Tennessee is preparing to launch its third search in two years for its first superintendent over statewide school turnaround work.
Also, Yolanda Dandridge, a key school turnaround leader in Memphis, submitted her resignation from the Achievement School District, the state’s most prominent school improvement initiative, with 27 schools serving more than 9,000 students in Memphis and Nashville.
The developments come as Gov. Bill Lee’s administration seeks to jumpstart school turnaround work that was supposed to deliver quick and dramatic outcomes but instead has yielded sluggish and uneven results for almost 10 years.
Schools are also grappling with pandemic-related learning disruptions, which have put many struggling students even further behind, based on early data. In addition, the state is rolling out new phonics-based reading instruction techniques for the early grades, viewed as critical for school improvement.
“School turnaround work is difficult and arduous, and no time is more critical than any other,” said state spokesman Brian Blackley, who confirmed the developments on Tuesday.