| Nashville Schools have been around for a long, | | | | years. |
| long time. The first of the public Nashville Schools, | | | | Nashville Schools District Director, Dr. Pedro E. |
| the Hume School, was opened on February 26, | | | | Garcia, has led an in-depth evaluation of what |
| 1855. A three-story brick building, it housed 12 | | | | needs to be done to bring the district to the next |
| teachers and served all grades. The building is still | | | | level of excellence. "Our mission to educate all |
| in use today, as the Hume-Fogg Magnet High, | | | | children needs to go beyond the school and |
| serving 874 students in grades 9-12. The oldest | | | | include parents and the entire community. |
| of the Nashville Schools presently in operation is | | | | [Nashville Schools] are a standards-based district. |
| the Robertson Academy. This school can trace its | | | | We will continue to expect our teachers to teach |
| roots back to an act of the United States | | | | the standards." |
| Congress approved on April 17, 1806. The act | | | | Like the rest of the nation the Nashville Schools |
| provided for an academy in each of the state's | | | | are looking for ways to meet compliance with the |
| (then) 27 counties. The Nashville School has | | | | No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act. Districts with |
| operated continuously since that time, and today | | | | large groups of foreign speaking students, like the |
| serves as the center for the Nashville Schools' | | | | Nashville Schools, are especially challenged because |
| gifted and talented program. | | | | all tests are administered in English. The means |
| Today, the Nashville Schools comprise the 49th | | | | that an ELL third grade student who is introduced |
| largest urban school district in the United States. | | | | to English for the first time is expected to take |
| The district covers Davidson County, an area of | | | | and pass the same test as her native English |
| 525 square miles. The system consists of 74 | | | | speaking peers. And despite the claim that the |
| elementary schools, 35 middle schools, 15 high | | | | teachers of Nashville Schools are able to bring |
| schools, 4 alternative and non-traditional learning | | | | students to English proficiency in just over 3 |
| centers, 3 special education schools, and 2 charter | | | | years, most language experts claim that true |
| schools. It serves approximately 74,000 students, | | | | acquisition of a second language takes 5-7 years. |
| and employs around 5,700 teachers and 4,000 | | | | This has some of the educators in Nashville |
| support staff. | | | | Schools scratching their heads and asking if NCLB |
| Students enrolled in the Nashville Schools come | | | | should be altered to meet the realities of ELL and |
| from over 80 different countries, and represent | | | | special needs students. The national debate |
| 27% of all English Language Learners (ELL) in the | | | | between setting immovable standards and |
| state of Tennessee. Due to the hard work of the | | | | meeting the realities of student needs is echoed |
| teachers, the average time it takes for a student | | | | precisely in the halls of the Nashville Schools. |
| to become proficient in English is less than 3.2 | | | | |