New Focus at Brown

By Christina Cooke, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

Jan. 10–Educators at Tommie F. Brown Academy are looking to offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate program in education.

If approved to offer the program, the school would become the first international baccalaureate elementary school in Tennessee.

“Chattanooga is pretty much on the cutting edge with a lot of the programs we have,” Hamilton County Schools magnet school director Karla Riddle said. “We get a lot of visitors from other states that come in to see what we’ve done as far as education that’s a little different than your traditional classroom.”

The international baccalaureate program encourages students to think about their surroundings in context with the rest of the world. All students study a language other than English, and fifth-graders cap their experience by completing an academic project that relates to the community.

The program “prepares children to be world thinkers and compete in a world economy,” Brown Academy principal Lea Ann Burk said. Until this year, the magnet school has focused on “classical studies,” which did not appeal to many parents, educators said.

Brown Academy is in the first year of the authorization process through the Genevabased International Baccalaureate Organization, which works with schools in 124 countries.

Local educators are evaluating how feasible the program is in Hamilton County, and teachers at Brown are introducing the program’s curriculum, which consists of six units including “Who We Are,”"How We Express Ourselves” and “How the World Works.”

If the school earns approval from the organization, it will enter a one-year trial period next year and be approved or denied during the following year.

Most schools that apply are accepted, but many drop out during the application process, said Ralph Cline, deputy regional director of the organization.

Ray Swoffard, associate superintendent for elementary education, said the school system would like to expand the program to the middle and high school levels if it is successful at Brown.

“We want to get our toe in the water and see exactly how it works,” Mr. Swoffard said. “We want to see if this is a program that parents would be interested in.”

Brown art teacher Doug Boals said he is broadening the context of art projects this year to conform with the new program.

In his class Tuesday morning, fifth-grader Kashana Moon struggled to draw the contour of a thick wire bent into a spiral on the desk in front of her. Mr. Boals knelt beside her and borrowed her pencil to help her with the process.

The assignment involves “trying to get kids to really observe the world around them rather than just taking it at a glance and moving on,” Mr. Boals said.

School officials said they see introducing the program as a way to rejuvenate Brown Academy, which has struggled recently with low test scores and enrollment. The school has 328 students, 184 of whom are magnet students who live outside its zone. It hopes to lure 100 more students from across Hamilton County next year, Ms. Riddle said.

“Once we get that program up and running, and people see what we have to offer, that is going to pull a lot of interest back into that school,” Ms. Riddle said.

Daphne Stargin, whose sons Rayshun and Randy attend Brown, said becoming an international baccalaureate school sends a positive message to the community.

“It says even though we’ve been on the failing list before, we still dream big,” she said.

TO APPLY: To apply to attend Brown Academy next year, pick up an application at the school, 718 E. Eighth St. in Chattanooga, or visit Hamilton County Schools’ central office at 6703 Bonny Oaks Drive. Applications also are available online at www.hcde.org/magnet.

The school’s application deadline is Jan. 31.

BY THE NUMBERS: The International Baccalaureate Organization was founded in 1968 to offer international education programs for students aged 3 to 19. Across the world, the organization works with:

–1,489 high schools

–513 middle schools

–312 elementary schools

Across the United States, the organization works with:

–520 high schools

–171 middle schools

–72 elementary schools

Across Tennessee, the organization works with:

–5 high schools

Source: The International Baccalaureate Organization

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