University of Memphis considering adding a middle school

Building on the success of its popular Campus School elementary, the University of Memphis is exploring the idea of adding a middle school, President David Rudd said on Wednesday.

Rudd asked university board members to endorse a study to explore the feasibility of adding a middle school, which could either be a charter school or a similar partnership with Shelby County Schools.

Board members, who met at the quarterly meeting Wednesday, were enthusiastic.

"There’s a tremendous need in the community for quality middle schools in Shelby County Schools," faculty board representative Kate Schaffzin said.

The possible expansion would be yet another example of partnerships between local universities and SCS, a relationship that's grown over the last few years.

Rudd said he hopes to one day have a full continuum of kindergarten through 12th grade schools operated by the university.

Campus School enrolls about 330 students, many of whom are children of university faculty, as well as some from the neighborhood. It's one of the highest performing schools in the county. Last year, 78 percent of students were proficient on reading tests, compared to just 20 percent across Shelby County Schools.

Students in the school also have the fewest challenges, with less than 9 percent of the students considered economically disadvantaged, compared with 58 percent in all of SCS.

Schaffzin said her son is in the fourth grade at Campus School, and some of his classmates' families moved into the U of M neighborhood to guarantee a spot at the school.

The school serves as a laboratory site for university students who are studying education to do their student teaching.

Schaffzin said the connection with the university provides an opportunity for the school to implement the strongest academic research in education, whether it's requiring uniforms or changing the school's start time.

"There’s so much out there that schools are not trying," she said.

Board member Cato Johnson said he is a former Campus School parent.

"It was one of the most diverse settings in all of Memphis and Shelby County," Johnson said. "And some of us appreciate that."

About two-thirds of the students are white and 22 percent are black.

SCS board member Kevin Woods said he's had conversations with Rudd about the university expanding its offerings for kindergarten through 12th grade.

"We’re constantly looking for how we increase the number of high-quality seats throughout the district, and many times that’s through partnerships," Woods said.

The SCS board will have the final vote on the creation of the middle school. Campus School was created as a "contract school" in 1961, decades before the concept of a charter school was born. It operates independently with a type of memorandum of understanding between the university and SCS and is the only such model in the county.

LeMoyne-Owen College, Rhodes College, Christian Brothers University and Southwest Tennessee Community College all either partner to operate a school or on a program like teacher training or dual enrollment for students to earn college credit while in high school.

Many of those partnerships, especially on a school's day to day operation, are new within the last few years.

"Universities are part of our communities, so I think it’s in their best interest to see how they can support public education," he said.

Reach Jennifer Pignolet at jennifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @JenPignolet.