News & Press

By Jamie Sarrio

Nashville’s options for high school will expand this fall as the district rolls out two new nontraditional choices.

First is a Diploma Plus high school, a special program targeting students who have dropped out of school or are at risk of dropping out. They complete their degree in a small setting with a project-based approach to earning course credit.

Second, the district will add another Big Picture High School on the heels of the success of the first location, which opened in 2007.

The Big Picture concept is heavy on internships — students spend three days a week in the classroom and two in the work force. They pick a meaningful internship to last through high school — one that requires work, not just shadowing — and format a lesson plan around the job. Through this self-guided study, students show how essentials such as math, science and social studies are relevant in their chosen fields.

Both schools will open in the fall and are part of the citywide effort to reduce the dropout rate.

Right now, one in three Metro students doesn’t graduate from high school on time. And leaders are really concerned about the economic drain dropouts have on the city.

Allowing students more choices may appeal to students turned off by traditional high schools.

Ellen Zinkiewicz, director of youth and community service for Nashville Career Advancement Center, is heading the effort. She said each school prototype will serve a different kind of student.

“These kids are really different — there’s no one magic bullet to help them achieve success,” she said. “We do not have any throw-away kids in our county.”

This wave of nontraditional schools coming to Nashville is partly thanks to the city’s participation in the Alternative High School Initiative.

Last year, the mayor and vice mayor applied for this program, which is a way for cities to see how other types of nontraditional high schools are working across the country.

The hope is, after the year-and-a-half participation period, local education and city leaders will know more about what kinds of programs exist for students and the best ways to introduce them in Nashville.

More programs are on way

On the horizon are two other schools: Gateway to College targets those who have already dropped out and helps them earn a diploma and community college credit, and Youth Build lets students simultaneously work on their GED while building low-income housing in the community.

All of the programs should be in place by next fall.

Nontraditional schools aren’t only appealing to struggling students — they’re also a good fit for families who wouldn’t normally consider public schools.

Todd Offutt said that, if not for the Big Picture schools, his son Scott would be in private school.

The emphasis on relationships between students and teachers won over Offutt, who home-schooled his son before high school.

“I think it is important for parents to support this type of school and for this type of learning environment,” he said. “It’s a great program, and it should be expanded as much as it can be.”