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Turnaround in Tennessee
Story posted January, 2008. Results updated December 14, 2012.
*Results:
• Math performance in the district continues to improve, with 59% of 3rd graders scoring proficient or advanced in math in 2012, up from 52% in 2011 and up 4% from the state average. Performance in 7th grade math is also up.
• 42% of 7th graders scored proficient or advanced in reading/language arts in 2012, up from 40% in 2011 and 38% in 2010.
A 2000 report on the performance of elementary and middle schools in Tennessee presented Hamilton County with some sobering news: it was home to nine of the 20 lowest-performing schools in the state.
In response, local foundations and the Hamilton County Department of Education embarked on an effort to improve student literacy in the low-performing schools, all of which were located in poor, urban neighborhoods in Chattanooga. The focus of the effort: embedded professional development and the creation of strong leadership teams in the targeted schools.
Joining the school district as partners in the school improvement effort were the Public Education Foundation and the Benwood Foundation, a private Chattanooga funder. Among the major changes pushed by the partners was an approach called "embedded professional development." The idea was to transform professional development from a one-time event or training seminar to an everyday occurrence grounded in the real work of Chattanooga teachers.
At the core of the approach are "consulting teachers"--individuals with demonstrated expertise and effectiveness with students. These teachers work one-on-one or with small groups of teachers to offer support, guidance, best practices and more.
Other reforms aimed at empowering professionals in Hamilton County schools have included: a no-cost Master's Degree in urban education for Chattanooga teachers from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; cash bonuses for high-performing teachers and principals; the intensive use of student performance data to inform instruction, and a new emphasis on collaborative planning in county schools to reduce the isolation teachers often face in their work.
The district's commitment to giving teachers the resources they need to succeed has drawn the approval of the local teachers union, which has become a strong supporter of the Benwood Initiative. And other community partners also have joined in to support the goal of improved student literacy. For example, the free Master's Degree program is funded by Chattanooga's Weldon F. Osborne Foundation.
As a result of these and other reforms, teacher turnover has slowed considerably in the Benwood schools. And more important students in these schools have made significant strides in achievement. For example, the percentage of third graders scoring proficient or advanced in reading jumped from 53 percent in 2003 to 81 percent in 2007. One school's third-grade reading scores doubled from 41 percent to 84 percent in four years. Even more significant were gains revealed in Tennessee's value-added scores, which measure achievement gains in a given year. The Benwood schools outgained 90 percent of all schools in Tennessee.
"The story is remarkable. The road has not been straight or smooth, and the journey is not complete, but much has been - and continues to be - accomplished," according to a report on the Benwood Initiative by the Public Education Foundation. Among the lessons learned from the initiative, the report said, is that improving teaching means building a collegial professional environment that fosters learning for all, students and teachers alike.
*Since this story's initial posting, Tennessee has changed its standardized testing program. Results are now reported in four categories: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. The story's updated results acknowledge that shift.
Further details about this story can be found in our sources:
NSBA's Center for Public Education, "Hamilton County (Tenn) Schools Nurture Good Teachers," May 2006
Public Education Foundation, "Partners for Strong Schools: Videos/Podcasts," Summer 2006
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