Metro Nashville Public Schools once again declines to “celebrate" schools serving historically disadvantaged students

For the second year in a row, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is excluding its schools that serve some of the highest percentages of economically disadvantaged and students of color from the district’s annual celebration event.The September 9 Celebration of Schools Parade and Fair at Nissan Stadium is designed to showcase district schools and educational options to parents, but MNPS leadership opted to exclude public charter schools from taking part.“The Celebration of Schools Parade and Fair is the vision of Dr. Adrienne Battle to showcase and celebrate the unique qualities and traits of our schools who are operated by the district and follow the traditional public school governance model. It is not unusual for the district to hold events that only include our district-run schools, which operate under the leadership structure of MNPS, and this is the same format as last year,” said an MNPS spokesperson.The district has been holding a “celebration” event for more than a decade and always included public charter schools, until last year.Public charter schools are operated by non-profit organizations but all 27 are considered part of Metro Nashville Public Schools and listed on the district website. In Nashville, these schools serve some of the highest percentages of historically disadvantaged students.An analysis by the Nashville Charter Collaborative last year found 80 percent of public charter school students are students of color compared to 69 percent of the MNPS district overall.  Charters also average 4 percent more economically disadvantaged students than the district.Those students performed better at public charter schools in Nashville than the state average  last year in English language arts and math and overall, public charter schools played a noticeable role helping the district earn the distinction of being a the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) Level 5 district, signifying the highest level of growth.Public charter schools make up less than 20 percent of district schools but according to state TVAAS data, they represent nearly a third of the MNPS schools achieving a School Evaluation Composite Overall Level 5 of Effectiveness. That’s the highest TVAAS rating and it signifies the school's students made more growth than expected.Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle referenced district's Level 5 TVAAS distinction prominently in the news release announcing the Celebration of Schools event but didn't mention the impact charters made to help achieve it."In recent months, our district has achieved Level 5 TVAAS growth for the second consecutive year, and we continue to outpace the state in educational growth," said Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools in the release. "These milestones reflect the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families."