You may have seen the billboards around the county touting the success of Weakley County Schools, ranked 6th in the state for education according to the County Profiles of Child Wellbeing in Tennessee, an annual report published by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. With a ranking of 61st for children living in poverty, to be recognized as a top ten county for education is an exceptional achievement.
This ranking is no accident. Over the past dozen or so years, the ranking of Weakley County Schools has crept up the ladder of the 145 Tennessee districts and 95 counties from averaging respectably in the top third to ranking consistently in the top fifth. Our students’ performance on state and national standardized tests is now in the conversation with top districts such as Williamson County and Collierville.
So how, with our economic challenges (73rd in median household income, 66th for childcare cost burden) and family challenges (49th for victims of abuse/neglect) are our students able to succeed in the classroom and earn Weakley County the recognition as a top ten county for education? We all know it is not because we have better technology, more money to spend, or students with more enriching hobbies outside of school. In Weakley County Schools, our “trick” is people and communities.
If you look across the state, most counties our size either split into multiple school districts years ago or consolidated into giant schools. Both plans, but especially the giant school model, have resulted in over 100 school districts that rank below Weakley County. Out of 145 school districts in Tennessee, we are outranking at least 100 of them in 20 out of 26 tested subjects. We have a lot in common with most school districts. We face similar challenges economically, socially, and structurally. But academically, we are uncommon. Our strength is our small schools.
As a school district, when we see a need, our first thought is never, “what program can we buy to help our students?” Instead, we think, “who can help our students?” Our schools are full of not just teachers, but also educational assistants who are trained in the proven methods that help every type of learner master the skills of reading and math. Every single child is thought about, taught, and cared for individually. And when that thinking and strategizing happens, remarkable developments occur.
Just this week, two of our supervisors of instruction, Terri Stephenson, who supervises grades PreK-5, and Donald Ray High, who supervises grades 6-12, held their monthly meeting with instructional coaches from each school and the board office (twelve coaches). These coaches worked for about three hours, each bringing to the group things they were seeing with teaching and student schoolwork in their schools. The group provided feedback, brainstormed solutions together, shared what has (and hasn’t) worked in their schools, and asked each other thought-provoking questions that will lead to improved teaching and learning.
These instructional coach meetings, held monthly, are just one example of the strength of our small schools. Our communities and their differences are at the heart of what makes our district stand out. Other districts try this approach – the one where you convene your instructional leaders to problem-solve- but it just doesn’t work when you have consolidated into a few schools. Consolidation leads to stagnation; everyone operates under one system and new ideas fade. Students in those giant schools are absorbed into “solutions” that weaken but stick; it’s hard to turn a big ship, and harder still when you don’t know a better way to go. In Weakley County, ten schools keep problem-solving fresh, perspectives new, and ideas flowing. This is what makes our schools great.
The instructional coach meeting is just one example of our strength in numbers. Our special education department, led by Eva Essary, our Career and Technical Education department, led by Kandace Jackson, and our Safe and Supportive Schools Department, led by Lorna Benson, all follow this model of gathering their teachers and experts regularly to identify the best practices emerging from across the district. Innovative solutions have emerged from every single school. The moving parts across the district in every department are a strength. State and national data have proven that the success we have seen in Weakley County is not a trend among public schools. It is unique to us. And the real winners? Our kids.
* https://www.tn.gov/tccy/data-and-research/county-profiles.html