Twenty Shelby County schools will receive increased literacy and teacher effectiveness support for the 2015-2016 school year from faith-based organizations.
The list includes some Priority Schools, identified by the State of Tennessee for being among the lowest-performing five percent in the state in terms of academic achievement. Others on the list are in need of extra support to prevent them from slipping into the bottom five percent.
Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson said, “We cannot do this challenging work alone and appreciate the commitment these faith-based partners are making to our schools and our students.”
Led by the Washington D.C.-based Shepherding the Next Generation, the partnership includes support from Bellevue Baptist Church’s Arise network of faith-based organizations, Agape Child and Family Services, the Black Alliance of Educational Options (BAEO), along with mega-churches Brown Missionary Baptist Church, New Direction Christian Church and dozens of others.
Hopson said they will soon begin training volunteers and preparing them for entry in 2015-2016. All partners will have a specific focus on increased literacy and teacher and leader effectiveness work, which are also district-wide priorities.
For more information or to sign up a faith-based organization, visit shepherdingmemphis.org.
