Gov. Bill Haslam has named Texas charter school operator Chris Barbic to head Tennessee’s new special school district for failing schools. The new Achievement School District will take over four schools in Memphis and one in Chattanooga this fall, and will likely grow. Barbic, a Teach for America alum, founded Houston-based YES Prep Public Schools in 1998. YES Prep now serves 4,200 students.
A version of this article appeared in the May 18, 2011 edition of Education Week as Tenn. Picks Charter Expert to Fix Failing Schools
