The graphic in today's KNS article was confusing. It listed six "schools of choice." In looking at the list, I was thinking, wow, those schools had a bad reputation. They must be making some amazing progress if they're now the schools of choice.

The Mrs. had to explain that the "choice" is to not send your kids there because they are so bad.

Why do we have to use PR spin-talk for everything? How does the paper think this helps?

(Or is "schools of choice" a term of art for educators and parents that I was previously unfamiliar with?)

There's nothing wrong, and much that could be right, about making schools community centers as well as educational facilities. Schools have long been considered foundations of communities, and expanding the offerings to address the needs of the adults in the community might be accomplished without compromising the educational mission.

That doesn't mean Knox County can't simultaneously establish a STEM academy, especially when about half the money needed to do so comes from Race to the Top funding, which must be used to meet Race to the Top goals, and historic tax credits, which can't be used on buildings that aren't deemed historic. Plus there's the city of Knoxville's $200k annual contribution to the lease. For a new school, it's going to be cheap.

The money needed to keep schools open after hours are operating funds, which come from annual tax revenues. That means that if you keep the schools open longer for non-educational purposes, then the money comes out of classroom outlays. Unless, of course, the county commission sees the wisdom of using the schools for community purposes.

With so many of our schools, communities, and students in need, I just do not see how spending money on a new STEM school accomplishes anything worth while. America's education problem [especially in international comparisons] stems from our willingness to allow generational poverty to persist in our society. We can open STEM schools, charterize failing schools, and adopt scripted curricula until we're blue in the face. However, until we adopt a comprehensive approach to educating the whole child from health care to cultural capital to academics, we're just tinkering around the edges of our problem. I believe that Dr. Chronic at U.T. is doing some excellent work in this regard, and I'm intrigued by the idea of a community school. This is something that I could get behind.

Poor A-E has been put through the ringer with staff turn-overs, leadership changes, and scripted curricula via Project Grad. It's time to turn over this public institution to the community it serves and give that community the resources it needs to help their children succeed. Turning it over to the state for charterization will only further the marginalization of the East Knoxville community.

When the County took over the City schools 25 or 30 years ago, we began to see many consolidations effectively closing many schools such as Oakwood, Brownlow, McCallie, Lincoln-Park, Park, South-Young, etc. while we spent enormous amounts of money building new. It probably would have been better to not build outward but instead zone toward the City's center but our elected leaders either chose not to consider this, didn't think of it or were afraid of having to explain. Beaumont has apparently been a success (I think) but with schools located closer to the community (think walkable), more socio-economic diversity may have occurred thereby raising community expectations and parental involvement. Without those 2 critical success factors, any school will struggle.

As reported in the KNS, "six more Knox County schools" are now high priority schools, allowing students to transfer to "better" schools.

Today's KNS story didn't comment on the number of schools that came off of the state's "high priority" list.

I've spent very little time at this year's Report Card thus far, but I did happen to notice that Karns High is no longer a "high priority" school. They're now in "good standing" for the first time in at least five years (history available at the State Report Card site). It made me wonder which and how many other schools may have also improved.

(Randy, "school of choice" is the vernacular of NCLB, not KNS, so the newspaper isn't really the spin doctor here--although I agree that it's a confusing term!)

I said:

(Karns High's improvement) made me wonder which and how many other schools may have also improved.

Oops. Coulda got an answer to that question by looking at the KCS home page, which says:

Several Knox County schools have moved to “good standing” under Tennessee’s accountability criteria. These schools include East Knox County, Mooreland Heights, South Knoxville, and Spring Hill Elementary Schools, as well as Bearden, Karns and Powell Middle Schools, and Karns and West High Schools. Overall, the Knox County Schools has six more schools in good standing in 2009-10 than in the previous year.

So six more are in "good standing" than last year, but per that list it's fully nine that improved.

From that perspective, the trend appears favorable?

(link...)

Knox County had 15 schools on the High Priority list in 2010 and 15 in 2011. Five schools dropped from the 2010 list in 2011 but five other schools were added to the list.

According to the TN Dept. of Education, Knox County had the following schools on the High Priority List in 2011.

Five schools on this list were not on the list in 2010 (Carter Middle School School, Dogwood Elementary School, South Doyle Middle School, Vine Middle/Magnet School, Whittle Springs Middle School).

1 Austin East High/Magnet State/LEA Reconstitution Plan 1 - Improving
2 Beaumont Elementary/Magnet School Improvement 1 - Improving
3 Belle Morris Elementary School Improvement 2 - Improving
4 Carter High School Restructuring 1
5 Carter Middle School School Improvement 1 (new to list)
6 Central High School Restructuring 1
7 Christenberry Elementary School Improvement 1 - Improving
8 Dogwood Elementary School Improvement 1 (new to list)
9 Fulton High School Restructuring 1
10 Gibbs High School Corrective Action
11 Halls High School School Improvement 1 - Improving
12 South Doyle High School Restructuring 1
13 South Doyle Middle School School Improvement 1 (new to list)
14 Vine Middle/Magnet School Improvement 1 (new to list)
15 Whittle Springs Middle School School Improvement 1 (new to list)

According to the TN Dept. of Education, Knox County had the following schools on the High Priority List in 2010.

Five schools on this list are not on the list in 2011 (Bearden Middle School, East Knox Elementary School, Karns High School School, Spring Hill Elementary School, West High School School).

1 Austin East High/Magnet State/LEA Reconstitution Plan 1
2 Bearden Middle School School Improvement 1 - Improving (not on 2011 list)
3 Beaumont Elementary/Magnet School Improvement 1
4 Belle Morris Elementary School Improvement 2
5 Carter High School Corrective Action
6 Central High School Corrective Action
7 Christenberry Elementary School Improvement 1
8 East Knox Elementary School Improvement 1 - Improving (not on 2011 list)
9 Fulton High School Restructuring 1 - Improving
10 Gibbs High School School Improvement 2
11 Halls High School School Improvement 1
12 Karns High School School Improvement 2 - Improving (not on 2011 list)
13 South-Doyle High School Corrective Action
14 Spring Hill Elementary School Improvement 1 - Improving (not on 2011 list)
15 West High School School Improvement 2 - Improving (not on 2011 list)

Of the 2011 High Priority Schools, guess how many are in West Knoxville? Zero. Three were on the list last year, but improved enough to be removed from the list.

North Knox has eight schools on the list, one added in 2011.
East Knox has four schools on the list, two added in 2011, one dropped.
South Knox has three schools on the list, two added in 2011.

Springhill Elementary School was on the list last year and was dropped this year. Not sure if it fits with North or East Knox.

Also, Austin East and Fulton High Schools have been on the High Priority list for six years, since 2006 (the first year?). This is the fourth year in a row for South Doyle High School. Dogwood Elementary on the list this year was also on the list in 2007 and 2008. South Doyle Middle School is on the list this year and was on the list in 2006 (the first year?).

I should have added that I also support a concept like a "community school" for a reconstituted A-E (and for most every school, really).

However, I perceive that concept and the STEM school concept to be two different solutions to two different problems. I don't see that they are necessarily at odds with one another. In a word, what Scott B said: Why not both?

Thanks for all of the data, ya'll. This has been an informative thread to follow, but I'm still at a loss on this one. Here's some thoughts in no particular order...

Even if we accept the numbers coming from the county, which I'm not really prepared to do, it still looks to be a $2 million expenditure for tax payers with annual recurring costs. Am I missing something? I haven't had the time to really dig too deeply...

With all of the financial alchemy involved with the new Carter project, I'm equally skeptical about how that will go down without creating long term costs that will haunt us down the road.

KCS have already gone through several years of budget cuts... Is it prudent to spend vital resources on this project with so many other needs in the system?

What student population will the STEM school serve? I would anticipate that the majority of the students who will make up the student body will come from areas of the county that have higher scoring schools and that are already well served with good facilities and AP courses.

Sorry to be Captain Negative, but I just don't see the pressing need for this. If this will involve a $2 million expenditure with recurring costs [& I readily admit that I could be wrong on this... I hope that I am], then I could find quite a few teachers working in many of our "high priority" schools who could find practical ways to spend that money to the benefit of those student populations who have very pressing educational needs that are not currently being met.

I would anticipate that the majority of the students who will make up the student body will come from areas of the county that have higher scoring schools and that are already well served with good facilities and AP courses.

And speaking only for my own family's experience in the AP program at a (nearly) "comprehensive" high school, my older child who is now a KCS grad always felt like a distinct minority, academically speaking, in her high school.

Maybe I'm injecting into this conversation too much concern for alleviating teenage angst, when the board's more pressing concern is alleviating burdensome financial costs, but I tend to see the STEM proposal as a viable solution to both problems?