Zephan Alexander describes his time as a public-school student in Memphis as a challenge.
He struggled in traditional public schools and public charter schools but says things changed when he enrolled in a former public charter school operated by Pathways in Education (PIE).
PIE operated that school under the state-run Achievement School District from 2014-2022. Alexander was among those speaking in support of allowing the organization to return to Shelby County.
“This is very emotional because before coming to Pathways, I sought out Pathways because I was a student struggling to keep up with the course work of current schooling. I was diagnosed with major depression at the age of 16 and every day I felt bullied by teachers and students just because I couldn’t sit still and focus on the course work at hand. I did not have a teacher at that time who was nurturing enough to allow me to do coursework. My teacher, Ms. Terry over there, she brought me to Pathways and she was a very nurturing, nurturing lady that allowed me to be the person who I am today,” said Alexander.
PIE applied earlier this year to open a new public charter school in the Memphis-Shelby County School (MSCS) district for at-risk students, but the school board voted it down in July.
Under state law, denied applications can appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. Members have the option of overturning local district denials, and the commission hosted a public hearing on PIE’s application Tuesday afternoon to give supporters an opportunity to explain why the school is needed.
“For over a decade, as a board member and a speaker at the schools, as well as a chaperone on experiential learning trips, I have witnessed Pathways as not just a place for students to get a diploma or an alternative to traditional school, but a lifeline for students who have faced adversity and deserve a shot at redemption. Pathways in Education is a beacon of hope for these students and their parents who have often given up or close to doing so because other education options have not worked for them,” said Summer Owens, PIE Board of Directors.
If approved, PIE plans to offer a unique self-paced flexible hybrid schedule that re-engages students. The curriculum is primarily independent study through state-aligned workbooks.
There would also be small group instruction courses that math and English teachers will hold like a traditional classroom and will go at the pace of the students.
Target students include those who are on a path to dropping out, such as overaged and over-credited students, students who are the primary wage earners, caregivers, and those who have been expelled because of discipline issues.
PIE supporters argue their education model would not be taking students from traditional public-school classrooms in Memphis, it would instead take them off the street.
“So who are Pathway students? We typically use the phrase ‘at-risk, disconnected’ students. I think we’re all familiar with the phrase ‘at-risk.’ But we’ve added the word ‘disconnected’ because this is a lot of what we’re seeing. These are students who are not connected with their education, they’re not connected with a school and most of them haven’t been in quite some time. So these students are dropouts,” said PIE Education Leader and Advocate Lisa Schwartz. “When we open our new Pathway schools, one of the first things we do is we reach out to the local high schools and find out who are the students who have recently dropped out and we seek to get them reengaged.”
PIE also plans to offer post-secondary counseling and social emotional learning and support. Additionally, the organization aims to make “building relationships” a foundation of the school by keeping a low student to teacher ratio that provides more one-on-one time.
“PIE is truly self-paced when a student ends a course, they’re allowed to immediately start another course, they don’t have to wait for a cohort date to start,” said Regional Director Valerie Brennen. “So, what does Pathways do? We give the students the tools and the resources to build that door. We don’t build the door for them, but we give them the support they need to walk through the door to the next step.”
Memphis-Shelby County School Board members denied PIE’s application following the recommendation of a district review team that found concerns with the organization’s academic, operations, and financial plans and a lack of assurances that PIE’s virtual education program would be in compliance with state standards.
The district review also found concerns about the location where PIE is proposing opening the new school as reviewers felt the Whitehaven community is already saturated with students and the organization didn’t set its program apart from what’s already offered by traditional public schools.
“There remain concerns around the intended model for the proposed school, the academic components of that plan to meet the school’s intended purpose and goals, concerns around the proposed operational plans to meet the needs of the student demographics, and finance concerns,” said Arlandra Parker, MSCS Senior Advisor, School Development.
The Tennessee Public Charter School Commissioners will utilize comments made during the public hearing to make a final decision on the appeal next month in Nashville.
PIE is one of six proposed new public charter schools making appeals this fall.
