NASHVILLE, TN, November 10, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Tennis champion Andre Agassi joined Rocketship Public Schools Tennessee, the Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund, educators, students and parents today for the opening celebration of Rocketship Dream Community Prep, a beautiful new public charter school campus in Nashville.
Rocketship Dream Community Prep currently serves over 350 K-4 students, incorporating music to bring learning to life. The 37,000 square foot campus is located in Antioch and includes 19 classrooms, two learning labs, a cafeteria, gymnasium, outdoor grass soccer field, and more.
The tuition-free public school was developed for Rocketship by the Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund, a mission-driven social impact investment fund that provides resources and real estate expertise to highly charter school operators. performing across the country. Registration is open to all families living in Nashville-Davidson County and free school transportation is available for those in the southeast county.
A festive ribbon-cutting ceremony with students, teachers and parents was held today to welcome the state-of-the-art facility, Rocketship’s third school in Nashville. All three schools were developed for Rocketship by Turner-Agassi.
“While the construction team worked hard to bring our physical school to life, our families had a side project underway to build the heart of our school – our school community,” said founding principal Jessica Alexander. “Our parents applied for permission to open this school, chose the name of the school, and even helped interview our teachers. Rocketship Dream wouldn’t exist without the families who helped us build it from the vision to reality.”
Rocketship Dream Community Prep welcomes and celebrates students from diverse backgrounds, religions, and cultures. The school provides students with a holistic education that encourages critical thinking and confidence building. Kindergarten-2 studentsn/a have the opportunity to join a choir, and students from 3rd-4e grade can learn violin or hand drums. The school’s core values include responsibility, respect, empathy, perseverance and harmony.
“Rocketship Public Schools has a truly impressive track record of empowering students to receive an exceptional, tuition-free education, which also leads to stronger families and communities,” said Bobby Turner, Fund Co-Manager and CEO of Turner Impact Capital. . “We are thrilled to partner with Rocketship to deliver this learning-friendly campus in Nashville, once again underscoring the lasting benefits of well-designed social impact investing.”
Rocketship Public Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing public charter elementary schools serving underprivileged communities across the country. The group was launched in 2007 with a vision to close the achievement gap in every community it serves. Through its high-performing public school model, Rocketship powers student success, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their communities.
“Our mission at Rocketship Public Schools is to unlock the full potential of every child, regardless of income, zip code or family background,” said William Hill, executive director of Rocketship Tennessee. “With our first two campuses recognized as award schools by the State of Tennessee, we are excited to bring the same level of excellence and opportunity to families in Southeast Davidson County with this third campus.”
Obtaining high-quality, long-term facilities is often one of the biggest hurdles faced by leaders of chartered establishments. Turner‐Agassi provides resources, development experience and a passion for educational excellence to enable top school operators to focus on their number one priority: helping students succeed.
A joint venture of Turner Impact Capital and Agassi Ventures, Turner‐Agassi is backed by a group of world‐class institutional investors who share a commitment to effecting positive societal change in urban centers across the United States. To date, the Fund has developed and delivered 120 schools for major charter school operators across the United States, creating more than 59,000 places for students.
“Every student is entitled to a top-notch education to help open doors later in life. This includes a safe and inspiring environment in which to learn,” said Andre Agassi, Co-Manager of the Fund, CEO of Agassi/Graf Holdings. , and Chairman of the Board of the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education. “Rocketship Public Schools does an amazing job creating opportunities for students, and I’m thrilled to help welcome this wonderful new campus to serve even more students and families in Nashville.”
Turner-Agassi supports schools in site selection, acquisition, design and construction of new school facilities, which are then leased to school operators, who can purchase their schools once they reach full occupancy. Operators often secure permanent funding to buy schools using tax-exempt bond offerings.
Rocketship and Turner-Agassi have partnered to develop additional school facilities in Washington, DC; San Jose, California; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Fort Worth, TX.
“Our fund is dedicated to helping the best charter school organizations grow and grow to expand their positive impact to reach even more students, families and communities,” said Glenn Pierce, President. educational initiatives of Turner Impact Capital. “It is extremely rewarding to help Rocketship set even more young people on the path to long-term success in college and in their careers, while investing long-term in the community of Antioch.”
Turner-Agassi is managed by Turner Impact Capital, one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing investment firms dedicated to social impact. Since opening in 2014, Turner Impact Capital has made significant investments to address three core challenges: K-12 public education, affordable workforce housing, and community-focused healthcare. outcomes in underserved urban communities. In total, these investments have directly impacted more than 150,000 lives across the country.
About the Turner-Agassi Educational Institutions Fund
The Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund, managed by Turner Impact Capital, is the nation’s largest market-focused real estate fund dedicated to accelerating the growth of high-performing urban charter schools. The Fund enables more students to attend excellent schools by developing learning-friendly facilities for top charter school operators. Since its inception in 2011, the Fund has developed and delivered 120 schools creating more than 59,000 places for students across the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.turnerimpact.com/.
About Rocketship Tennessee Public Schools
Rocketship Public Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing public charter elementary schools serving underprivileged communities across the country. The organization was launched in 2007 with a vision to close the achievement gap in every community it serves. Rocketship Dream Community Prep is the third campus to join Rocketship Tennessee. Nashville’s first two schools were both named award schools by the Tennessee Department of Education – the state’s highest recognition for student achievement and progress. Rocketship United Academy, the most diverse school in the Rocketship Tennessee area with students from 50 different countries, has been ranked #4 charter elementary school for student success in the state of Tennessee by US News & World Report. Through its high-performing public school model, Rocketship Public Schools propels student success, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their communities. Visit rocketshipschools.org to learn more.
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