZone

The mounting success of Shelby County Schools' iZone attracts national attention from other districts exploring school improvement initiatives.

until next year

Tennessee
December 23, 2015

Advocacy groups counter mounting criticism of ASD with year-end rallies

Two Memphis organizations push back against heightened opposition to the state-run turnaround school district.

Turnaround work

Tennessee
December 16, 2015

Latest iZone expansion will leave few Memphis priority schools to improve on their own

Shelby County's Innovation Zone will absorb three more priority schools, growing turnaround efforts by the local district, in addition to the state's turnaround work.
Tennessee
December 8, 2015

Vanderbilt study: iZone more effective than ASD in turning around struggling schools thus far

A new study shows that iZones have had sizable positive effects on student test scores in Tennessee, while effects of the Achievement School District have been marginal.

Ed Chief

Tennessee
October 30, 2015

Arne Duncan talks turnaround work in the trenches of struggling Memphis schools

The outgoing U.S. education chief makes his fourth trip to Memphis, where schools must overcome poverty and other mitigating factors to provide a culture of learning.

Ground zero

Tennessee
October 29, 2015

When Arne Duncan visits Memphis, he’ll see part of his legacy as U.S. ed chief

The outgoing education secretary will see firsthand one of America's battleground cities in the movement he spearheaded to transform public education.

Top administrators

Tennessee
October 28, 2015

iZone leader Sharon Griffin named Tennessee supervisor of the year

Sharon Griffin, who helped to create the Innovation Zone for Shelby County Schools in 2013, is Tennessee's 2015 supervisor of the year.

Charting improvement

Tennessee
August 11, 2015

Six charts showing test scores in schools that Tennessee wants to turn around

A chart-by-chart analysis of efforts to improve failing schools in Memphis and Shelby County, based on the latest TCAP scores

opportunity cost

Tennessee
August 3, 2015

Strong iZone scores viewed as chance to grow Shelby County’s turnaround initiative

Most schools in the district's Innovation Zone saw their student test scores rise, but additional funding to expand the program is anything but certain.
Tennessee
July 27, 2015

Five things to watch for when district and school test scores come out Wednesday

On Wednesday, the state unveils its district-by-district and school-by-school scores across Tennessee. Here are five important things to watch.

Budget process

Tennessee
July 7, 2015

With Shelby County budget settled, Hopson reflects on process

Dorsey Hopson hopes the fiscal bleeding slows as a result of the district's most recent budget-cutting process and priorities.

ASD copycats

Tennessee
July 7, 2015

More states look to Tennessee’s Achievement School District as a school turnaround model

Across the nation, more lawmakers look to Tennessee's pioneering district as a model to improve struggling schools in their own states, even as the ASD's impact in Tennessee remains murky.

chalk talk

Tennessee
May 18, 2015

Stanford-bound senior from Memphis Melrose talks about his public education and how students can defy the odds

Dellarontay Readus discusses how he overcame frequent moves and academic challenges to earn a full scholarship to one of the nation's premier universities.

Dual Language

Tennessee
April 29, 2015

For state’s only dual language program, turnaround efforts present challenges

Sometimes, when one innovative academic program bumps into another innovative academic program, worlds collide.

iZone

Tennessee
April 16, 2015

Laptops are providing new instructional tool for Shelby County students in ‘blended learning’ pilot

Shelby County Schools' 'blended learning' pilot program nears the end of its first school year with personalized computer instruction, high hopes for student testing, and a major new funding source.

iZone

Tennessee
April 8, 2015

Shelby County expands education reform efforts amid $125 million shortfall

While Shelby County Schools are cutting staff and services under a $125 budget shortfall, the district is expanding and investing in its Innovation Zone.
Tennessee
March 31, 2015

Shelby County closes three Memphis schools, moves students from three others

The Board of Education for Shelby County Schools votes to close three low-performing schools and transfer students out of three others, impacting more than 2,000 students.
Tennessee
October 2, 2014

Hopson says current I-Zone schools will not become charters

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson II told the board today that the district plans to pursue additional government and private funds to support its Innovation Zone, a set of turnaround schools that have shown dramatic growth on state tests in each of the past three years.
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