Independent charter review recommends denial for the Nashville School of Excellence

Young students in a classroom (Photo by the Read Foundation)

More than 15 hundred elementary, middle, and high school students attend one of four Memphis Schools of Excellence in Shelby County.

The organization that runs the public charter schools is now hoping to expand the school model to students in south Nashville.

The Read Foundation is proposing to serve more than 800 sixth through twelfth-grade students with a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based education that helps students develop the ability to make good decisions and encourages them to become contributing members of society.

“Our mission and vision are realized through implementation of our academic plan, which includes key features that support the improvement of learning for all students and the closing of achievement gaps,” wrote the Read Foundation in the school’s application. “Nashville School of Excellence will provide a new high-quality educational opportunity to the families we serve. Specifically, we will implement an innovative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic program.”

The school’s STEM-based curriculum would allow students opportunities to do four to six two-week long project-based learning experiences per year and will allow advanced placement (AP) and dual enrollment classes through partnerships with local colleges and universities.

The charter operator also says its small school setting would promote an individualized learning environment for students.The Nashville School of Excellence is one of five proposed public charter schools applying to open in Nashville and the only one the independent Quality Charter Review (QCR) recommended school board members deny. Charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency like Metro Nashville Public Schools.

QCR reviewers felt the application contained measurable goals and clear and concise plans for how to measure program effectiveness and student and teacher growth. Reviewers also commended the fact the proposed school would be part of a charter network with high graduation and college acceptance rates of 97 percent.

Still reviewers recommended denial due to the potential that there’s not a demand for a Nashville location and a lack of detail in the application for how the school would address differences between the populations it serves in Memphis and the community it would serve Nashville.Reviewers also found that the application lacked a plan for serving special education students.

“Overall, the plan for curriculum and assessment is strong however it is unclear if the plan will support the needs of the proposed community,” wrote QCR reviewers. “The vast majority of letters of support contained in the application were from vendors who provide contracted services (back-office support, legal, student information systems, etc.) to the existing Memphis schools or agencies not specific to Nashville or the proposed community. A sufficient demand for the Nashville location from Nashville residents without a financial partnership to existing schools was not evident.”