Announces more than $37 million in grants to turn around low-performing schools
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today signed the piece of his 2012 legislative agenda that redefines school accountability in the state and waives Tennessee from portions of the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Surrounded by educators from across the state and students, Haslam also announced more than $37 million in federal grants for three school districts to assist in their efforts to turn around low-performing schools.
The waiver was approved in January by the U.S. Department of Education and required changes to Tennessee law, which were approved by the General Assembly earlier this spring. The federal School Improvement Grants fund Innovation Zones: small clusters of schools, as described in the waiver, where innovative educational systems can be developed, implemented, assessed, and shared.
“This administration is committed to continuing Tennessee’s momentum in education reform, and days like today are the reason so many eyes are on us as a leader in the effort to improve education for every student in every classroom,” Haslam said. “This legislation was a priority for me this session, and I appreciate the broad bipartisan support it received – a testament to a lot of hard work by many people.”
The legislation, HB 2346/SB 2208, replaces the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards and designations for LEAs and schools and establishes a state accountability system requiring, in aggregate, significant growth in student achievement in core subjects and the reduction of the achievement gap between student subgroups. For additional details, click here.
Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and Sen. Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) and House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick (R-Chattanooga) and Rep. Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville) sponsored the bill.
For the School Improvement Grants, Memphis City Schools will receive a three-year award for $14,744,394, which will serve seven schools. Metro Nashville Schools will receive a three-year award for $12,384,213 to serve seven schools, and the state-run Achievement School District will receive a three-year grant for $10,395,111 to serve six schools. Hamilton County will also receive a one-year $600,000 planning grant for the creation of a district Innovation Zone to begin its turnaround efforts. For a complete list of schools, click here.
“Through our waiver, we committed a great deal of resources to turning around the bottom 5 percent of schools in this state, and it’s exciting to see some of those pieces coming together,” Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said. “The Innovation Zones give districts greater autonomy, responsibility and resources to turn around some of their low-performing schools.”
The money given to each district can be used to fund a variety of practices, including extended learning time for students and a greater use of technology in the classroom.
Complementing the Innovation Zone funds, the Charter School Growth Fund also announced a $6.75 million investment in two Tennessee-founded charter school organizations to help serve students in the highest-need neighborhoods in Memphis and Nashville. Made up of federal money and private donations, the fund is giving $3.25 million to Nashville’s LEAD Public Schools, which will expand their K-12 program to five campuses and ultimately serving more than 4,700 students. They also are investing $3.5 million in Gestalt, which is located in Memphis. That investment will take Gestalt from two schools to 10 by 2016, ultimately serving 5,300 students.
Metro Nashville Public Schools honored its Teachers of the Year Monday evening at a banquet held at the Millenium Maxwell House Hotel. News Channel 5 anchor Vicki Yates served as Mistress of Ceremonies.
| L to R: Vanessa Lutton, Dr. Simyka Carlton, Julie Hasfjord |
Julie Hasfjord of Julia Green Elementary, Vanessa Lutton of Bellevue Middle and Simyka Carlton of Stratford STEM Magnet High School were named overall Teacher of the Year for their tiers.
Robbin Wall of McGavock High School, Dr. Barbara Ide of Thurgood Marshall Middle School and Claudia Russell of Glenview Elementary School were named Principals of the Year.
See more photos from the event!
| L to R: Robbin Wall, Dr. Barbara Ide, Claudia Russell |
In addition to their recognition, Comcast volunteers are building one bookcase and one rolling cart for each Teacher of the Year. Deliveries will be made to school offices this week.
Learn more about each of our three Teachers of the Year by clicking the links below.
MNPS along with other community organizations host several summer programs and camps to keep students mentally and physically active during the summer months.
These activities foster student interest and growth in academics, athletics and the arts. To find the right program for you and learn more about curriculum, registration, times, dates, and fees, please click the links below.
This listing is not comprehensive. If you offer or know of other summer programs or activities that are not included in these pages, please email the MNPS Communications Office to let us know.
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NCAC Information on Youth Employment, Camps, Volunteer & Activities The Nashville Career Advancement Center has a Facebook page dedicated to posting information about opportunities for young people to volunteer, find work, attend camps, and learn about college access! Visit and 'Like' this page for much more. |
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| Art, Music & Creativity | Sports, Recreation & Community Programs | Academics | ||
| Volunteering | ||||
Political tactic used against schools
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A union survey being circulated publicly appears to be a push poll.
Push polls are political tactics that use leading questions to steer respondents to particular answers. It is
disappointing to see this political tactic used against our schools.
This poll considerably oversamples union members. The proportion of union members in the survey is about
150% of their representation among our employees. While the majority of survey respondents are union
members, only about 34% of eligible employees are members of SEIU as indicated by payroll deduction
numbers—and employees are quitting the union.
The district has asked the UT Center for Applied Research for the results of this survey so we can analyze
them, but they have refused our request.
We are concerned about misinformation spread by political operatives who have targeted our district and
Jesse Register.
In truth, support employees will NOT have to reapply for their positions after June 30 each year and our
employees have structured due process rights--more than most Tennessee workers. In fact, the new handbook
provides three levels of appeals on disciplinary matters, substantially more than the average person in
Tennessee.
All of these are union issues, not employee issues—and they are not about educating children. While there has
been a misinformation campaign, unsubstantiated complaints against the school board, and a suspect survey,
not a single union representative took the time to speak at the March 20 public hearing on the budget in
support of the proposed pay raise for all support staff.
Statewide effort to connect students to higher education and business
(NASHVILLE, TN – Metro Nashville Public Schools has been named a leader in the state-
wide effort to prepare our young people for STEM-related careers, one of the fastest growing business sectors
in the world. Demonstrating the new leadership role, Stratford STEM Magnet High School hosted Tennessee
Gov. Bill Haslam and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman as they announced three new Tennessee
schools focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in Hamilton, Putnam and Sullivan
counties.
The district was previously awarded $850,000 by the Tennessee Department of Education to develop and
implement a Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub. The Hub will support student learning through engaging
and rigorous STEM instruction, engage adults in a professional learning community; and create a network of
community partners who will help develop or accelerate innovative strategies for regional STEM initiatives.
“The work Metro Schools has done with our Academies of Nashville model laid the groundwork for this hub,”
said Jay Steele, associate superintendent of MNPS high schools and principal investigator of the Middle
Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub. “Because of our Academy model and the engagement of our business and
higher education communities, we have an outstanding consortium of partners already working with Metro high
schools. They will be key to the successful implementation of this regional hub.”
In the fall of 2011, Metro Schools became the first district in Tennessee to offer a K-12 STEM continuum.
Hattie Cotton STEM Magnet Elementary, Bailey STEM Magnet Middle, Isaac Litton Middle, and Stratford
STEM Magnet High opened as result of a $12 million Magnet School Assistance Program Grant. These
magnet programs, along with the Academies of Nashville, were key to the selection of Metro Schools to
lead the development of The Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub.
The design and implementation of the Hub will happen over the next two years, under the direction of Dr. Vicki
Metzgar. Metzgar has been an integral part of the district’s STEM initiatives, including the implementation of
STEM magnet program at Stratford with two STEM Academies. 
The Hub will foster collaboration and conversation between public schools, STEM businesses, and higher
education to identify the needs of each partner and find innovative ways to fulfill those needs. The ideas and
opportunities will be shared throughout middle Tennessee and strategically connected to the Tennessee STEM
Innovation network, a statewide collaboration aimed at increasing STEM education and opportunities for our
youth.
The Hub has an extensive list of partners who will be key to helping the Hub reach its goals. The existing
partners are well respected throughout middle Tennessee and the global STEM community. They include:
Vanderbilt University, Center for Science Outreach
Lipscomb University
Fisk University
Nashville State Community College
Volunteer State Community College
Tennessee Tech University
Austin Peay State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Robertson County Schools
Cheatham County Schools
Alignment Nashville
PENCIL Foundation
Hospital Corporation of America
Deloitte Services LP
Ford Motor Company Fund
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publisher
Adventure Science Center
ACE Mentor Program of America, Inc.
Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory
Tennessee Engineering Foundation
Nashville Branch, American Society of Civil Engineers
(NB-ASCE)
Tennessee Business Roundtable
Geospatial Learning Model
“The aim of the STEM Innovation Hub is to create a forum for public schools, higher education, and the
business community to share needs, ideas and best practices,” said Metzgar. “STEM-related jobs are
among the fastest growing in the country, and we are not training nearly enough students to fill these
positions. We need to take advantage of the wonderful STEM resources throughout our region and help
our young people graduate with the skills and certifications that the ever-expanding STEM industry
needs.”
Two initial directives of The Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub are to develop an online system for
communication and professional development support for systems within the region and to host an annual
STEM Symposium where students throughout the region can showcase portfolios, exhibitions, or projects.
The Hub will also develop assessments and publish a Replication Guide as a resource for other districts in
Tennessee as they develop STEM-focused high schools and feeder schools.
- MNPS -
The 2012-13 school year will begin Wednesday, August 1, 2012 for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. The district
serves nearly 79,000 students with the goal of being the first choice for families in Nashville and Davidson County. The
governing body for MNPS is the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Board of Public Education, a nine-member
group elected by residents of Metropolitan Nashville. For more information, please visit www.mnps.org.
Cobb brings experience from the Tennessee Department of Education
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 13, 2012) – Dr. Nicole Cobb will bring her educational counseling expertise to
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools as the new Director of Schools Counseling Services. Cobb, the former
Director of the Center for School Climate at the Tennessee Department of Education, will take the place of Dr.
Ann Cumbie.
"I am very excited to join the MNPS team,” says Cobb. "I believe MNPS is leading the state in innovative
strategies which include promoting the value of school counselors as leaders in school reform, student
achievement and college readiness.”
Cobb graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary
Education and a Masters of Art and Specialist degree in Education in Educational Psychology. Cobb has
earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Tennessee. Prior to coming to
Metro Schools Cobb taught language arts and worked as a school counselor for seven years in Putnam
County School district. She later worked at the Tennessee Department of Education as Director of the Center
for School. While serving director, Cobb led the state initiative to include school climate as part of the overall
reform agenda in 26 Tennessee school districts. Under her directorship, the Center for School Climate reached
100,000 Tennessee youth and seeks to improve school learning environments, student achievement, and
postsecondary access and persistence rates. She has also partnered with the Tennessee Higher Education
Commission’s Office of P-16 Initiatives on numerous projects including CollegeforTN.org and the yearly School
Counselor Institute. In addition, Cobb has experience working on policy, assessment, evaluation, and
educational reform initiatives at the national level for Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ.
Cobb has served on several national and state committees including National Teacher Leader Standards, ACT
policy council, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network and the Council of Children’s Mental Health.
District takes teacher training to a new level
(NASHVILLE) – As the inaugural class wraps up, a new cohort of third-year teachers will
fill their seats in The Teacher Leadership Institute, a program initiated by Metro Nashville Public Schools’
Director Dr. Jesse Register. The Institute takes selected teachers through a year-long curriculum focused on
building leadership skills.
“The first year of the Teacher Leadership Institute was highly successful,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jesse
Register. “We have begun to build a leadership pipeline of talent who will take Metro Schools into the next
decade. The feedback we have heard from the first cohort tells us that we are on our way to making Metro
Schools one of the best places to work by recognizing, celebrating and developing highly effective and
motivated teachers.”
The Teacher Leadership Institute is a Metro Schools' initiative, among a portfolio of other teacher leadership
initiatives, to provide career and leadership development opportunities to its most effective teachers in their
third year of teaching. The Institute offers teachers a year-long curriculum focused on building leadership skills,
including projects developed in conjunction with school leadership. Teachers will continue to teach their regular
class schedules throughout their involvement in the Institute. The Teacher Leadership Institute is an
opportunity for highly motivated and effective teachers to gain new leadership skills to build the instructional
capacity of the school and district. The Institute provides a leadership development opportunity that allows
teachers to stay in the classroom and/or become part of the leadership pipeline of the district.
“By understanding my strengths and those around me and how to identify strengths in others, I’ve learned
how to work better with other teachers, how to use my strengths to lead or to collaborate with them and to
capitalize on their strengths,” said TLI Inaugural Class member Adam Wicker.
The second cohort of teachers will begin training this summer in a special one-week session. In the fall,
participants will be granted release time from the classroom with dedicated substitutes. Teachers will also
participate in after-school networking sessions, online networking, and a few weekend sessions
throughout the school year. At the conclusion of the year, teachers will demonstrate exemplary new
Transformational, Instructional, Collaborative, and Performance leadership skills.
The new class is comprised of 28 teachers from elementary, middle and high schools throughout Metro
Nashville Public Schools.
Teacher Leadership Institute Class of 2012-13:
Lauren Acevedo
Michael Adkins
Angela Assalone
Anita Brzeski
Abby Butler
Joell Curtis
John Davis
Lakesha DeJarnett
Danielle Fletcher
Tammy Gardner
Charlene Gilmore-Dickerson
Jacob Glancy
Jason Hilbelink
Lee Hildebrand
Latinya Johnson
Kelly Kayser
Jillian Lee
Ryan Longnecker
Emily Newman
Gregory O'Loughlin
Emily Parsley
Charles Pirtle
Carissa Rasmussen
Alaina Yates Schwartz
Ashley Sparkman
Ellen Weeks
Ashley Whitehurst-Hartfelder
Amanda Wolford
- MNPS -
The 2012-13 school year will begin Wednesday, August 1, 2012 for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. The
district serves nearly 79,000 students with the goal of being the first choice for families in Nashville and
Davidson County. The governing body for MNPS is the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Board of
Public Education, a nine-member group elected by residents of Metropolitan Nashville. For more information,
please visit www.mnps.org.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Mayor Karl Dean, Metro Schools Director Jesse Register and John Esposito, president and CEO of Warner Music Nashville, today announced the creation of a student-run record label to be a key component of Music Makes Us starting in the 2012-13 school year.
The record label, to be operated by students at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, will be managed through a strategic alliance with Warner Music Nashville. It will operate identically to a real music label by signing, recording and promoting student artists from across the school district. A Pearl-Cohn student will be named to head the record label each year.
“Nashville is committed to having the best music education program in the nation, and a student record label is an important piece of teaching students about the different aspects of the music business,” Dean said. “I have said all along that our music community is a tremendous, untapped resource for our public schools. With this record label, along with classes about songwriting, audio engineering and other facets of the music industry, we will for the first time take full advantage of the many talented individuals on both the creative and business side of the industry who live and work in Music City.”
Music Makes Us is a comprehensive makeover of the Metro Schools music education program. New classes in composition, rock band and hip-hop performance will be added, while traditional music curriculum in band, orchestra and choir will be enhanced.
As part of broadening Metro Schools’ music education offerings through Music Makes Us and the Academies of Nashville Program, Pearl-Cohn will establish a music publishing pathway and a music business record label pathway. Students and teachers will have opportunities to learn about the record business from executives at Warner Music Nashville.
Metro Schools students will be required to audition to get on the record label, which will include different music genres. While enrolled in school, any revenue generated by the record label through the sale of songs will go to Music Makes Us to further invest in music education. Warner Music Nashville will have the first chance to sign a student artist upon graduation.
“Giving back to our communities and mentoring the music business leaders of tomorrow are high priorities for Warner Music and our employees.” Esposito said. “We’re thrilled to be working with Mayor Dean and Pearl-Cohn High School in launching this groundbreaking program that will bring real-world music industry experience to the classroom. Music is an essential part of every child’s development, and with this program, we’re combining music education with lessons in business and entrepreneurship.”
Other components of Music Makes Us at Pearl-Cohn will include the following:
“Pearl-Cohn’s relationship with Warner Music Nashville is a great example of how business engagement is making a difference in Metro Nashville Public Schools,” Register said. “Warner Music Nashville is one of nearly 170 business, nonprofit and higher education partners in the Academies of Nashville program in our 12 zoned high schools. They are providing students and teachers with opportunities and experiences they just can’t get anywhere else.”
Rising seventh, eighth and ninth graders who want to get a taste of what Pearl-Cohn has to offer can apply for admission to the “Lights, Camera, Action!” entertainment production camp at the school July 16-20. Applications will be online at www.mnps.org in late March. Scholarships will be available.
Pearl-Cohn students in the Academy of Entertainment Communication and the Academy of Entertainment Management attended today’s announcement. Pearl-Cohn senior Leona Turner performed “The Greatest Love of All,” and she was accompanied on the keyboard by Llewellyn Peter, the Visual and Performing Arts Content Chair at Pearl-Cohn. Turner, who writes music and sings, recently visited the White House as part of a GRAMMY-supported educational session focusing on blues music in America.
About Music Makes UsMusic Makes Us is a new approach to music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools that focuses on enhancing the traditional music curriculum and adding a contemporary curriculum track that uses new technologies and reflects a diverse musical landscape. Reaching 79,000 students in Metro Public Schools, Music Makes Us pledges to make Nashville the worldwide leader in music education. The initiative was announced in 2011 as a partnership among Metro Nashville Public Schools, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and the Music City Music Council.
About Metropolitan Nashville Public SchoolsMetropolitan Nashville Public Schools serves nearly 79,000 students with the goal of being the first choice for families in Nashville and Davidson County. The governing body for MNPS is the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Board of Public Education, a nine-member group elected by residents of Metropolitan Nashville. For more information, please visit ww.mnps.org.
About Warner Music Nashville Warner Music Nashville was created in 2009 to expand the presence of WMG and its family of labels in Nashville. The division is home to Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records, Elektra Nashville and Word Entertainment.For media inquiries contact: Bonna Johnson 615-862-6461
As kindergarten registration approaches, Mayor Karl Dean is encouraging parents of upcoming Metro Schools kindergarten students to get engaged in their children’s education now by helping them prepare for the transition into elementary school. The 2012-13 school year begins Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012.
Registration for kindergarten students at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools will take place March 26-30. A Kindergarten Transition Guide, with key information about the registration process and tips on preparing children for kindergarten, has been made available to assist parents during this important time. The guide is available online at www.nashville.gov. Hard copies of the guide are also available at public libraries, community centers and various Metro Health facilities.
“Success in college begins in kindergarten, and it is important for parents who are enrolling their children in kindergarten this fall to use the time between now and then to prepare them,” Dean said. “The best way to get children started on a path of lifelong success is to read to them every day.”
Providing young children with smooth transitions as they go from early learning environments to school has been a priority of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Early Childhood Development. In its report last year, the Advisory Council also recommended that the city widely promote kindergarten registration.
To be eligible for kindergarten, children must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2012. Registration is at the child’s zoned school according to the parent or legal guardian’s address. To identify that school, call 615-259-4636.
Parents or guardians need the child’s birth certificate, a physical from a doctor within 12 months of school starting, proof of residence, such as a utility bill (a driver’s license or cell phone bill are not accepted) and an up-to-date Tennessee Certificate of Immunization from a doctor or health clinic.
Children need to start learning words early, and the kindergarten guide strongly recommends that parents and guardians read aloud to their child. A student’s reading ability in third grade is a very strong predictor of success in high school and beyond.
Other important steps to prepare a child for kindergarten include setting an early bedtime and serving well-balanced meals to provide good energy to your child for a busy day at school. The guide also encourages teaching independence by having children help with daily routines around the home. Parents can also foster independence by teaching children to get dressed, use the bathroom, wash hands, open containers of milk or juice boxes, and clear their place at the table.
Other ideas for parents and guardians include providing an opportunity for children to visit their new school, talk about new words and what to expect in kindergarten, and encouraging children to pack their own bags when going places. Parents and guardians can also practice writing first and last names, counting, putting on and taking off shoes, letters and drawing.
Veteran educator to lead successful, non-traditional Metro School
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Academy at Opry Mills will have a new look and a new principal
when it officially re-opens. Billy Fellman has been named the new principal at the academy. Fellman, currently
principal at Jere Baxter Alternative Learning Center, has been with the district for 22 years. During his time
with Metro Schools, Fellman also served as assistant principal at Head Magnet Middle and resource teacher at
Pearl-Cohn High.
“I am excited and honored to serve as the new principal of the Academy at Opry Mills,” says Fellman. “This is
an opportunity for me to help students reach their high school graduation and go on to higher education. I look
forward to the successes and challenges ahead and working with a great staff to help the students achieve
their goals.”
Fellman is a native of Nashville where he graduated from DuPont High School. He later received his bachelor’s
degree from Tennessee State University and master’s from Trevecca Nazarene University. For more than 26
years, Fellman has worked as a TSSAA official for football and basketball state games and championships.
Beside his educational obligations, Fellman serves on the Waterford Homeowners Association Board of
Directors, and the Middle Tennessee Football and Middle Tennessee Basketball Officials Associations. He has
been married to his wife Nancy for 26 years and they have three daughters, Kayla, Kelly and Kathy.
When it re-opens, the Academy at Opry Mills will join the Academy at Old Cockrill and the Academy at Hickory
Hollow as non-traditional schools that offer high school diplomas to people aged 17-21 with at least 14 high
school credits. The schools provide a rigorous, accelerated curriculum to students who are serious about
earning diplomas. The original Academy at Opry Mills was relocated to Hickory Hollow after the May 2010
flood inundated Opry Mills. The Academy at Hickory Hollow and the Academy at Opry Mills are Simon Youth
Academies developed in concert with the Simon Youth Foundation.
