Building Civic Capacity to Support an Ambitious, State-Run School District

• In Event: Educational Equity and Local Politics

Abstract

The Tennessee Achievement School District was (ASD) was created in 2011 to assume authority over the lowest performing schools in Tennessee. The majority of ASD schools are located in the high poverty neighborhoods of Memphis. Despite its authority, the ASD depends on significant cooperation with the Shelby County School district, Memphis-based community groups, and non-profit organizations. However, the different interest groups and constituencies that comprise the ASD’s environment have sharply divergent interpretations of its true agenda, as well as the social and political forces behind it. These differences, which are shaped by deep-seeded racial and social class divisions, represent significant obstacles in the ASD’s effort to catalyze a broad-based effort in support of its reform agenda.

Authors

• Joshua L. Glazer, The George Washington University

• Blair Elizabeth Beuche, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor