If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In 2019, Nevada legislators ignored this age-old adage and abolished the Achievement School District (ASD). When the ASD program was introduced in 2015, the intent was to identify the bottom-performing public schools and bring them under new, charter school management. The idea was great, as Nevada charter schools have delivered a higher quality of education than traditional public schools in the state. To fix what wasn’t broken, our lawmakers tinkered with a system that provided tangible positive results. And changed it for the worse.
From Underperformer To High Achiever
The idea behind the ASD program was simple: identify public schools performing within the lowest 5% or which had a graduation rate of under 60% and convert them into charters. As charter schools, these educational establishments were now free to introduce teaching methods, curriculum, and faculty that matched the communities they served. And they were free to offer parents school choice: if a child is very good in math, parents can choose to send it to any charter school outside of their residential school district with a curriculum that favors science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.
Charters allow children to train in areas they are interested in or naturally good at. But most importantly, charter students perform at higher academic levels.Nevada’s charter students score better in reading proficiency and math than their public school counterparts. The ASD evidently produced lasting positive learning outcomes. Take the Democracy Prep School at the Agassi Campus in Las Vegas as an example. When the ASD was introduced, the school’s poor performance made it eligible for participation in the program. Now, the Democracy Prep seniors sport an impressive 90% college acceptance rate.
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds Thrive in Charters
Charter schools work particularly for children from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2023, a Stanford University study examined charter schools across 29 states, Washington D.C., and New York City. The study concluded that black students from low-income households outperformed their peers in the traditional public school system, gaining on average over a month’s worth of days in additional reading and math. The case is the same for Hispanic students from economically challenged households.
Consider Coral Academy of Science in Las Vegas: the charter school was repeatedly recognized for academic excellence, achieving an 84% participation rate in advanced placement coursework and exams. Coral Academy’s minority enrollment rate is 63%.
The math is simple: more charter school options for Nevada’s students equals better academic outcomes.
Learning from Other States
Other states have also recognized the value of an achievement district model. Louisiana’s Recovery School District (RSD) and Tennessee’s ASD have achieved similar successes.
In Louisiana, the Department of Education created the Recovery School District (RSD) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It took charge of low-performing schools and turned them into a charter school model. As a result, New Orleans-based RSD schools increased their graduation rate from 54% pre-Katrina to 72.8% by 2017. The percentage of students attending a non-failing school increased from 37% in 2005 to a very impressive 88% in 2018.
Comparably, Tennessee’s ASD targeted the bottom 5% of underperforming schools and assigned them to a charter school operator. The autonomy of charter school operators in introducing new teaching methods and curriculum adjustments has achieved double-digit gains in math and science, especially in schools concentrated in disadvantaged areas of Memphis. Both examples show that the ASD can successfully intervene when traditional public schools struggle.
Better Schools for Better Futures
Nevadans care deeply about the quality of education for their children. That’s why education ranks among the top issues for voters. Nevada’s decision to dismantle the ASD was short-sighted, leaving many students without access to the quality education charter schools provide.
Lawmakers, educators, and community members must come together to advocate for the revival of this program and ensure that every child in Nevada has access to school that suits its individual learning requirements. The time to act is now. Let’s bring back the ASD and give Nevada’s students the tools they need to succeed.
