School Leaders Tackle Improving McGavock High School, Using It As Model

Up to 3,000 students will swarm Nashville’s McGavock High School this fall, making it bigger than some entire districts in Tennessee.

Thursday, city and school leaders hashed out ways to better deal with the school’s size, discipline problems, and tarnished image. Their goal is to make McGavock a role model for the other large high schools.

McGavock’s new principal, Robin Wall, is credited with turning around an underperforming school in Texas. He envisions McGavock’s success will come by creating several, strong mini-high schools within McGavock. Students choose an area of interest, like health, and then attend a number of classes in their mini-school. A team of teachers is dedicated to the group of about 150 kids, making personal connections easier.

“They feel like they’re just a number instead of actually being a student that’s important to somebody. Research shows that if we can provide one caring adult for a student they’ve got a lot better chance of being successful in school. Well, for some of our kids that teacher may be that only caring adult.”

Schools’ superintendent Dr. Jessie Register says McGavock and other community-based schools, not charters or magnets, are the backbone of public education. The district may consider reducing the number of students zoned for McGavock in the future.