Chattanooga Changemaker: How one public charter school went from at risk for closure to the highest performing.

In 2010 the future looked anything but bright for the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA).The new public charter school had just finished its first year of operation and the school was in danger of not making it to a second.Founders created the school with a desire to provide the standard of a private girls’ school to some of Hamilton county’s most underserved and economically disadvantaged communities. CGLA staff and leadership were not ready for the challenge though, and the school was soon placed on the state’s Priority Schools List.To avoid closure, CGLA’s board appointed Dr. Elaine Swafford as principal.  Dr. Swafford had experience in school turnaround and in nine months, the state removed CGLA from the Priority Schools List.  The state named CGLA a Reward School the following year.Today CGLA continues to see academic success and that work is receiving new recognition.The Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy is one of two schools to be named Overall High School Changemakers on the first ever Tennessee Charter School Center's (TCSC) Changemaker Public Charter High School list. Additionally, the TCSC additionally conducted an in-depth review and case study on the school.A key factor that study found on CGLA’s success is the broader strategic goals and values that are used as guideposts that change and adapt based on what each student needs. Leaders at CGLA also use data to determine where each student is and use that information to identify strengths and challenges and foster a culture that builds a “growth mindset” so students can understand that learning is not a passive thing.The TCSC hopes to use its study of what worked at CGLA to improve the gap of success with public charter schools across Tennessee.“While we often see great success stories among Tennessee’s public charter schools, we don’t often see detailed studies on what it took to reach those levels of success,” wrote TCSC. “Our hope is that through this work, we can not only highlight the great work being done by one of our member schools, but also share some of the policies, practices, and strategies that have helped them achieve such great success. In doing so, we hope to inspire and empower other school leaders and policymakers to strive for such excellence in their communities.”In 2022, TCSC released its initial K-8 Changemaker Charter School List to honor excellence in achievement proficiency and Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) growth of elementary and middle school students.For the Changemaker High School List, the TCSC focused on TVAAS scores, ready graduate rates, and college-going rates.The two schools named to the list as Overall High School Changemakers and the three named Trailblazer Changemakers each have ranked in the top 25% on at least one of the following: 2022 ready graduate rates, 2021 college-going rates, four-year changes in ready graduate rates, five-year changes in college-going rates. Additionally, these schools all received a TVAAS score of 4 or 5 in 2022.The three school honored as Rising Stars have not had a graduating class yet but did received a TVAAS score of 4 or 5 in 2022.“We are excited to announce our first High School Changemaker list, honoring the public charter high schools that stand out best among their traditional and charter school peers all across the state,” said Dr. Maya Bugg, CEO and President of the Tennessee Charter School Center. “The hard work of the educators and students at each of these Changemaker Schools puts them among the highest performing high schools in the state in serving students and preparing our future workforce.”The Changemaker Public Charter High School list honorees include:

Overall High School Changemakers - Top Schools Overall

Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy - ChattanoogaIntrepid College Preparatory Charter School – Nashville

Trailblazer Changemakers - Top High Poverty Public Charter High Schools

Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy - ChattanoogaMemphis Academy of Science and Engineering Middle/High - MemphisFreedom Preparatory Academy Flagship – Memphis

Rising Stars - Outstanding New Public Charter High Schools

Chattanooga Preparatory School - ChattanoogaMemphis School of Excellence - CordovaValor College Prep - Nashville