This year’s Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results were rightfully cheered for the gains Tennessee students made, but it’s important to keep in mind achievement gaps still persist.This is especially true for students who are English Language Learners (ELL). These students scored 15 points lower than the state average in English Language Arts and 10 points lower in Math.As our state looks for solutions to the inequities that create these achievement gaps, we can learn much from the model that’s currently serving Memphis students at Compass Community Schools.

Although other public charter schools have garnered more media coverage, Oxton Academy sets itself apart by focusing on high school students failing to thrive in the traditional and alterative school options in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS). Oxton Academy not only targets drop out students, but students needing a flexible learning environment due to socioeconomic hardship. It will be the first school to offer work-based learning with hybrid course options in the district. Oxton Academy offers an opportunity to better support struggling students while increasing workforce development opportunities within the district.

Going into college, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be smart enough. Most of my future peers had years of AP classes under their belts, and in some cases, a full semester of college. I had none of those things, except for a few classes taught by my high school teachers with curriculum provided by the closest community college.

Tennesseans simply aren’t getting the same quality of information about education as they once did, and they aren’t as informed as they could be.