[4] Tennessee received funding from the federal government to create the Achievement School District when it won Race to the Top, a United States Department of Education contest created to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K–12 education.
It is modeled from principles of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and Obama's Race to the Top legislation.
[6] Various states submit their budget proposals in order to receive financial support.
[7] They acquire staff from programs such as the Memphis Teacher Residency and Teach for America.
[4] Malika Anderson was named the superintendent of the Achievement School District in November 2015 by the Tennessee Department of Education.