Nashville Parent. Focused on outcomes for kids, not on labels. Every child / family deserves access to a great education, regardless of zip code/school type!
Nashville, TN
Joined June 2016
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🤔 @MetroSchools grad rate 85% (rising for ~7 yrs).
HS ELA & Math achievement: 22-34% (falling pre-Covid).
% of graduating students ready for college/career: 33% (flat for ~7 yrs).
Our kids deserve better than lowering standards/ ignoring the problem, MNPS & @MetroNashville!
"Celebration of higher graduation rates doesn’t just ignore test scores. It masks growing problems for vulnerable students," the Editorial Board writes. wapo.st/3NIihnv
🤔🤔🤔
The Education Department published, for the first time, explanations from the top 5% of institutions for tuition growth.
As @PrestonCooper93 writes, "some responses paint a picture of well-meaning schools beset by cost inflation. Other explanations are less sympathetic."
aei.org/commentary/why-colle…
Nice press: @EastEndPrep Named #1 Charter Elementary School in TN by @usnews
cc @MarthaOBryanCtr @tncharters @SCORE_TN @MetroSchools @freddieoconnell @Explore_School @tnstudent
tennessean.com/story/news/ed…
.@MetroNashville our @MetroSchools grad rate has been 80+% for yrs. Yet our high schoolers who are on-track is *less than* 33%. This 50 point 'reality gap' is the lowering of the standards that @johnarnold refers to.
Arnold asks 2 related questions:
1) Is this rising graduation rate really cause for celebration?
2) Are ready to be informed citizens and productive workers.
For Nashville (and America), the answer to both is probably not 😬
I wrote an op-ed.
States are boosting high school graduation rates by lowering the standards required to earn a diploma, with serious unintended consequences. Credentials only have value if they signify real knowledge and skills.
the74million.org/article/lie…
NashvilleEdReform retweeted
Mississippi raised the bar. When standards rise, school grades may dip at first, but rising student performance follows. Kudos to @MissDeptEd, State Sup. Lance Evans and policymakers for setting higher expectations. mdek12.org/communications/20…
NashvilleEdReform retweeted
Tennessee ranks among the lowest states for voter turnout. Together, we can change that.
My fellow Tennesseans, early voting begins today. Whoever you support, I hope you’ll make a plan to vote. Our state’s future deserves your voice.
Early voting runs October 14–29. Election Day is November 3. Before you go, review your sample ballot and check voting locations and hours: sos.tn.gov/govotetn
Many of our @MetroNashville council members / @MetroSchools board members exhibit similar 'choice for me but not for thee' behavior, including sending their kids:
1) To academic magnets (that don't provide transportation) like Hume-Fogg, MLK, or Meigs;
2) To optional schools (that don't provide transportation) like Waverly Belmont or Glendale;
3) To zoned schools Julia Green / Percy Priest / by buying a $1 Million+ house in West Nashville.
All of these are perfectly fine decisions / good options, but then WHY deny other Nashville families the same choice that you are able to exercise?!
Sending your kid to a charter school while staying silent as Dems try to restrict charter options for low-income families is wild. Spot-on from @mattyglesias.
NashvilleEdReform retweeted
Turns out the education issue with the broadest political appeal isn't school choice, funding, or culture wars.
It's whether kids can read and do math.
85% of Texas voters say they're more likely to support a candidate who prioritizes grade level proficiency.
👏👏👏More high-quality public school options coming (now sooner!) to families in @MetroSchools @MetroNashville & across TN.
cc @tncharters @Chalkbeat @TheTNFirefly @KIPP_Nashville @LEADSchools @NashClassical @Purpose_Prep @valorcollegiate @ninasrees @PropelTN @ScarlettFndt @TennesseeCAN @RepMarkWhiteTN
A new path just opened for future Nashville public charter schools. 🏫
With the state approving the appeals of Music City Academy and The Gate School, Metro Nashville Public Schools applicants can now choose to apply directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission for the next five years.
That means another pathway for high-quality public-school options to reach Nashville students and families.
Learn more at the link below. 🔽
'A debacle of this scope can’t be explained away by a lack of 💰 or overwhelmed teachers—the usual excuses rolled out to defend failing schools by shifting blame to “the system.”
Najya’s school is extremely well-resourced, spending >$50k/pupil/yr, & has a low student-teacher ratio'
@MetroSchools @MetroNashville @freddieoconnell
'If Ms. Weingarten wants to “learn what went wrong,” she should start by looking in the mirror. Her union is the primary reason New York’s public schools fail to educate so many children, especially poor black children.'
wsj.com/opinion/nikole-hanna… via @WSJopinion
YES! “Not because we believe a letter grade can tell us everything there is to know about a school. It cannot.” Rather, she argues that families deserve accessible information about whether schools are delivering academically for their children and because transparency creates the conditions for accountability.
(emphasis added)
@MetroSchools @MetroNashville @freddieoconnell
the74million.org/article/mis…
"Policy, not politics, determines outcomes"
...
'Set an ambitious public goal w real accountability.
States that have improved treat student outcomes as the key measure of success & align policies/resources accordingly. TN set out to be the fastest-improving state in reading/math & then acted like it, investing in proven instructional approaches & sustaining high-dosage tutoring after fed Covid aid expired. It posted the nation’s 2nd-largest math gains & 4th-largest reading gains 2022-2025'
@MetroSchools @MetroNashville @freddieoconnell
Tennessee rose from the bottom 10 to 17th overall on NAEP. Kevin Huffman explores why in this @washingtonpost column.
Proud @SCORE_TN has been a trusted partner in this shared work. Progress is not a signal to slow down. It’s a call to go further.
washingtonpost.com/opinions/…
👏“For busy parents like me, simplicity matters. We need more clarity during enrollment, not confusion. IPS parents deserve a system that makes choices easier, not harder.”
-Parent in @IPSSchools as she urged the school board to keep @enrollindy.
cc @MetroSchools
Indianapolis Public Schools withdrew from a single enrollment system for all schools, even as the district and charters are supposed to cooperate more buff.ly/HdIfkwl
NashvilleEdReform retweeted
Opinion: Tennessee needs skilled trades as much as college degrees | Letters tennessean.com/story/opinion…
'MOST Cost Effective' 😍
1 Sci. of reading
2 School accountability
3 High-quality curriculum
4 Expand advanced class access
5 Fire low performing teachers
Many 'Ideas worth a try' ✅
1 Screen time limits
3 Ban 📲
5 *Real time* attendance data/notify parents
Interesting to see 'LEAST cost-effective' ⁉️
2 Smaller class sizes
3 Increase *ALL* teacher pay...
especially vs #5 most effective idea 💸
Increase teacher pay *for high-poverty schools*
@MetroSchools
nytimes.com/2026/09/28/upsho…
NashvilleEdReform retweeted
In a recent @Tennessean column, @ScarlettFndt CEO Tara Scarlett highlights @NashClassical East’s remarkable TCAP results and the importance of creating more great schools & educational options for families.
Thank you, Tara, for highlighting #TNCharters!
tennessean.com/story/opinion…
👏@EQFund @tncharters & 22Beacon
👀👇
cc @MetroSchools @tnstudent @ChalkbeatTN @Chalkbeat @TheTNFirefly @CharterGrowth @KIPP_Nashville @LEADSchools @valorcollegiate @NashClassical @Purpose_Prep @EdOutcomes4TN @SCORE_TN
A new resource is available to TN Public Charter Schools! We are proud to partner with @EQFund and 22Beacon on the Volunteer Facilities Fund (VFF), helping schools access capital for facility projects. ⏩Learn more + register for a webinar: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
