K-12 Education

K-12 Education Programs & Initiatives

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• Education 2020

  In 2008, the Chamber developed a three-year plan to increase the organization’s support for education improvement and reform. Initiatives in the plan are guided by several Chamber Education 2020 committees: Public Education Advocacy Committee (community support and adequate K-12 funding); Education 2020 Leadership Council (community partnerships, accountability); and the CEO Champions (high school and middle school reform).

  Education 2020 initiatives include a speaker series focused on engaging the Nashville community around important education issues, the development of a campaign to increase community support for Metro Schools, and the continued growth of Friends of Metro Schools in partnership with Stand for Children and other community organizations.

• Education Report Card

  Since 1993, the Chamber has annually convened a diverse group of business and community representatives to evaluate the progress of Nashville's public school system. The committee examines academic performance data and prepares a written report presenting findings and recommendations for improvement to the city, including the school board, the director of schools and the mayor.

• High School Reform

  In fall 2007, Metro Nashville Public Schools began the restructuring its comprehensive high schools into smaller, more personalized learning environments. This district-wide high school redesign initiative was based on the small learning communities (SLC) model. SLCs include Freshman Academies, which allow for a smoother transition into high school, and Academies with a career or thematic focus. Academies prepare high school students for both college and career through a rigorous curriculum that incorporates the “real-world” relevance of a particular industry or themed interest.

  The Chamber and the PENCIL Foundation have created six Partnership Councils that correspond to six broad industry areas: Arts, Media & Communications; Business, Marketing & Information Technology; Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology & Agriculture; Health; Hospitality & Tourism; and Human & Public Services.

  Chamber members can support high school academies by serving on an industry partnership council, speaking to a classroom of students belonging to an academy or hosting an academy teacher in order to help educators incorporate industry examples into their classrooms. In addition, each fall the Chamber partners with MNPS to organize an annual Career Exploration Fair to give high school freshmen the opportunity to meet adult volunteers working in specific industries and discuss the skills they will need to become successful in those professions.

• Mayor's First Day Festival

  The Mayor's First Day Festival was started in August 2000 as a citywide celebration of the beginning of a new school year. The annual event takes place in downtown Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena and features free school supplies, educational resources and fun activities for students and their parents. The Nashville Area Chamber serves as the lead organizer of this signature city event by encouraging member businesses to host activity booths, provide volunteers, and participate as financial sponsors.
  
  

• SuccessPAC

  The Nashville Area Chamber established a political action committee, SuccessPAC, in 1998 to focus solely on electing the best possible candidates to the Metropolitan Board of Public Education. Because school board members serve staggered four-year terms, elections are held every two years. The SuccessPAC board conducts interviews with all school board candidates in order to identify and endorse candidates who understand the role of a policy-making board and are focused on the successful academic achievement of all children.

  To find out more about SuccessPAC and the candidates who were endorsed for the 2010 election year, read this blog post. On August 5, 2010, five of the five SuccessPAC-endorsed candidates were elected to the school board.

• ONE NASHVILLE

  In September 2010, the Chamber launched ONE NASHVILLE, an initiative that seeks to connect parents, community members and business leaders with ways they can help Metro Nashville Public Schools. Principals can post volunteer openings online, donors can learn more about giving money to public schools, and community members can find out how to effectively advocate on education issues. The goal is to see a 5 percent increase in the number of people who are trying to help Metro Schools. For more information, visit www.onenashville.org.

• Academies of Nashville Awards

  The Academies of Nashville Awards, sponsored by Altria and Deloitte, are intended to celebrate the success and excellence in Metro Schools’ reform efforts for each of its 12 zoned high schools. A nominating committee composed of leaders from the school district, Chamber and PENCIL Foundation develop the list of nominees each year after soliciting input from high school teachers, administrators and staff. Click here to view the complete list of 2012 nominees.