About the Most Effective Schools Campaign

For the past few years, the Education Consumers Foundation has taken value-added achievement data from the Tennessee State Department of Education and made it available to the public in an intuitive and interactive format. This information, accessed through the Foundation's School Performance Charts, has made it possible for consumers to easily compare the effectiveness of schools and districts across the state.

While the Foundation has been recognizing the principals of a handful of the most effective schools through its Value-Added Achievement Awards, it is now beginning to identify and study the top 20% of schools through its Most Effective Schools Program. These schools are living demonstrations of how Tennessee's educational aspirations can be achieved, and there are at least a few of them in every area of the state. The foundation has already released one report on the practices common to top schools like these; click here to review the study (note: opens in PDF format).

Each school receives a certificate recognizing its status, with the Foundation initiating community-wide notices highlighting their accomplishments. Because school effectiveness can be a major draw to individuals and businesses looking to relocate, ECF is also developing plans to highlight the work of these schools through national channels.

In Spring 2008, ECF recognized schools in two areas: Hardin County and Washington County (including Johnson City, a separate district located within the county), and continues to work in new markets to highlight their most successful schools.