This week, we are excited to profile Ahmed White, an extraordinary educator and the founder and executive director of The Rock Academy in Nashville, TN.
Dr. Ahmed White said he got into education by accident, but education seems to have always been part of him.
“When I was in high school, middle school, elementary school, I was always helping others and trying to make sure people’s lives were a little bit better,” he said.
Ahmed came by it naturally—his father had modeled that supportive spirit for him.
“It’s because of how I was raised. My father was very instrumental in my life, and he was like the father of the neighborhood that I grew up in in Rochester, New York,” he said. “This was in my nature to do this type of work and work with at-risk youth.”
Walking the walk
Ahmed’s career in education certainly demonstrates his commitment to improving kids’ lives, but he walks the walk outside of the schoolhouse as well. He’s the father to four sons, who all became part of Ahmed’s family through the foster care system. He’s fostered 18 children in all.
“This is just what we do,” he said. “I just believe in the power of giving back. It’s like our family calling. This is what we are on earth to do.”
Engaging and supporting at-risk youth
Ahmed graduated from Fisk University in Nashville and was planning to go to law school. But before heading to law school, he took a break from being a student and worked at a local elementary school in Nashville.
“From there, I really fell in love with education,” he said. “I still went to law school…but it was a very stressful season.”
Ahmed left law school and didn’t go into law. He went straight back to education, working at Monroe Harding Children’s Home, an organization in Nashville that supports children in foster care or state custody, assisting students in earning their GEDs and navigating their high school education.
He continued to devote his career in education to at-risk youth—working especially with students in behavioral intervention settings—and taught special education at Whites Creek High School in Nashville. Eventually, Ahmed became an assistant principal and then principal of T.W. Hunter Middle School in Sumner County.
Transforming a school
Ahmed’s success as a principal landed him some outreach from those interested in pursuing more transformational experiences for students in Tennessee. He was approached and asked if he would consider going to work at a charter school—an elementary school that was struggling.
“Although my mind was like, ‘No, we are not doing that,’ my heart said, ‘yes,’” he said. “And so that’s how I got into the charter space.”
Ahmed headed to Smithson Craighead Academy and brought it from the brink of closure to a Tennessee Reward School—the state’s top honor for schools that demonstrate outstanding student growth and achievement.
Starting a school
Ahmed took part in a focus group in Nashville discussing the possibility of bringing an alternative to Nashville.
“My mind was like ‘No,’ again but my heart said, ‘Yeah, let’s get back to doing what we do and doing what we do best,’” he said.
So Ahmed got things rolling. He earned his Doctor of Education degree and was celebrated by his brothers in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for the achievement.
Tennessee recently created opportunity charter schools—campuses devoted to students who are at-risk. Under the state’s opportunity charter school law, at least 75% of the school’s students have to be documented as dealing with any of a range of challenges, including chronic absenteeism, substance abuse, involvement with the juvenile justice system, or being in foster care.
“The need was there. The opportunity was there,” Ahmed said. “I was intrigued by the charter space. When you’re in a district—and I’m a fan of education, period—but the ability to pivot, to drill down to the actual needs of the students, to not have to do broad strokes in education makes the charter space appealing.”
The Rock Academy
Ahmed created The Rock Academy, but he was not alone in his endeavor. Working with Nashville Incubator, he received an array of support to help him hone and build a high-quality charter school option for at-risk youth. It worked—but was not without its challenges.
The Rock Academy was denied by the Metro Nashville Board of Education. That’s not uncommon—the district has been denying every charter school for years now. They even opposed The Rock Academy on appeal.
Fortunately, Tennessee changed its law in 2019, giving leaders like Ahmed a chance to appeal local denials to a state commission. So he pushed forward amid the resistance—what CharterFolk have to do to open up schools that kids and communities want.
During a special meeting last month, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission voted unanimously to authorize The Rock Academy for the 2026-27 school year. That makes The Rock Academy the first opportunity charter school in the state of Tennessee.
“We have mentors built in our model. They’ll have a mentor from day one until they graduate. We have CTE components of our program where we know that students will leave school with a certificate to go into the workforce or whatever they want to do,” Ahmed said. “We engage with disconnected youth, we want children to have the agency to make their own decisions, not the one that society or family has told them they have to become.”
The support Ahmed received while building his vision for The Rock Academy included visits to exemplary charter schools around the country, including a visit to Monica White (who we’ve profiled before) at Elevate Academy in Idaho.
He’s also a recipient of Charter School Growth Fund’s 2025 Seed Grant, which supports leaders in launching, expanding or replicating high-performing public charter schools with funding, resources and mentorship.
“You have to surround yourself with the right people,” he said. “I’m just appreciative of being in this space and doing this work. From the Monicas and the different people across the country, what I’ve learned in this space, the alternative or the opportunity charter school space, is that the level of support that’s there for this type of work is awesome. This is a group of kids that we want to see get what they need. I’m excited about the work happening in this space because it’s not for the faint of heart. We know it’s not going to be easy, but it’s totally worth it.”
Giving families an option
In addition to his deep belief in what The Rock Academy will mean to students and families, Ahmed views charter schools as a crucial vehicle in expanding opportunities.
“The district can’t be all things for all kids. Not everyone can afford private school. So, how do we find the space that we can make sure all parents have the best experience for their kids?” Ahmed said. “I had a choice for my kids. Charters give parents a choice and the ability to say, ‘This is something unique for my child.’”