Half of this school’s students left when Nashville took it over. Supporters say that’s proof families want LEAD Public Schools to serve more children.

LEAD Brick Church exterior last February (Photo by Sky Arnold)

When middle school students at LEAD Brick Church in North Davidson County took state assessments last spring, they knew it would be the final chance to show what they’ve learned at the public charter school.

LEAD Public Schools had already lost its bid to continue operating the middle school and leaders with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) were planning to take it over for the 2024/2024 school year as a traditional public school.

CEO Dwayne Tucker speaking at Tuesday's hearing (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Still, those LEAD charter students outperformed the nearest district run middle school in every subject on state tests, and when MNPS opened the new Brick Church Middle School in August, more than half of students there switched schools.

CEO Dwayne Tucker says that’s a sign families believe the education their children received at LEAD was high-quality.

“I’m very proud to share that Brick Church’s final year with LEAD was a success, growing 7.5 percent to 13 percent proficiency in the 2023/24 school year,” said Tucker. “Although we are no longer operating Brick.  We are proud that Brick Church is the highest performing middle school in the White’s Creek cluster.”

Tucker made those comments during a public hearing Tuesday on LEAD’s appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to open two new public charter schools for elementary school students in South Nashville. Charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency like a school district or the state.

The MNPS Board of Education denied LEAD’s application to open LEAD Cameron Elementary and LEAD Southeast Elementary in July in part because of LEAD Brick Church. Board members utilized misleading comparisons with students from more affluent areas of Nashville to vote LEAD’s application down, saying students at LEAD Brick Church “underperformed.”

MNPS Charter Schools Office Director Shereka Roby-Grant continued to make that same case at Tuesday’s hearing, saying LEAD’s experience with Brick Church should raise questions that it has a history of raising student achievement level.

“LEAD simply does not meet that standard,” said Roby-Grant. “The academic history of this school in LEAD’s portfolio should be considered in the commission’s decision when determining the approval of this application.”

Roby-Grant did not address LEAD Brick Church’s success on state tests compared to other schools in the White’s Creek School Cluster.

The commission will use the hearing to decide next month whether to grant LEAD’s appeal and that will include pointed comments from the new principal of MNPS’ Brick Church Middle School.

Tuesday's public hearing (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Principal Robyn Beard Tillman did not address the number of families who chose to pull their children out of the new district run school, but she claims those that stayed were behind.

“I do have to acknowledge that they did have previous academic gaps that was surprising because they came from great elementary schools that were not in priority, that remained out of priority, that were Blue Ribbon schools.  So we know that these academic gaps came to them as a part of being a part of the LEAD network,” said Tillman.

LEAD administrators pushed back on claims its students are underperforming by sharing comparisons from other LEAD run public charter schools that, like LEAD Brick Church, outperformed comparable district-run schools that serve students from similar racial and economic backgrounds on state tests. 

(Graphic by LEAD Public Schools)

(Graphic by LEAD Public Schools)

Tucker says one reason LEAD wants to open its first two elementary schools is it believes it could do an even better job serving all students, if they weren’t arriving behind academically from district run elementary schools.

“70 percent of our students are below grade level when they arrive in our middle schools. We want to reach those students earlier so we can get them on the path to success sooner,” said Tucker.

If LEAD’s appeal is granted by the commission, the charter operator will utilize the new elementary schools to create a complete K-12 pipeline through its existing middle and high schools in the area.

Tabitha Thorman is one Nashville parent who would like to see it.

Felicytie Thorman speaking at Tuesday's hearing (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Thorman spoke at Tuesday’s hearing, telling the commission she has two daughters that attend LEAD schools and she says both have overcome academic struggles in other schools to thrive at LEAD.

“As a mother I watched my own students, my personal children, develop and grow through the efforts of the staff and the powerful cultural community that we have,” said Thorman. “The teachers and staff chose to help them grow as people and develop skills only I can pray for others.”

That growth includes a remarkable reading turnaround for Tabitha’s daughter Felicytie Thorman.

The Lead Academy Freshman also spoke at Tuesday’s hearing, saying she arrived at LEAD Cameron in the seventh-grade reading on a third-grade level.

“While at Cameron my seventh-grade teachers Ms. Hughes and Ms. Rowland not only pushed me to meet but pushed me to exceed grade level goals,” said Thorman at the public hearing. “I can say proudly as a Freshman at LEAD Academy that I’m reading at a tenth-grade level thanks to the teachers and staff support at LEAD Schools.”