There are 33 article(s) tagged Charter schools:

• February 2020

  • Tennessee hires Nevada’s former education chief

    Steve Canavero is working with the newly created Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. He led a similar charter initiative in Nevada. Tennessee's 118 charter schools are mostly in Shelby County.

    By Marta W. Aldrich February 20, 2020

  • Harding sells Cordova campus to charter school

    Memphis School of Excellence buys Harding Academy of Memphis' 20-acre campus in Cordova for $6 million. 

    By Tom Bailey February 11, 2020

  • 5-year low: Only 4 charter schools apply to open in Memphis

    If all the schools are approved, they eventually would enroll about 2,100 students, which would make a small dent in the district’s need for 44,000 more “high-quality” seats in various neighborhoods, according to the Shelby County Schools’ analysis.

    By Laura Faith Kebede February 10, 2020

• January 2020

  • Memphis recommends closing three charter schools up for renewal

    District staff recommended against re-upping operating agreements for Veritas College Preparatory, Memphis College Preparatory Elementary and Memphis Business Academy Middle.

    By Laura Faith Kebede January 16, 2020

  • More voucher advocates join Gov. Bill Lee’s administration

    The new hires are expected to further expand the influence of organizations advocating for education policies such as vouchers and charter schools. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich January 16, 2020

  • Memphis implements robust rules for charter schools

    The new charter school policy the school board approved over the summer was the first update in eight years and significantly increased accountability.

    By Laura Faith Kebede January 08, 2020

• December 2019

  • Behind the Headlines Podcast: Journalist round table

    Laura Faith Kebede of Chalkbeat Tennessee, Toby Sells of The Memphis Flyer and Karanja Ajanaku of The New Tri-State Defender discuss charter schools, Greensward parking, Confederate monuments and more with host Eric Barnes.

    By Eric Barnes December 20, 2019

  • Montessori school making strides in North Memphis

    Libertas School of Memphis received a Level 5 TVAAS designation from the state this year on its report card. The charter school is in its fifth year in Frayser. 

    By Omer Yusuf December 15, 2019

  • Aspire charter leader says let parents ‘choose with their feet’ on enrollment

    Aspire Public Schools superintendent Nick Manning talked on The Daily Memphian Podcast about the move of the charter organization in Memphis for the last seven years to a local board in the new school year.

    By Bill Dries December 14, 2019

  • Memphis school board calls for charter moratorium

    The Shelby County Schools board included the request to state lawmakers to hold off on charter approvals until the state evaluates how they are doing.

    By Laura Faith Kebede December 04, 2019

• October 2019

  • Fired teacher sues Memphis charter school

    Patricia Ange is seeking $350,000 in damages against Memphis Academy of Health Sciences High School, which enrolled about 400 students last year.

    By Laura Faith Kebede October 08, 2019

• August 2019

  • SCS board OKs new policy for Memphis charter schools

    The policy gives the board the ability to deny a charter school application to open in a neighborhood with relatively few students; establishes a timeline for revoking a school’s charter if it shows poor academic results; and provides schools a chance to compete for free rent in district buildings.

    By Laura Faith Kebede August 01, 2019

• July 2019

  • 10 new schools will open in Memphis this academic year

    The openings and closings will bring the total number of Memphis charter schools to 82 — with Shelby County Schools overseeing 57 and the state-run Achievement School District overseeing 25 more.

    By Kathryn Palmer, Caroline Bauman July 25, 2019

  • Feds OK contract between charter school network, Catholic diocese

    The federal guidance removes the final hurdle for Compass Community Schools to open its six campuses across Memphis on July 31 in former Catholic school buildings.

    By Laura Faith Kebede July 05, 2019

• June 2019

  • 11 Memphis charter school applications rejected

    “The state has pretty clear criteria for what an academic plan should look like, what an operational plan should look like and what a financial plan should look like. None of those schools really met that criteria,” said Bradley Leon, Shelby County Schools chief of strategy and performance management. 

    By Kathryn Palmer June 27, 2019

• May 2019

  • An embattled Memphis charter school shuts down, forcing 150 students to make choices

    Now that Gateway is officially closed, parents and students are left to find a new high school. Many are headed to their zoned neighborhood schools; others are still searching.

    By Caroline Bauman May 31, 2019

  • Statewide commission will ensure high bar for charter schools

    This year, the Tennessee General Assembly approved Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal to establish an independent statewide authorizer of public charter schools. The commission will ensure decisions to open or close public charter schools are made based on the specific needs of local students.

    By Lillian Hartgrove, Sara H. Morrison May 21, 2019

  • Herenton will appeal SCS board vote to close one of his charter schools

    The board voted to keep open three out of six Memphis charter schools that appeared on the state’s list of lowest-performing schools, and voted to close the three other charter schools on the list, all run by former superintendent and current Memphis mayoral candidate Willie Herenton.

    By Laura Faith Kebede May 03, 2019

• April 2019

  • Few charter schools want to open where SCS says they’re needed

    The district’s new analysis on where charter schools are most needed was based on the number of students in various Memphis neighborhoods and the school seats available for them.

    By Laura Faith Kebede April 05, 2019

• March 2019

  • Griffin: More certified teachers, better K-2 instructors top priorities for ASD

    In a presentation to Memphis parents this week, Griffin said: “The life of the ASD is at stake. We either fix it and show improvement or it’s not going to exist….”

    By Caroline Bauman March 25, 2019

  • Governor says plans would help low-income students, but they cast a much wider net

    Gov. Bill Lee's proposed voucher program could provide an average of $7,300 annually to families that make double the annual income under federal eligibility requirements for receiving free and reduced-price lunches.

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 22, 2019

  • Camper hammers Lee on vouchers proposal in State of the State

    Gov. Bill Lee proposes putting $25 million into education savings accounts, a program that would affect low-income students in Shelby County Schools.

    By Sam Stockard March 06, 2019

  • Tennessee charter school facility funding would double under governor’s plan

    Charter schools were the only education topic addressed when the governor’s office released advance excerpts of Lee’s State of the State address.

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 04, 2019

• February 2019

  • New Memphis charter school guidelines would help decide if there are too many in one neighborhood

    Under new guidelines being developed, Shelby County Schools board members would be able to systematically slow growth of Memphis charter schools. 

    By Laura Faith Kebede February 25, 2019

  • In last effort to stay open, Gateway University appeals to Tennessee board

    Leaders of a Memphis charter high school have requested that the state board of education overturn the local district’s vote to close the school.

    By Caroline Bauman, Chalkbeat Tennessee February 11, 2019