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There is now statistical evidence showing that children attending "at risk" schools with virtually 100 percent of the students on free and reduced lunch are learning and progressing at the same rate as schools with virtually no "at risk" students.

The surprising result was found by the Education Consumers Foundation, which cross-matched State of Tennessee value-added test score information with federal free and reduced lunch data. A scatterplot graphic showing the results of this work can be seen below (click here to view a PDF file containing the information):

"This is the opposite of what most people would have expected" said John Stone, President of ECF.

This analysis was generated as part of a larger effort by the Education Consumers Foundation to make reliable information on school effectiveness easily understood and accessible to parents and others in Tennessee. Toward this end, ECF has also created School Performance Charts, which allow parents and others to gauge the performance of elementary and middle schools and districts and compare them against others across the state, against the 1998 Growth Standard, and against the current statewide average.

These charts can be found here (elementary and middle); however, for an immediate review, take a look at the screen shot of all elementary schools of Davidson County (i.e. Nashville) School District below. Note that 85% of Davidson County schools have free and reduced lunch rates of 50% or higher, and that Amqui Elementary (highlighted on the chart), a school with a 97% free/reduced lunch rate, was the first place winner in its division in last year's Value-Added Achievement Awards.

Note: if chart does not display, visit the ECF elementary chart and select Davidson County from the Select Schools menu.

Remember that data on schools is based solely on the schools' contribution to student learning, and unlike most school performance systems, does not serve as a proxy to other factors outside school control such as the affluence of students' families.

Presenting sophisticated TVAAS data in such a clear and intuitive way empowers parents and opens the door for real discussions on school performance. If your child went to Andrew Jackson Elementary, how would you react? If you were an educator or administrator at that school, what would you do?