Parents tell state charter commissioners English Learners need the option of a different approach

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission heard from both parents and students Thursday morning who feel Southeast Nashville has a real need for a different educational approach to serve children who are English learners and those from underserved communities.The comments came during a public hearing for proposed public charter school Saber STEM Academy.Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education denied an application from Saber STEM Academy last July to open a public charter school in the Antioch community of Davidson County. That decision prompting administrators to appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission who has the authority to override MNPS.“Children are different, and they require different approaches,” said one mother to commissioners about why Saber STEM Academy is necessary.“America is a country known for its diversity and inclusion. [We are] surrounded by a community unknowing or unaware of different cultures,” commented a 16-year-old student on the opportunity for minority students to feel welcomed in this style of school. 

Saber STEM Proposal

Saber STEM Academy proposes to offer the interdisciplinary STEM approach to students in grades Kindergarten through eight. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and it focuses on hands-on and problem-based learning.The school would be run by Salman Community Services who claims extensive experience serving foreign born and English learning communities and the non-profit plans to offer an Arabic language program.“The growth that Davidson County has experienced from countries like Somalia, Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, India and other Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian nations provides the basis for SSA’s targeted English Learner population,” said Saber STEM Academy in documents presented to the commission. “The SSA team is experienced in serving this underserved population and believes the trend of foreign born students will continue to expand not only in SE Davidson County but further into Rutherford County.”In Thursday’s hearing, MNPS cited multiple reasons for denying the application including the over-reliance of a minority population for enrollment standards and a lack of knowledge of the Tennessee and Nashville area.Saber STEM countered MNPS’ claims, stating that they’ve done extensive research about the area and community in addition to conducting surveys about the unique needs of southeast Nashville.MNPS also cited a conflict of interest regarding the partnership between for-profit Michigan based Education Management and Networks (EMAN) and the nonprofit sponsor Salman Community Services as an additional concern. Tennessee law prohibits a for-profit entity from overseeing a public school though Salman Community Services would be serving as the school’s sponsor, not its partner EMAN.Saber STEM Academy’s appeal is just one of 13 on the docket for the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission this fall. Commissioners are scheduled to make their decision at the October 5 meeting.