Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Knoxville

    Freedom Schools Given Green Light by Knoxville Board of Education 

    Vivian Underwood ShipeBy Vivian Underwood ShipeMay 18, 2023Updated:May 18, 2023No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Marion Wright Edelman
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Vivian Shipe

    Denise Dean

    KNOXVILLE, TN — Five hours. That’s how long it took to get a “yes” vote allowing the Freedom Schools program to get a “yes” vote by the Knox County Board of Education. The ask by the Freedom School Director Denise Dean was to data share the test scores from end of year testing so the school would know how to best help the children, and the children be allowed to ride the buses during the summer months to the three schools where the program was being held. The program, which began in 1995, is a part of the Childrens Defense Fund, founded by Marion Wright Edelman, a lifelong advocate for children and families. Their mission to lift children out of poverty, protect them from abuse and neglect, ensure healthcare access and education while helping to ensure they have a moral and spiritual foundation was questioned by board member Steve Triplett, one of the “no” votes. Triplett felt the Freedom Schools had an “alternative agenda” and that the children were being “indoctrinated,” while another “no” vote came from board member Susan Horn who questioned the curriculum’s reading list, and said she felt the children would be taught a “different type of history.”  While these board members voiced their fears about an educational program that has already been in Knoxville for seven years, they could not speak against the fact that the program has been highly successful.

    For seven years the Knoxville Freedom Schools have had a strong literacy program. In a time when Knox County schools are struggling to find teachers to cover their summer program, while knowledge loss over the summer months is continuing to rise, and the third-grade retention law threatens to hold back 69 percent of students, the Freedom Schools, which run a six-week program compared to the four weeks run by the county, have teachers and volunteers from the community who have already been helping the students of Knox County. Ninety percent of the students served are Black and Latina and over eighty percent qualify for free or reduced lunch. 

    The children want to be at Freedom Schools. The goal is to help the children develop a love for reading.

    Mornings are spent working on literacy and the afternoons are spent on stem, music, phonics, field trips to raise awareness of other cultures and to learn empathy and acceptance of others. Thier literacy work has been highly successful with the children maintaining an 89 percent retention rate of work learned to combat summer slide. Another high mark of the Freedom School program is their 100 percent parent satisfaction rating over the years.

    Director Denise Dean spoke on behalf of the school, bringing data about the success rates. Professors from the University of Tennessee and parents came to testify about the satisfaction of the program and many members of the community also called and wrote board members before the meeting,and the auditorium was filled to capacity the night of the vote.

    In the end, the children won as the board voted to focus on what was needed for the children as the country enters one of the most critical times in its educational history.

    No indoctrination, no alternative agendas, no “different type of history,’ just education.

    Thats what the Freedom Schools do best.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Vivian Underwood Shipe

    Related Posts

    Knoxville’s Beck Met Gala Raises $25,000

    May 15, 2025

    GRSM Opens Knoxville Office to Support Growing Demand Across Southern Region

    May 14, 2025

    Attorney Ben Crump Seeks Answers in Knoxville: “No One Can Explain Why They Killed Him”

    April 24, 2025

    Jackie’s Dream: A Homerun for Smokey’s Stadium

    April 1, 2025

    Black K.A.R.E. Health Fair: The Links Inc. Promotes Kidney Awareness

    February 27, 2025

    Mary Goins Celebrates 104 Years

    February 19, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    Business

    FUNdraising Good Times Survival through partnerships, collaborations, and mergers

    May 14, 2025

    Target Boycotts and its Effect on Both Sides of the Black Dollar

    May 6, 2025

    FedEx to Launch FedEx Easy Returns at 3,000 Locations Across the US, Supported by Blue Yonder

    May 2, 2025
    1 2 3 … 382 Next
    Education
    Education

    MTSU provides 300-plus area girls solid career choices at second annual ‘Ladies in Concrete’ event

    By adminMay 16, 2025

    MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s celebrated Concrete Industry Management program hosted over 320…

    From Stratford to Harvard: GEAR UP Student Earns Full Scholarship to Ivy League School

    May 14, 2025

    Austin Peay State University graduates 1,400 students at Spring 2025 commencement

    May 14, 2025

    MTSU College of Media and Entertainment adds 4 alums to prestigious ‘Wall of Fame’

    May 14, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/