On a 6-2 vote last week, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission voted to grant Knowledge Academy at the Crossing’s appeal for a renewal of its charter agreement. The decision will keep the 5-12 grade public charter school open for at least the next five years in South Davidson County.
The school’s future had been in jeopardy since last month when the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education voted unanimously against renewing Knowledge Academy’s charter, citing a failure to meet performance and student growth goals. Charter schools are free public schools operated by a non-profit organization under a “charter” with a school district or the state.
The Noble Education Initiative, which runs the school, appealed the board’s decision to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, arguing that the school has shown significant improvement. This includes nearly doubling the overall student success rate over the last three years and nearly tripling the success rate of English learners during that time…