New Leaders for New Schools

Memphis

Public Education Impact & Results Recruitment & Admissions Information Sessions Supporters
Program Details Janice Crawford, Executive Director Key Contact: Delores Brown Email: delores.brown@nlns.org	Contact Information New Leaders for New Schools Memphis 2701 Union Avenue Extended, Suite 300 Memphis, TN 38112 901-881-5122

Public Education

Students

Approximately 116,000 students in K-12
Student demographics: 86 percent African-American, 8 percent white and 6 percent other races/nationalities
The number of students served by ESL/ELL (English as a Second Language/English Language Learners) has more than doubled since the 2000-2001 school year, going from 2,096 to 4,728 in 2006-2007. Forty-two different languages are represented.
Average class size is 20 in grades K-3, 25 in grades 4-6, in middle schools and in grades 7-12.
The 2006 senior class received more than $95.6 million in scholarship offers.

Schools

Elementary Schools – 112
Middle/Junior High Schools – 36
Senior High Schools – 35
Career & Technology Centers – 6
Charter Schools – 9
Alternative Programs – 8
Special Education Centers – 3
Total 209 schools
32 schools are Optional Schools or offer Optional Programs that offer parents choices in selecting a public education that can best fit their children’s talents and abilities.
For two consecutive years, a Memphis City School was selected as a National No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School. Delano Elementary received the honor for 2005-2006, and Keystone Elementary received that designation in 2004-2005.
All Memphis City Schools classrooms are Internet-wired to handle at least six computers.
All Memphis City Schools (except for Charter Schools) are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
There are more than 100 Pre-Kindergarten classes offered through the Memphis City Schools to give four-year-olds strong educational and social foundations for success in school and in life.

Teachers

Memphis City Schools employs more than 6,000 full-time teachers in grades K-12.
Memphis City Schools has more National Board Certified Teachers than any other school district in the State of Tennessee. These are teachers who have earned the highest certification standard a teacher can attain.
Memphis City Schools has a number of teachers who have been recognized nationally for their effective teaching, including Rhonda Borden of A.B. Hill Elementary who received a 2006 National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation; Angel Perkins, a Science teacher at White Station High School who was selected to be a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Training Corps out of more than 1800 applicants based on a submission of a classroom teaching strategy and the data proving its results, and Snowden teacher Myra Govea de Arce, who was chosen by a U.S Department of Education panel as an American Star of Teaching in 2006. She was one of only 51 recipients of the prestigious honor and was chosen from more than 4,000 nominees across the nation for their success in improving academic performance and making a difference in students' lives using the principles of No Child Left Behind.
Teachers in the Memphis City Schools are given many opportunities for professional development designed to improve and enhance their teaching skills. In addition to professional development through the school district’s state-of-the-art Teaching and Learning Academy, teachers avail themselves to outstanding fellowship programs at the University of Memphis and other institutions that partner with Memphis City Schools to better prepare teachers for success in the urban classroom.

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Impact & Results

Memphis Placement and Program Satisfaction Data

Over time, of the 62 New Leaders who have entered the Memphis program since 2004, 95% of those completing the program in time for the 2007-2008 school year have served as principals or assistant principals.
Among Memphis New Leaders principals, 100% report that the program is high quality overall.
Among Memphis Residents, 100% report that they feel part of a national movement to transform urban education by demonstrating that all students can achieve at high levels.
100% of Memphis Residents agree that the Residency is a high-quality learning experience, and 100% feel they prepared to lead an urban K-12 public school.

Preliminary Memphis Achievement Results (2008 data not available as of July 29, 2008)
New Leaders principals are relatively new in their tenure in Memphis, with the first group of principals being placed in the fall of 2005. While no conclusions can be drawn from such a small group of novice principals, New Leaders principals have posted positive results.

Memphis New Leaders principals with 2 years of experience made almost 6 percentage point gains in the proportion of students scoring proficient or advanced in ELA from 2006 to 2007, compared to the district’s gains of 3 points.
Overall, 83% of New Leaders-led schools made AYP in 2006-07 compared to 74% of schools across the district as a whole. Ninety-one percent of Memphis schools led by New Leaders made AYP in both ELA and math and 100% made AYP in attendance in 2006-07.
In New Leaders’ two Memphis high schools, graduation rates are increasing at faster rates than the district’s rates, and students are graduating in higher proportions. New Leaders-led high schools increased graduation rates from 70% in 2006 to 82% in 2007, compared to the district’s increase from 67% to 70%.

Highlights from Memphis New Leaders’ Dramatically Gaining Schools
New Leaders for New Schools’ goal is for 90-100% of the students in schools led by New Leaders principals for at least 5 years to be at proficiency or above by 2014, with 90% of high school students graduating ready for post-high school success. Much progress must still be made to reach this goal, but many of our New Leaders are helping us develop the knowledge and practice base to create breakthrough success for low-income students at unprecedented scale. Here are some examples from our Memphis cohorts:

Two New Leaders-led Memphis schools increased the proportion of students meeting standards by more than 20 percentage points across reading and math in 2006-07.

At Ida B. Wells Academy in Memphis, students had an 18 point increase in math scores while keeping pace with the city’s ELA gains.
Caldwell Elementary had a 15 point increase in reading scores and doubled the rate of increase in math compared to the city.

In the 2006-07 school year, three Memphis New Leaders-led schools posted proficiency gains between 15 and 20 points higher than the district across reading and math in the percent of students achieving standards.

Lanier Middle school boosted proficiency rates by 17 points, Georgia Avenue Elementary School by 16 points, and Longview Middle by 15 points.

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Recruitment & Admissions

Requirements:

Masters Degree in any subject and/or if in a Masters Program MUST be complete by May 2009
3 Years K – 12 teaching experience
MUST have a current or expired teaching certificate

Information Sessions
We encourage you to sign up for an information session to learn more about our program. CLICK HERE to view a schedule of sessions in Memphis. If you have further questions about the program, please contact Nick Patterson, Manager, Recruitment and Admissions at 901-881-5122 | fax 901-881-7066 , or npatterson@nlns.org.

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Supporters

The Hyde Family Foundation
Lyndhurst Foundation

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