Nashville Students Prove That Poverty Doesn’t Dictate Academic Outcomes

by TCSC staff,| September 23, 201-  In far too many corners of Nashville, a student’s zip code factors heavily into their chances of getting into and graduating from a 2 or 4 year college.

The data is clear on low-income students.  According to Pew Center research[i], low-income students lag far behind their more affluent peers by significant margins. And this is just enrolling in college. Far fewer low-income students actually finish with a degree. Over the last decade, however, we have seen the emergence of “beat the odds schools”- high poverty schools that are getting incredible academic results from their students.

In pursuit of ever-stronger public schools, some cities and states have begun formally identifying “beat the odds schools” to focus attention on what these schools are doing differently and to facilitate the sharing of these practices across schools.  The Tennessee Charter School Center proposes a “Beat the Odds” measure for Tennessee- schools that have more than 75% Economically Disadvantaged and had more than 50% of their students score Proficient or Advanced on the 2013-14 TCAP achievement exam.

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is a district of 84,000 students with a diverse student body and spread out over a large geography. Almost three quarters of the student population is Economically Disadvantaged; nearly 60,000 students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Not surprisingly, Metro Nashville Public Schools has a number of good public schools, both traditional and charter, that are “beating the odds,” serving a high poverty student population and ensuring high levels of academic achievement.  We’re proud to recognize those schools and their results from the 2013-14 year here.

TCAP Math, Grades 3-8

Type	School	% Econ Disadvantaged	% P/A
Charter	Nashville Prep	78.10%	82.70%
Charter	KIPP Academy Nashville	91.30%	77.90%
Charter	Liberty Collegiate	86.00%	76.00%
Charter	STEM Prep Academy	84.30%	74.00%
Charter	New Vision Academy	82.00%	62.80%
Charter	KIPP College Prep	84.40%	62.20%
District	Old Center Elementary	85.80%	57.50%
Charter	Knowledge Academy	82.40%	54.20%
District	Chadwell Elementary	93.20%	54.00%
District	Donelson MS	76.00%	53.30%
Charter	Cameron College Prep	96.40%	52.00%
District	Cole Elementary	90.90%	50.90%
Charter	Intrepid College Prep	81.00%	50.60%
District	Cameron MS	91.90%	50.00%

TCAP RLA, Grades 3-8

Type	School	% Econ Disadvantaged	% P/A
Charter	Liberty Collegiate	86.00%	65.70%
Charter	Intrepid College Prep	81.00%	62.60%
Charter	Nashville Prep	78.10%	60.40%
Charter	STEM Prep Academy	84.30%	59.10%
Charter	KIPP Academy Nashville	91.30%	56.60%
District	Old Center Elementary	85.80%	52.80%
Charter	New Vision Academy	82.00%	50.60%
Charter	Knowledge Academy	82.40%	50.50%

TCAP Science, Grades 3-8

Type	School	% Econ Disadvantaged	% P/A
Charter	Liberty Collegiate	86.00%	90.70%
Charter	STEM Prep Academy	84.30%	89.40%
Charter	Nashville Prep	78.10%	87.50%
Charter	LEAD Prep Southeast	87.30%	83.60%
Charter	KIPP Academy Nashville	91.30%	78.20%
Charter	New Vision Academy	82.00%	76.70%
Charter	Knowledge Academy	82.40%	75.00%
District	Old Center Elementary	85.80%	71.70%
Charter	KIPP College Prep	84.40%	66.70%
Charter	Intrepid College Prep	81.00%	62.60%
District	Rosebank Elementary	87.60%	62.30%
Charter	Cameron College Prep	96.40%	53.30%
District	Charlotte Park Elementary	86.10%	51.10%
District	Chadwell Elementary	93.20%	50.80%

TCAP Algebra 1 EOC

Type	School	% Econ Disadvantaged	% P/A
Charter	LEAD Academy High School	89.00%	80.40%
District	Antioch High School	75.00%	58.80%
District	Maplewood	87.60%	53.90%
District	Glencliff	82.50%	52.80%

TCAP English 2 EOC

Type	School	% Econ Disadvantaged	% P/A
Charter	LEAD Academy High School	89.00%	74.00%
District	Antioch High School	75.00%	55.20%

TCAP Biology 1 EOC

Type	School	% Econ Disadvantaged	% P/A
Charter	LEAD Academy High School	89.00%	83.30%

We need to study these schools more, their practices and habits, and the specific things they are doing to ensure success among high poverty populations. Collaboration must be a top priority in order to explore these schools and their success. It is important for charter schools and traditional schools alike to look at the best practices that can be shared across classrooms, schools and the district. We propose a working group, comprised of educators and leaders from both charter and traditional schools, tasked with producing a report on those practices that could be replicated in other schools. This work should begin as soon as possible, because these students cannot afford to wait.

[i] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/15/college-enrollment-among-low-income-students-still-trails-richer-groups/

Reposted from the Inside Charters website. Rod 

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