Academic gains propel LEAD Neely’s Bend out of the state’s Achievement School District

LEAD Public Schools announced LEAD Neely’s Bend will be the first public charter school in Nashville to exit the state-run Achievement School District (ASD) and move under the authority of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.The ASD is a school system in Tennessee created to provide academic intervention for the state’s lowest performing schools. LEAD Neely’s Bend qualified to move out of the ASD through improved academic performance during the 2021-22 school year.“Today a new era begins for the staff, students, and families at LEAD Neely’s Bend,” said Dwayne Tucker, CEO at LEAD Public Schools. “We are excited to have met the requirements to leave the ASD by exiting priority status and look forward to continuing our mission of improving academic outcomes under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.”The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission approved LEAD’s move Friday in a unanimous vote. LEAD’s bid to move under the purview of the commission was bolstered by the recommendation from Commission Executive Director Tess Stovall.“The school has demonstrated a strong school culture and continued plan to serve the growing English Learner community that has become one of the school’s largest subgroups,” wrote Stovall in support of the move.  “While the school acknowledges that they still have work to do in order to meet the state’s accountability expectations and the Commission’s performance standards, I have determined that the school has met the academic and operational achievement to earn an exit from the Achievement School District and to continue the remainder of its charter agreement under the Commission.”In 2015, LEAD Public Schools partnered with the ASD to turnaround Neely’s Bend, a zone-enrolled school in Madison, after it fell in the bottom five percent of all Tennessee schools for academic performance. LEAD applied to exit the ASD and move under the Commission last November.Friday’s decision will allow LEAD Neely’s Bend to exit the ASD next school year.“Moving to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission grants us the opportunity to open our enrollment and expand our service to students outside of the Neely’s Bend zone,” said Dominique Smith, principal at LEAD Neely’s Bend. “Our team is excited about this new opportunity and we look forward to making an even greater impact on the students in this community.”