A new Tennessee law allows school districts to partner with both public and private local colleges and universities to plant public schools in their communities.
The schools, also known as laboratory schools or training schools, can range from pre-K through 12th grade and must be run in partnership a public school district. First established in the 1820s, lab schools are typically high-performing, with smaller student bodies and a focus on innovative teaching and learning practices. They also serve as a training ground for pre-service teachers, similar to the clinical model used by medical schools.
Under previous law, the path was easier for public colleges and universities to establish the schools. While it did not outright bar private universities, the new measure amends the law and paves the way for more institutions to join the effort. They qualify for the same funding and adhere to the same standards as public schools, and must negotiate contract details with a local district. Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, first introduced the bill in the House. A public school graduate and father, he sees it as a positive move that expands quality, free education options for Tennessee kids.
“I’m a firm advocate for a strong public education system,” Hemmer said. “I’m excited about the prospect of expanding something that works really, really well across our state in collaboration with our higher education institutions.”
At least three universities already run lab schools for a variety of grade levels in the state: the University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University and East Tennessee State University. All three lab schools have been around for more than 100 years, and some are among the highest-performing schools statewide.
The law requires any college or university that wishes to start a lab school to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and have its primary campus in Tennessee. While qualified private religious universities can open lab schools, they are still subject to state and federal regulations, including those governing the separation of church and state, Hemmer said.
He said his initial bill proposal was met with excitement from his colleagues, setting off a bipartisan effort to see it through. Several Republican co-sponsors joined Hemmer’s bill. Sen. Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro, sponsored the Senate version of the bill, with Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, joining as a cosponsor.
“Education has gotten so politically polarized,” Hemmer said. “This is a bipartisan, common sense solution.”
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Memphis lab school focuses on training teachers, research, responsive model
Sally Gates Parish, associate vice president for educational initiatives at the University of Memphis, oversees the university’s lab schools, which encompass pre-K through high school. She and Hemmer connected as he gathered research and collaborated with education leaders across the state for his bill.
Here’s a quick look at the lab schools the university runs:
- Early Learning and Research Center (ages 2-5 years old)
- Early Learning Childhood Academy at Orange Mound (ages 6 weeks-5 years old)
- Harwood Center (ages 18 months-6 years old, for children with developmental delays and autism)
- Campus School (grades K-5)
- University Middle (grades 6-8)
- University High School (grades 9-12)
The schools have their own staff, but they are all university employees, Parish said. However, that arrangement can vary depending on the contracts other schools establish with local districts.
Parish is excited to see the updated law open doors for more Tennessee kids to access innovative, responsive, high-quality public education — something in which the University of Memphis lab schools take pride. A smaller enrollment allows them to tailor education to each student’s needs, while taking advantage of a wide base of expertise and knowledge from faculty, staff and students at the university.
“That’s what a lab school really is,” Parish said. “It’s about leveraging the faculty brain trust on your campus to be able to expose children to the most innovative and emerging technology and information.”
For example, she said, students in their middle and high schools have an opportunity to learn about investigative journalism from professors and students at the university’s journalism school. They offer similar options for subjects like public health, engineering, foreign languages, business, social work and other disciplines. That exposure can also encourage young students to pursue higher education, a growing body of research shows.
The university’s K-12 schools are among the highest performing in Shelby County and statewide. The elementary school is a reward school, the top academic distinction a Tennessee school can earn. It ranks in the top 5% of Tennessee public schools. It was also recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2019 and earned a Tennessee STEM School designation in 2021.
Along with helping train new teachers, lab schools can also provide a space for research by university staff and students that extends well beyond education, Parish said.
The schools can be places where nurses, counselors, speech specialists, biologists and more learn skills and drive research. The schools also give student teachers quality mentorship and development opportunities, which are especially valuable amid the ongoing teacher shortage.
“If you want more teachers, you have to incentivize the practice of teaching,” Parish said.
The university’s K-5 school has been around since 1912. Its pre-K Early Learning and Research Center was founded in 1953, University Middle launched in 2019 and University High School opened in 2022.
Students who graduate from University High School, which just finished its inaugural year, will have already earned an average of 36 college credits at the University of Memphis at no cost. The high school also puts students into programs that cater to local workforce needs, in an effort to give them real-world experience. It can also encourage them to pursue jobs in their communities or across Tennessee.
“The end result is you have incredibly well-prepared citizens who are ready to move forward to serve our state in the areas we have the greatest need,” Parish said. “If we can harness that, as a whole state, we can cultivate some really good research and keep the kids at the center of what we’re doing.”
Parish commended Hemmer for his work to allow even more Tennessee colleges and universities to join the lab school effort. She hopes the model grows and thrives.
“This is life-changing stuff,” Parish said. “The potential is limitless.”
‘The best of both worlds’
Sherry King serves as the principal at Homer Pittard Campus School that partners with MTSU. The school was established in 1911 in Murfreesboro and offers K-5 education. Like the other lab schools in the state, anyone in the school’s county can apply to attend.
The school is home to just under 250 students, which allows for a tightknit community. It also hosts multiple public events, and students even raise chickens that provide eggs for the city around them. King said students who go on to middle and high school often come back for the elementary school’s annual fall festival.
King said all their teachers have at least a master’s degree and five years of experience. They also function as adjunct professors at MTSU and oversee education students as they get hands-on experience at the Homer Pittard campus.
“It’s such a special and unique place,” King said. “Our students, our staff, our parents — we’re all like a big family.”
King sees the new law as a way to add even more support to public schools and educators in Tennessee.
“We have the best of both worlds. We have that district support, and we have that partnership with MTSU,” King said. “I think it’s a great thing for any school. Every school needs all the support that it can get.”
A look at three Tennessee lab schools, by the numbers
Here’s a glance at enrollment numbers, demographics and performance data for the lab schools partnered with the University of Memphis, MTSU and ETSU, according Tennessee Department of Education statistics from the 2021-22 school year.
Overall success rates and achievement scores are calculated from math and English language arts scores based on state assessments. Achievement scores range from 0-4, with four being the best, and represent student performance relative to others in the state, or demonstrating significant growth from previous years.
Campus School (K-8) / University of Memphis
- 389 total students
- 9% Asian
- 24% Black or African American
- 62% white
- 81.4% overall success rate
- 4 achievement score
Students categorized as American Indian or Alaska native; Hispanic; and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander made up less than 5% apiece of the school’s population.
University Middle (6th-8th grade) / University of Memphis
- 237 total students
- 42% Black or African American
- 5% Hispanic
- 47% white
- 43.1% overall success rate
- 2.6 achievement score
Students categorized as American Indian or Alaska native; Asian; and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander made up less than 5% apiece of the school’s population.
University High School (ninth-12th grade) / University of Memphis
No data is available yet, since the school first opened in the 2022-23 school year. The first year saw around 100 enrolled, per Parish. The school aims to increase enrollment to 400 by 2025.
Homer Pittard Campus School (K-5) / Middle Tennessee State University
- 242 total students
- 9% Black or African American
- 84% white
- 64.3% overall success rate
- 4 achievement score
Students categorized as American Indian or Alaska native; Asian; Hispanic; and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander made up less than 5% apiece of the school’s population.
University School (K-12) / East Tennessee State University
- 604 total students
- 6% Asian
- 6% Black or African American
- 82% white
- 64.9% overall success rate
- 4 achievement score
Students categorized as American Indian or Alaska native; Hispanic; and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander made up less than 5% apiece of the school’s population.