Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Colorado

Innovation Zone

hard questions

Colorado
October 10, 2019

Colorado has more than 100 innovation schools. State officials want to know how they’re doing.

Part of the reason it matters for State Board members now is that “innovation status” is one option for ordering improvement at chronically low-performing schools.

school improvement

Tennessee
September 3, 2019

State denies Memphis appeal to take Geeter K-8 off watchlist, but the school will remain under local control for now

The state said recent test scores at the Whitehaven school weren’t good enough to warrant less scrutiny.

six years

Tennessee
July 16, 2019

Tennessee school turnaround models either haven’t worked or are stalling out, new research finds

“We feel confident at this point saying that the strategy followed for the ASD hasn’t produced positive results for students we’d hoped to see,” said one researcher.

backtrack

Tennessee
June 20, 2019

Memphis district drops plan to staff school with teacher trainees amid community backlash

Winchester Elementary School will instead enter the Memphis district’s Innovation Zone, a seven-year-old turnaround program that is seen as widely successful.

Opposition

Tennessee
April 15, 2019

Tennessee governor’s voucher proposal is ‘step backwards,’ says civil rights, education coalition

A statewide coalition of more than 50 civil rights and education advocacy groups come out against Gov. Bill Lee’s signature education proposal.

legal case

Colorado
March 7, 2019

Court sides with Aurora district in challenge to school innovation plans

Aurora union leaders said they are still exploring their legal options.

big plans

Tennessee
January 15, 2019

Memphis plan would expand turnaround program, screen all first-graders for gifted education

The recommendations are the first from the district’s new chief academic officer, Antonio Burt, who was appointed in September.

Grade changing

Tennessee
January 9, 2019

Memphis principal demoted over grade changes will not be reinstated

The dispute between the district and Smith boils down to how principals show evidence of changes to student grades.

school turnaround

Tennessee
December 19, 2018

Memphis and Nashville put on notice about which schools could face state takeover in 2020

In one of her final acts as Tennessee education commissioner, Candice McQueen has identified nearly 20 schools that could require the most drastic state interventions…

Achievement School District

Tennessee
December 5, 2018

McQueen: More school takeovers ‘most likely’ coming to Memphis and Nashville

Tennessee's outgoing education chief says she'll recommend more takeovers to the next governor, unless there's significant improvement.

shift

Tennessee
December 4, 2018

With new school turnaround model, Tennessee takes lessons learned in Memphis to Chattanooga

Guiding principles have emerged from almost a decade of state turnaround work.

Innovation zone

Colorado
October 19, 2018

Two more Denver schools win additional freedom from district rules

The schools will create a new “innovation zone,” bringing the district’s number of quasi-autonomous zones to three.

who is in charge

Tennessee
September 25, 2018

School turnaround leader promoted to oversee all academics in Memphis schools

After nearly two years without an academic chief, Shelby County Schools has promoted its assistant superintendent of low-performing schools to the position.

Momentum

Tennessee
September 21, 2018

Memphis moves from problem child to poster child on Tennessee’s new school improvement list

The city got encouraging news on Friday as fewer of its schools landed on Tennessee's newest list of troubled "priority schools."

Student & School Performance

Tennessee
August 20, 2018

Memphis schools in most need of growth see gains, but vast majority of students still not on grade level

Only three schools in the iZone have more than 20 percent of students reading on grade level.
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