Is the Tennessee School Takeover Machine Running Out of Gas?
Writer Andy Spears says that continued fallout from the Achievement School District’s takeover of a Nashville middle school could prompt legislators to put the brakes on the ASD.
By Andy Spears
Last year, I reported on the latest education reform game﹘Thunderdome﹘being played in Nashville. In this version of school disruption﹘organized by the state’s Achievement School District (ASD)﹘two schools compete for the privilege of being taken over by a charter operator. Yes, that’s right, two schools enter and everyone loses. Everyone, that is, except the charter operators.
Last year, I reported on the latest education reform game﹘Thunderdome﹘being played in Nashville. In this version of school disruption﹘organized by the state’s Achievement School District (ASD)﹘two schools compete for the privilege of being taken over by a charter operator. Yes, that’s right, two schools enter and everyone loses. Everyone, that is, except the charter operators.
As reported, Neely’s Bend Middle School (grades 5-8) was the *winner* of last year’s Thunderdome fight for survival and is now in the process of being converted to a LEAD Public Schools charter grade-by-grade.I bet you’re wondering what fun is in store now that Neely’s Bend has been declared the winner and is in the process of claiming its prize.
Well, for starters, last year’s principal, who many parents and teachers credit for creating a new attitude at the school, was reassigned. Additionally, only six of last year’s teachers are back for this year. That’s because as the process proceeds, teachers are *invited* to reapply for their jobs. In most conversions administered by the ASD, fewer than one in five teachers return to their school.
Of course, all of this disruption must be necessary, right? After all, Neely’s Bend was performing poorly and there was no hope of turning it around until a charter hero took it over and set it on the right path.
Turns out advocates for Neely’s Bend who claimed that the school was making impressive gains were right.
In fact, one of the reasons parents and teachers gave for wanting to keep their community school last year was that they believed Neely’s Bend was turning a corner on its own. The story they told was that the school, under new leadership and with a new attitude, was making impressive gains.
Turns out, those advocates for Neely’s Bend were right. An analysis of recent test score data shows: *Neely’s Bend is showing a growth rate well above the district average and has posted consecutive years of growth in both Math and Science, with some pretty solid numbers in Science over the past two years.*This data confirms what parents and teachers were saying back in December of 2014. So, this means the ASD will now put a stop to the conversion process and let the Is the Tennessee School Takeover Machine Running Out of Gas? | EduShyster: