Education college, partners bring 120 to campus to envision Cameron success
Janel Shoun |
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The Cameron Transformation Partnership |
| Mayor Karl Dean opened the form and work session. |
| A panel of school officials and parents discussed challenges. |
| Participants broke into break-out groups to come up with creative approaches to overcome obstacles. |
| Alan Coverstone describes the Transformation Partnership. |
| Candice McQueen (left) with guest speaker Shirley Ford (right). |
More than 120 people came to the Lipscomb University campus Tuesday, July 27, for a community forum and work session to envision a brighter future for one of Nashville’s struggling public schools.
The forum was hosted by the Cameron Transformation Partnership, a coalition of Lipscomb University’s College of Education, LEAD Public Schools and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. These three entities are joining hands to transform Cameron Middle School, a Nashville public school, into a charter school over the course of several years.
The decision to transform Cameron “sent a message to the state that we will do whatever is necessary to get our schools back on track,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean as he opened the forum held in the Ezell Center. With LEAD Academy and Lipscomb University joining Metro public schools, “I know the students of Cameron will have resources to be a success,” said the mayor.
Lipscomb’s role in the transformation process will be to provide on-site professional development and leadership training for Cameron teachers. Lipscomb’s programs will allow teachers to receive timely and personalized support with students, including modeling, coaching and individual support in ELL instruction, cultural competency and response to intervention, said Alan Coverstone, director of charter schools for MNPS.
“This is a unique partnership that allows us to make a tangible impact on education in Nashville. We want to empower teachers to be leaders and to make a change,” said Candice McQueen, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Education. “This isn’t going to be a partnership in name only. We are going to roll up our sleeves and do whatever we need to do, and we are bringing the community together to collaborate and facilitate the process of making this school a success.”
Located just south of downtown Nashville, Cameron has struggled to meet federal No Child Left Behind benchmarks and was recently placed in a new “achievement school district” by the state. In May, the Metro Nashville Board of Education voted unanimously to enlist LEAD Public Schools in the transformation of Cameron Middle School.
The Cameron Transformation Partnership is among the first of its kind in the United States and hopes to develop Cameron into a national model for education reform. The July 27 forum was the first event held by the partnership to begin collaboration among community stakeholders to make the transformation a success for the students and the community.
“The foundation for Cameron Middle School will be laid today just as sure as if we had brick and mortar in this room,” said Meredith Libby, assistant to the director of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, who was unable to attend the forum.
“Strong communities simultaneously build stronger schools,” Coverstone said.
Stakeholders from throughout the community surrounding Cameron attended the forum, including:
- Cameron teachers and administrators including principal Chris Hames;
- Nashville Metropolitan Council members Duane Dominy and Sandra Moore;
- Teachers, staff and administrators from various schools in the Glencliff cluster;
- Officials from the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Career Advancement Center;
- Representatives from local nonprofits including the Oasis Center, Youth Encouragement Services, Conexion Americas, the YMCA, Big Brother Big Sister, the Boys and Girls Club and Catholic Charities; and
- Officials from health care institutions such as Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital and Meharry Medical College.
Participants proposed a number of ways to enhance family engagement, teacher engagement and school climate at Cameron, such as:
- Providing a resources guide for students and parents in multiple languages;
- Providing transportation for students to the resources;
- Educating realtors about the community surrounding Cameron so home buyers won’t be deterred from moving to the area;
- Enhancing connections with the police department; and
- Establishing a Glencliff cluster Website.
Also speaking at the forum was Shirley Ford, lead organizer of Parents Revolution in Los Angeles, Calif., a grassroots organization that was involved in transforming a high school in Los Angeles into a charter school.
Cameron will receive a portion of the Race to the Top funds from the U.S. Department of Education to support the school’s management transition and help implement new, creative approaches to education.
Cameron is believed to be the first school in the nation to be converted to a charter school in partnership with a public school system and university. As a result, its renewed academic success could serve as a benchmark for school improvement transformations across the country.