MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson told a group of educators students in Shelby County showed academic improvement last school year in nine out of 10 tested subject areas.
“I think while the data shows while we still have a long way to go, our teachers and our principals can certainly do this work,” Hopson said.
Literacy was the section of the tests where scores actually dropped.
Hopson said that subject was clearly a challenge and an area that needed extra attention.
“We have a strategic plan. Our priority is to improve early literacy. Some of the first work our new chief academic officer did was develop a comprehensive literacy improvement plan,” he said to the educators in the room.
WREG was told the district started working on that in the spring.
But when it comes down to it, Hopson said improving literacy starts in the home and in our local neighborhoods.
Raleigh Egypt High School Principal Bo Griffin said it was the communities working together that helped save his school and the results were obvious.
Just last year, the high school was on the verge of being taken over by the Achievement School District because of low performance.
“We were a level one,” he said. “We went to a level five, so we went from the bottom to the very top.”
“I thought ASD came in like nobody cared about Raleigh Egypt High School and that’s far from the truth,” Griffin continued. “This community said ‘no you’re not taking our school’ and they got behind us.”
“It really is a win for our city. When our students succeed, it means that our communities succeed,” said School Board member Shante Avant.
