News & Press

by Jonathan Rogers and Marjorie Cohen

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors recently joined Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Director Dr. Jesse Register and members of Alignment Nashville in forming a new committee that will enhance wraparound services for students in the city’s alternative high schools.

Following a May 7 reception at Vanderbilt University, the first kick-off meeting of this Alternative High School Initiative (AHSI) Committee was held the next day at a new downtown YMCA facility.

With support from the mayor’s office, Alignment Nashville has assembled local social service providers to work in partnership with MNPS and four alternative high school models in providing an array of non-academic supports, such as health, transportation, housing, family support and afterschool opportunities.

The AHSI Committee will tap community-based organizations throughout Nashville to connect alternative high school students with their services, and will bring new stakeholders to the table to explore how best to address these students’ needs.

“There are no throw-away kids in our society,” said Mayor Dean, who has placed education high on his agenda. “I am fundamentally prepared to do what it takes to make sure schools provide for all students.”

Nashville AHSI Place-Based Partnership
Along with Indianapolis and Newark, Nashville is one of three pilot cities participating in the AHSI Place-Based Partnership project, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families and Big Picture Learning serve as co-conveners of the AHSI network, which is composed of 12 youth development organizations that have built innovative alternative high schools to stem local dropout rates.

The Nashville-AHSI Partnership is a three-year, concentrated effort to develop a portfolio of new student-centered secondary schools for students who struggle in traditional high school settings. The partnership aims to expand achievement for all students, particularly at-risk students and out-of-school youth, engage them in rigorous educational experiences and help them receive a high school diploma, attend college and prepare for careers.

Guided by a philosophy of creating small schools that serve as centers of community, new alternative high schools in Nashville will offer holistic supports to students, while striving to reduce dropout rates and provide multiple pathways to graduation.

In addition to the city, school district and Alignment Nashville, key partners include the Nashville Career Advancement Center, Nashville Alliance for Public Education, Nashville State Community College, NLC, Big Picture Learning, Commonwealth Corporation/Diploma Plus, Gateway to College and YouthBuild USA.

Innovative New Schools to Address Dropout Rates
Nashville plans to open several schools and programs in the next two years:

• Diploma Plus, which targets underserved students and emphasizes performance-based learning and future focus;
• Gateway to College, which offers dropout recovery and services to at-risk students, focusing on avenues toward advanced degrees via dual enrollment and crediting; and
• YouthBuild, which serves overage, under-credited students using construction of affordable housing as a learning vehicle while teaching leadership and career development.

A Big Picture Learning school has been an option for students in Nashville for the last two years, serving 120 students.

Other essential stakeholders are committed to the success of local educational initiatives. Along with Nashville State Community College and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Department of Children’s Services, United Neighborhood Health Services and STARS Nashville are collaborating to fulfill the non-academic needs that are crucial to the success of many alternative high school students.

With the AHSI Committee in place, the Nashville-AHSI Partnership has begun to build a continuum of high-quality alternative high schools and wraparound supports available to students in Nashville. In doing so, the Partnership also seeks to influence broader high school reform efforts by improving the ability of local school systems, local government agencies and community organizations to ensure that all young people achieve academic and personal success.

Details: To learn more about the Nashville-AHSI Partnership, visit www.ahsi.org or www.nlc.org/iyef, or contact Marjorie Cohen at (202) 626-3052 or cohen@nlc.org.