Tennessee Awards Grants in Every Grand Division to Spur School Improvement Efforts

NASHVILLE— Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today that Tennessee will award $8.25 million in Priority school grants to 10 schools over the next three years that are among the lowest-performing schools in the state. These grants will provide funding to support specific strategies for school improvement in alignment with both district plans and the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan.

Schools that were named to the state’s 2018 Priority school list or identified for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) were eligible to apply for this competitive grant.

“It is imperative that we provide additional support to schools that serve our students who are furthest behind and believe it is important to allow districts the autonomy to leverage what works in their local schools,” McQueen said. “With this grant, we are focusing on the areas that are most critical in turning around high-needs schools – strong leadership, talent management, effective instruction, and student support – and investing in schools that show the most promise for improving student outcomes through these areas.”

These grants are provided through Title I funds from the U.S. Department of Education and must be used to support the state’s Priority and CSI schools. Through a competitive application process, 10 schools were selected to receive funding up to $275,000 per year for three years to implement the turnaround plans they outlined in their applications. They are:

• Antioch Middle School, Metro Nashville Public Schools
• Calvin Donaldson Elementary School, Hamilton County Schools
• Georgian Hills Achievement Elementary School, Achievement School District
• Orchard Knob Middle School, Hamilton County Schools
• LEAD Neely’s Bend Middle School, Achievement School District
• Libertas at Brookmeade, Achievement School District
• Memphis Scholars Raleigh Egypt, Achievement School District
• McKissack Middle School, Metro Nashville Public Schools
• McMurray Middle School, Metro Nashville Public Schools
• The Howard School, Hamilton County Schools

In addition to the Priority school grant, more than $26 million in funding for Priority and CSI schools has been made available to districts through four other grant opportunities.

For media inquiries, please contact Sara Gast, director of communications, at Sara.Gast@tn.gov or (615) 532-6260. For more information on the grants, please contact Ginnae Harley, executive director of the office of school improvement, at Ginnae.Harley@tn.gov.