Today the Achievement School District (ASD) announced a list of nine new Memphis area schools eligible to join the ASD next school year, asking parents, teachers and community members to participate in a “school matching” process that will last from now until December. Eight of the nine schools announced will join the ASD next school year. All of the elementary and middle schools on the list will join the ASD, and two out of three of the high schools will be selected.
The eight schools will be run by local and national charters that were authorized by the ASD in June after a rigorous application process. “We are excited to announce this next round of ASD schools” said Chris Barbic, ASD superintendent. “In June we authorized a world-class group of charters to run Priority schools in 2014, and now we’re going to take our time over the next few months to hear from the community and get feedback on which charters make the best match for each of these schools.”
Schools joining the ASD next year
Elementary:
• Coleman, Denver, Springhill, Westwood
Middle:
• South Side, Wooddale
High (NOTE: Only two of these three high schools will join the ASD):
• Carver, Fairley, Frayser
Why these schools were chosen
The ASD’s mission is to move the bottom 5% of schools in Tennessee—called Priority Schools— to the top 25% in five years. The ASD selects schools for the matching process based on several criteria. These include performance (the lowest achieving Priority Schools), feeder pattern (high concentrations of Priority Schools in areas where elementary, middle and high schools are clustered together), enrollment, and charter operator models and preference.
What Happens Next: Community Engagement
The ASD is asking parents, teachers, and community members to participate in a school matching process between now and December, when the Priority schools selected will be matched with charters next year. The engagement process—led by a volunteer 25-member Achievement Advisory Council (“AAC”)—will connect the charters with school communities through a series of meetings,
surveys, and visits. The AAC encourages parents, teachers and community members to contact them at aacmemphis@gmail.com.
First up is a series of community meetings next week. Parents and community members are invited to attend meetings from 5:30-7:00 at these locations next Monday and Tuesday:
Monday Tuesday
Coleman Elementary
(Springhill ES/Coleman ES)
South Side Middle
Carver High
Denver Elementary
(Denver ES/Frayser HS)
Wooddale Middle
Westwood Elementary
(Westwood ES/Fairley HS)
The ASD
The Achievement School District—a state-created school district formed as part of Tennessee’s winning Race to the Top application—is dedicated to moving the bottom 5% of schools in the state (Priority Schools) to the top 25% in five years. The ASD is both an operator of schools—running six schools in Frayser in 2013-2014—and an authorizer of high quality charter schools. There are currently 16 schools in the ASD—15 in Memphis and 1 in Nashville serving over 4,500 students in grades Pre-K through 9th.
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