Public Education Foundation - Partners for Strong Schools

Benwood Initiative

Every child can learn.

That has been the conviction of the Benwood Initiative, and the children of Hamilton County have proven it to be true.

In the late 1990s, an independent think tank ranked all of the elementary and middle schools in Tennessee. Of 860 elementary schools, 9 of the 20 lowest-performing schools were in Hamilton County. These were urban schools enrolling minority children from low-income families. Virtually all of them qualified for the free- or reduced-lunch program.

Alarmed, the Benwood Foundation and the Public Education Foundation formed a partnership with Hamilton County schools, and the Benwood Initiative was launched in 2001. With a laser-like focus on literacy and teacher effectiveness, the initial effort was funded by a $5 million grant to PEF from the Benwood Foundation and a $2.5 million match raised by PEF.

The results were impressive:

• In the eight* phase 1 Benwood schools, the percentage of third graders passing the state reading exam jumped from 53% in 2003 to 78% in 2008.
• In 2008, 72% of Benwood third graders scored proficient or advanced in mathematics, up from 50% in 2003.
• Teacher retention improved steadily, and the credentials and experience of teachers in Benwood schools became very similar to the rest of the district.

After seeing such strong results, the partners wanted to expand this success to benefit more schools in Hamilton County. To that end, the Benwood Foundation announced an additional $7 million grant that took full effect in fall of 2008. These funds are continuing to support the work of the eight original Benwood Schools while also providing direct support for eight additional schools.

In 2011, the average Benwood school increased math scores by 6 points and reading scores by 4 points over their 2010 levels.  In Value-added, Benwood schools earned an "A" in math and a "B" in Reading/Language Arts.

The successes of the Benwood Initiative have received national attention from The NewsHour on PBS, Readers Digest, Education Week and many others. Read a detailed report on the initiative, Challenging Myths, and an executive summary, Lessons Learned.

*One small school was closed during the early years of the initiative.

For more information on the Benwood Initiative, contact:
Clara Sale-Davis
423.668.2427