NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A parent advocacy group is hosting a Public School Choice Fair Saturday to show parents some of the options they have for their children within the Metro Nashville Public School system. Parents will be able to meet with leaders from different schools in the city to decide which school is best for their child.
PROPEL stands for Parents Requiring Our Public Education System to Lead. It is calling this fair the "Exit Ramp to Excellence."
Many families feel they are stuck with the school that is designated for their neighborhood, and in some areas, one poorly performing school feeds into another one. The schools with the lowest percentage of students reading and doing math at grade level are majority Black, have a higher percentage of Hispanic students and are majority economically disadvantaged. 18 MNPS schools are on the Tennessee Department of Education's Priority list for 2021-2022 school year, meaning they are in the bottom 5 percent of the state according to the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or have a less than 67 percent graduation rate.
PROPEL's parent choice fair is from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Salvation Army Magness Potter Community Center on Stockell Street. Executive Director Sonya Thomas said it will show parents their different public school options including charter schools, as well as provide resources for parents such as for mental health and financial literacy.
"This is about the ability of the parent to make an informed decision. To question everything. To question everybody. To find the truth. Because for far so long, parents have not been told the truth about schools. And so they're able to sit there and interview those schools and really find the option that is best for their child whatever that may be," said Thomas.
You can register for the fair on PROPEL's website, but it is also open to any parents with children in the Metro school system who want to stop by.
