MIDTOWN BOUND?
Students, young teachers would learn together
CBU looks to create campus school in Crosstown Concourse in partnership with SCS.
In one classroom at Campus Elementary School, it’s not uncommon to find a teacher, an educational assistant, a graduate student and an undergraduate teacher candidate all working with the same group of 20 students.
Students receive individual attention in a group setting, as the future teachers learn best practices from an experienced classroom leader. Campus School’s autonomy to create this environment in a public school is unique in Memphis, made possible through a partnership between Shelby County Schools and the University of Memphis. But the city may soon have a second school with the same opportunity to set its own course, offering 450 high school students a similar high-quality setting.
CBU has expressed interest in operating a school in Midtown’s Crosstown Concourse, which is undergoing a massive renovation of the 1.1 millionsquare-foot space. SCS Superintendent Dorsey Hopson, in laying out the possibilities to the school board Jan. 19, referred to the potential partnership as a “contract school” that would mimic the agreement SCS has with the U of M at Campus School.
While contract details — including academic accountability and student makeup — are still in the drafting stage for Crosstown, Campus School offers clues for what opportunities students could enjoy at the high school level with a CBU contract school.
Because of its small student enrollment, at just 329 students, and long history of high test scores and no real problems, Campus School has flown under the radar for decades.
“The reality is because they’ve been so successful, they’ve earned the autonomy that they get,” Hopson said.
The U of M uses Campus School as a training site for teachers, and has for more than 100 years. The original contract with thenMemphis City Schools was created in 1961, before the term “charter school” was born. Hopson acknowledged there is no real difference between a contract school and a charter school, as both involve a separate governing board and freedoms around curriculum and structure. But the school would still be a public Shelby County school.
Campus School employees work for the University of Memphis, which runs the school through the College of Education. The CBU proposal is set up slightly differently, with the university president chairing an independent board that would run Crosstown High School.
CBU is already a partner with SCS in Maxine Smith STEAM Academy, but the county system runs the school directly. There is no separate governing board.
Campus School executive director Susan Copeland called it a “special gift” for students to attend elementary school on a college campus, providing them access to museums, labs and computer science learning experiences. The first- through fifth-grade school also has a unique calendar, with students in school for nine weeks at a time with two weeks off in between and six weeks off in the summer.
Several university departments, including education and psychology, use the school for research pu r poses , i mplementing cutting-edge teaching practices or behavior techniques that frequently ripple across the district. The school is also a site for professional development for SCS teachers.
“Any time you provide a learning environment where you can extrapolate best practices to the benefit of kids, it’s obviously a win-win for everybody,” Hopson said.
No students are zoned to Campus School. Children of university employees have first dibs on open spots, and make up about 30 percent of the enrollment. Priority then goes to children who live closest to the school.
Board members have urged Hopson to make sure Crosstown High School, which has a targeted opening of fall 2017, reflects the diversity of the district. The first draft of the Crosstown contract requires at least 35 percent of the students to qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, although several board members said they believed that was too low since about 80 percent of students in the district qualify for that program.
The Campus School contract does not have such a requirement. Copeland said her student body at last count had about 22 percent who qualified for free and reduced lunch. But she said her program does not cherry-pick students based on economic status or academic ability. There is no academic test or requirement to enter the school.
“We believe that as a training site for teachers, they need to be exposed to all types of learners,” Copeland said. “All types of children with needs.”
University President David Rudd said Campus School makes the university “keenly aware” of education issues in the city.
“The Campus School is part of our broader commitment to SCS,” he said, “recognizing education as arguably the most significant challenge facing Memphis.”
From a logistical standpoint, the state per-pupil funding stays with SCS. But SCS, per the contract, provides funding for the school leader, a guidance counselor, librarian, art, music, physical education and foreign language teachers and one substitute teacher for the year. The cafeteria staff work for SCS, although the equipment and the building at the corner of Zach H. Curlin Street and Walker Avenue belongs to the university, which is responsible for its upkeep.
Hopson said accountability has never been an issue with the school, which is in the top 5 percent academically in the state. But both parties reserve the right to cancel the contract with one year’s notice, or less if funding is an issue.
SCS is committed to a school at Crosstown, Hopson said, and would likely encourage charter networks to submit applications to operate a school there if the plan with CBU falls through for any reason. He said the prospect is too good to pass up, although funding would prevent SCS from running the school directly without some kind of partnership.