Supporting young people in and out of school means consistent collaboration.

No matter where you live, how you perform in school can have a great impact on the rest of your life. But where you live does determine what you have access to and what support you can receive. The Memphis education system is not currently equipped to address the external sources of struggle–such as lack of access to affordable healthcare, transportation, and safe housing–which have significantly weakened the opportunities available to many local youth. 

In the South Memphis Zone (SMZ), which includes all of ZIP codes 38106 and 38126, and parts of 38109 and 38114, young people face steep disparities. In three of these ZIP codes, there are more people who lack high school diplomas than there are people with higher degrees. Additionally, all of these areas have higher unemployment rates than the Memphis and Shelby County averages of 7.2% and 6.1%, respectively.

US Census Data from Statistical Atlas:

Two partner organizations working in the South Memphis Zone are New Ballet Ensemble & School and Literacy Mid-South. Their respective focuses–dance and literacy education–might surprise you, but each represents a critical piece of the puzzle. Young people benefit from holistic interventions that affect multiple parts of their day-to-day experience. 

Traci Gilchrest Kubie, Dance Education Director of New Ballet, believes that the arts are crucial for helping students learn emotional regulation, build confidence, and express their energy in constructive ways. “We had this one young man at one of the schools that we go to, and I really noticed him in his classes,” Kubie says. “He was always very quiet and very intentional, and he kind of stayed back away from everybody. And I did an interview with him once just to kind of find out how he was feeling about dance. And he was saying, ‘You know, I used to get really angry, but now when I get angry, I know I can go to dance class, and I can kind of move around and get that out.’ And I just loved that.”

This past semester ended with a performance at the Overton Shell, where students from a variety of schools and grade levels danced before peers, parents, and youth from the other public schools. This opportunity allowed them to showcase their efforts from the past three months in front of a supportive audience.

Although arts education provides many benefits to young people, Kubie mentions that they have to actually be present to receive those benefits. As a collaborative group, More for Memphis K-12 partners have “tapped into a lot of different avenues because it’s not just one solution to the problem,” Kubie says. “[Students are] not always going to have good attendance because they like dance class, you know, or just because they like to read that day. But if there’s lots of different things that are going to engage the kids and just as importantly, their guardians–because the guardians have to be on board too–I think that’s going to help.”

According to Trudi Royston, Director of Literacy Mid-South’s Tutor901 program, the K-12 workgroup has focused on refining a referral system that will help South Memphis households access various resources and services. At the latest meeting, Royston says the group discussed how to optimize the system to be more supportive. “Like somebody checking in and walking [families] through the process from the beginning to end to make sure they understand,” Royston says. “You know, giving them little cues on ‘It’s best not to check [with this particular organization] because maybe funds are used [up] at a particular time of year.’”

Basically, if youth and their families are able to get their essential needs met and receive the kinds of academic support and enrichment that are practically guaranteed in wealthier parts of the city, we could see improvement in chronic absenteeism more quickly. And improvements in chronic absenteeism are likely to lead to higher levels of educational attainment and gainful employment for residents living in the South Memphis Zone.

What we are doing

Literacy Coaching

Literacy is a fundamental part of education. Once a child reaches third grade, they need to be able to read and write to gain knowledge in other subjects.  Students who read at or above grade-level in third grade go to college at higher rates than those who read below grade-level.

Literacy coaching helps local teachers and school partners use research-backed strategies to improve students’ literacy. This support can have lasting effects that benefit students throughout their lives.

ALLMemphis is providing specialized literacy coaching for teachers and school staff, enhancing instructional quality and improving reading outcomes for students in the early grades.

Tutoring Expansion

High-dosage, low-ratio tutoring has shown success in improving student progress in both reading and math. A 2017 study found that tutoring is the most effective in-school intervention for increasing academic achievement of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

In addition to boosting achievement, high-dosage, low-ratio tutoring has also been shown to increase attendance and improve sense of belonging at school. Literacy Mid-South is expanding high-dosage tutoring services, providing individualized academic support to students who are struggling with literacy and math.

Integrated Student Supports

Youth living in poverty are more likely than their wealthier counterparts to be absent from class and fail to graduate. Integrated student support specialists help address the out-of-school factors that can cause students to struggle in school. Alongside community partners, these specialists help bring resources into schools. For example, they can help families access food, clean clothing, physical and mental health services, and emotional support.

Communities In Schools of Memphis (CISM) is providing individualized student supports, counseling, case management, and connections to community resources within schools to remove barriers to student success. By ensuring students and families can access the academic, social, emotional, and basic supports they need, CISM helps improve attendance, strengthen student engagement, and keep young people on the path to graduation.

Out-of-School Time and Extended Learning

Time spent learning and exploring outside of typical classes can be just as valuable as time spent on regular schoolwork. Extended learning programs that students attend before, after, or during school or over the summer reinforce academic concepts, provide enrichment, and encourage social development.

Research shows that carefully designed extended learning programs are associated with higher academic achievement, better attendance, and improved student behavior.

New Ballet Ensemble & School is providing arts enrichment education for South Memphis students, introducing them to new and exciting forms of self-expression.

Eviction Early Warning System

It’s nearly impossible to do well in school if you don’t have a roof over your head and a consistent place to sleep every night. If we can take care of these basic necessities for children, young people, and their families, we’ll see better outcomes in a number of areas, from academic achievement to graduation and job placement.

By preventing evictions before they happen, we can significantly reduce the number of students impacted by homelessness.

Enterprise Community Partners, Innovate Memphis, Seeding Success, and West Tennessee Legal Services are working together to create a system that identifies students facing housing challenges and coordinates referrals for intervention.

K–12 Community Schools in Numbers

Partners in the More for Memphis project are doing the hard work to bring new and expanded resources to youth in the South Memphis Zone. Each of the following data points represents someone who has received, or is currently receiving, the support that could change the trajectory of a life.

As of June 18th, 2026:

• 48 students have participated in extended learning programs, already meeting the Year 1 goal of serving three classrooms in the SMZ.
• 539 students have engaged in tutoring (though no target was set for Year 1).
• 89 students have received case management services so far, though the Year 1 goal for this strategy is 150 students.

Unfortunately, Memphis Delta Prep and Believe Memphis Academy have since closed, with Memphis Grizzlies Prep relocating to the Believe campus and opening a charter school for girls. To continue the work, partners under More for Memphis have been building relationships with Grizzlies Prep.

These closures are a reminder of the help our schools need and the urgency of this moment: as a city and county, we must properly resource schools as soon as possible so that students’ academic careers are not interrupted, and staff and administrators are not left scrambling for new work.

The K-12 workgroup has continued to support Soulsville Charter School and has explored new potential partnerships with other schools in the South Memphis Zone.

What We’ve Learned

• Consistent support through coaching, tutoring, or student services is essential to make meaningful student impact. One-time interventions offered by a single partner organization are far less effective. 
• Student attendance and engagement are crucial because even high-quality programs have limited impact if students are not regularly present. 
• Strong coordination and collaboration among staff, operators, and partners—backed by clear communication, data-informed decisions, and aligned priorities—improve program effectiveness, strengthen service delivery, and help use resources across sectors.
• Safe and intentional data sharing across the workgroup allows schools and partner organizations to continuously improve service delivery for students, making the work more impactful over time.
  

We Need You Too

Local students can’t wait for support. They need it now. The More for Memphis: South Memphis Zone K-12 workgroup is exploring solutions and identifying gaps that still need to be addressed. To expand these efforts, we need you to show that this is something you care about.

We want to get 10,000 residents to sign onto our letter of support, telling our local government leaders that we’re calling for positive change and that we know the way to get there.