Dive Brief:
- Eight school operators have signaled their desire to run schools in Nevada’s Achievement School District, a turnaround program that will turn low-performing schools over to charters.
- The state has identified 78 schools that could potentially be turned over to charter operators starting in the fall of 2016.
- The eight operators, five of which are from out of state, submitted letters of intent stating that they'll apply to run schools by the end of August, with state education officials expected to pick finalists by the end of the year.
Dive Insight:
Nevada's effort is similar to those undertaken in New Orleans and Tennessee. Those have produced mixed results and widespread controversy. New Orleans, in particular, drew ire for the decision to turn nearly all of the city's schools over to charter operators and fire the city's teachers. The results from those other efforts have been somewhat mixed; New Orleans’ schools seem to be on a somewhat better trajectory than they were, although that finding is disputed. Tennessee’s Achievement School District has gotten inconsistent results.
Still, at least one other state is launching a similar effort. Georgia is at a similar stage as Nevada in establishing its turnaround district. Nevada's approach isn't quite as drastic as New Orleans. For example, current teachers who are not hired on by charter operators (which get to pick their own staffs) will be assigned to another school in the district. Students currently in low-performing schools will stay enrolled, unless they choose to go elsewhere.
"The work of turning around failing schools is hard and requires new ways of thinking, collaboration, and additional resources," Nevada schools chief Dale Erquiaga said in favor of the plan, according to WRAL.
