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DuBois Elementary earns Tennessee Reward School distinction

“It seemed unreal,” Audrey Hudson says. “I cried because I knew how hard my team worked.”

A teacher standing next to a young student holding a book called "The Aquarium"

Hudson is the principal of the DuBois Elementary School of Entrepreneurship, one of two charter schools in Memphis to earn the distinction of being a “reward” school in Tennessee. Reward schools are recognized for state test and growth scores, English language learner proficiency, regular attendance, and graduation rates and ACT scores. Reward status is the top honor a school can receive in the state. Only twenty percent of schools in Tennessee earned the laurel.

Hudson said the school had been on an upward trajectory, but coaching from ANet pushed it to another level. “We relied heavily on ANet to really help us to grow,” Hudson says. "Our teachers saw that we believed in ANet and were passionate about it and because of that we built a strong culture of growth and an open mindset." 

A teacher next to three young students

ANet coaches worked with Hudson and her staff to introduce conceptual math instruction and richer, more complex text into its English Language Arts classes. The resources ANet provides such as lesson plans and videos, were also instrumental. On resources, Hudson says, “That’s what teachers want. That’s what ANet offers.”

Good instructional coaching for school leaders enabled Hudson to earn buy-in from her teachers and to better support them. This year, ANet Coach Allison Graybeal will work alongside the DuBois team to further their instructional priorities.

“Our teachers saw our vision and we worked alongside them in the work.”

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