The Achievement School District has failed our kids. Their job was to take the bottom 5% schools (priority schools) and move them to the top 25% schools in the state. They are going into year four and are nowhere near achieving this goal.

This year the state of Tennessee committed $92 million tax payer dollars to the Achievement School District. Vanderbilt University, one of the most respected research institutions in America, released a report that showed that our kids are not better off in ASD schools. In fact, it showed that the level of student achievement in the schools taken over by the ASD is probably about the same as they would be if the ASD had not stepped in. That's $92 million of tax payer's money...wasted! What the report did show is that the Innovation Zone model used by some of the Shelby County schools has delivered markedly better test scores and those schools have shown clear improvement. Here’s what the report says… “I Zone schools are having positive, statistically significant, and substantively meaningful effects on student achievement across all subjects”. To make matters worse, the ASD continued to take more schools AFTER THE REPORT WAS RELEASED! The Vanderbilt study shows that the ASD should not be taking over any additional schools until it can provide definitive, positive results.

This affects mostly minority children who are from high poverty communities. If we continue to allow the ASD experiment to continue to acquire schools after knowing what’s in this report, we are intentionally harming our children. THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN!

Sign this petition now! Tell the Tennessee Legislature to stop experimenting on our kids and close the Achievement School District and support the I Zone model.