State Nudges Tennessee Schools Back to Basics

Jaime Sarrio:

Metro Schools Director Pedro Garcia's legacy as an idea man has hit a snag.

The school chief once enjoyed strong support for his ideas on reforming Nashville's public education. But after Metro failed to meet No Child Left Behind requirements for four years in a row — one of the first two Tennessee districts to do so — state officials have a louder voice in how the district is run.

And its leaders are listening.

Board members want to take the state's advice and hold off on Garcia's new ideas until the district gets a handle on the basics. The attitude marks a significant shift in the dynamic between the board, the director and the state Department of Education.

"Some things have come back to haunt us," said District 7 board member Edward Kindall, who represents north Nashville. "I can't totally blame Dr. Garcia or the administration. I think in some instances, we haven't focused on the right thing."

Amid the innovations, many of Metro's students have been struggling to learn math and reading. Poor reading scores among Hispanic and black students and dismal math scores across the county prompted the failing marks under No Child Left Behind.

"Clearly the administration has tried to make a lot of big splashes with their innovation, but they haven't always given a lot of thought to what they're doing," said Erick Huth, president of the Metro Nashville Education Association, the teachers union.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 10, 2007 12:00 AM
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