Students at twenty-five Nashville schools have the option to transfer out this year, due to the schools’ performance under No Child Left Behind. Tomorrow night, Metro will address the options available to families at a School Choice Forum.
Schools that receive Title I funding and have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress, for at least two consecutive years must give families the choice to transfer to a school in good standing. For those who opt to stay, the district is required to make tutoring available at no cost to the student.
District spokeswoman Noelle Mashburn says the school choice forum will walk parents through their options.
“It’s gonna give parents a chance to learn basically what the choice is, what any stipulations, regulations, where their kids can go to school and what kind of transportation options are available.”
The tutoring agencies that work with Metro have also been invited to come, so parents can learn more about that option.
Although schools’ status under No Child Left Behind have been known for several weeks, the forum is being presented with little advance notice. The first announcements went out on Friday, just four days before the actual meeting. And while it was included in the district’s weekly email newsletter, “Children First,” the meeting was the last of six items, listed behind a note about the South Korean Pastry Team’s visit to Glencliff High School.
The forum begins at 6:30 pm in the board room at the central office on Bransford Avenue.
Tennessee school districts will soon have help getting the word out about the tutoring options offered under No Child Left Behind. The state is taking part in a pilot program which will both free up funding for parent outreach and train district officials in the most effective ways of informing families of their choices. Statewide, roughly 4 percent of students transferred when given a school choice option under No Child Left Behind; 16 percent took advantage of tutoring.
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