TEAM REPORT
PREPARED FOR DR. SHAWN JOSEPH, DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS
CO-CHAIR LETTER
The charge to the Transition Team from Dr. Joseph was straightforward in its intent to
assess surety of mission in the above key areas, and to produce recommendations that
might accelerate the journey toward a first class, public school system:
Assess the instructional program, determine how well the school system
is meeting its academic goals and identify ways in which its vision could
be better achieved;
Review the availability of school choice within MNPS and the processes,
policies and systems that support the school choice selection, and recommend
strategies to ensure school choice in MNPS is equitable, accessible, and supports
the needs of diverse students and families;
Analyze the systems and processes that are utilized for recruiting,
hiring, onboarding, supporting and evaluating employees, and make
recommendations for how the district can recruit and retain the best
and the brightest educators and support staff.
The report that follows encompasses many hours of work on the part of multiple
individuals who volunteered their time on behalf of the students in MNPS. The
report is clear in its recommendations and resolute in its commitment to children,
to educators, and to the community.
On behalf of the Transition Team, we thank you for the opportunity to serve,
IN ORDER TO QUICKLY identify and begin to address key issues confronting the
school system, in July 2016 Dr. Shawn Joseph, then the newly-appointed Director
of Schools for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), formed a Transition Team.
Comprised of a group of talented individuals, who represented a broad range of
education and business sectors, this Transition Team was charged with uncovering
challenges and advising Dr. Joseph on potential solutions to systemic long-standing
problems. Mr. David Williams II, Vice Chancellor for University Affairs and Athletics,
Vanderbilt University, and Dr. Betty Molina Morgan, President and CEO, The Morgan
Education group, co-chaired the Team.
All subcommittees highlighted the commitment and talent of the staff in MNPS and
the strong support for public education from the community surrounding the system.
Despite many committed individuals and numerous successes, however, significant
challenges remain in the four areas of focus. Namely the Transition Team identified
six critical needs, to:
Ensure that all students graduate from high school college and career ready, to
accelerate their learning (especially in Reading and Math), and to eliminate gaps
in achievement between student groups;
Create a welcoming culture throughout schools and offices and employ a wide
range of technology and tools for effective and rapid stakeholder outreach to
solicit and encourage diverse input; and
Communicate clearly the systems values and expectations, and market its best
qualities aggressively.
More than 100 recommendations were generated by almost 50 members of the four
committees. Some recommendations are intended to be implemented immediately
with a sense of urgency during a short-term period, and some are to be considered
for implementation over a longer period of time. They are all intended as a road map
to guide Dr. Joseph to meet challenges and steer the school system toward a highly
successful future.
EACH SUB-COMMITTEE
worked diligently from early
July to November 2016 to identify
recommendations for improving
the school systems ability to
educate and serve students
equitably, effectively, efficiently, and
respectfully. The recommendations
stem from the areas of strength
and challenges to address that
were initially shared in December
2016. For a summary of findings
strengths and challenges that
led to these recommendations,
please see Appendix 1 (Summary
of Sub-committee findings).
1. Encourage the school board to develop 1. Have every child read and practice with
clear academic priorities, and then reorient complex, grade-level text every day to begin
the boards work and its meetings primarily strengthening language skills of all students.
around monitoring the academic progress of
the districts children on an agreed-upon set 2. Revise the districts scope and sequence
of key performance indicators. documents to provide more guidance for
principals and teachers on what needs to
2. Ensure the school board and the districts be taught and at what level of understanding
new administrative leadership are very clear and ensure a level of cognitive demand that
and repeatedly vocal about the need for high is consistent with the standards.
expectations for all children in the district.
3. As the district is revising its scope and sequence
3. Charge the school board and the districts documents, take advantage of sample units
new administrative leadership with rethinking found in the Basal Alignment Project on
and revamping the districts site-based EdModo to help support students in building
instructional approach to academic knowledge, developing academic vocabulary,
improvement, and define a clear academic and reading and understanding grade-level,
direction for the school system. complex texts.
4. As the district is updating its strategic plan, revisit 4. Give the chief of schools final sign-off authority
what worked and did not work in the previous on school improvement plans, ensure that
plan and ensure the districts goals are built the plans are not approved unless they actually
around attaining more than one years worth contain strategies for improvement, and develop
of growth for students who are behind. a mechanism for regularly monitoring progress
on the plans.
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Carefully monitor progress on the districts
academic goals, ascertain what parts of the 1. Identify all of the instructionally-related
districts improvement plan are working and initiatives in the district, determine whether
why, and stick with the broader and most they are actually adding value to students
effective parts of the plan for a number of years. academic performance, and curtail programs
that do not appear to be producing results.
2. Evaluate the superintendent on progress
towards the academic goals that the board 2. Develop the evidence that teachers should
and superintendent have set. be looking for in order to determine the quality
of student work and provide guidance on how
3. Ensure that each of the districts major instructional practice might change
instructionally related departments has plans to improve that work.
and goals that align with the broader strategic
plan of the school system. 3. Revamp the districts walk-through documents
to ensure they are gathering appropriate
4. Structure the central office to ensure that it is information on how the curriculum is being
aligned to meeting the goals that the board and implemented and whether students are actively
the superintendent have set. engaged in their learning.
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Develop a multi-year professional development
plan to ensure a long-term and coherent 1. Begin building an easy-to-use, data-analytic
strategy for building the capacity of staff system with as close to real-time data as is
at all levels. possible to provide central office staff and
school-based staff with better information on
2. Negotiate non-negotiables into the districts where students are struggling academically
professional developmentthat is, that and where they are making progress.
everyone will be required to participate in
order to build the instructional capacity of 2. Build a regular calendar of program evaluations
the teaching force. to determine what works and what doesnt.
3. Build a districtwide professional development 3. Define a standard data approach for schools to
system that will not only strengthen the capacity help them review, interpret, analyze, and discuss
of current staff but also define a pipeline of data that will help school-based staff ask the
talent across personnel levels of the system. right questions and consider the appropriate
steps for improving student achievement.
4. Build a system for regularly evaluating the
effectiveness of professional development in
terms of how well it is implemented and
whether it has any effects on student outcomes.
SHORT-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
SHORT-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Use enrollment centers and family resource
1. Eliminate the call center approach to resolving
centers as information hubs.
transportation related concerns and establish a
public phone number for all transportation 2. Extend the application period for the school
related questions and concerns so that choice process to March 1st. The school choice
parents and school staff can directly contact lottery should be run after March 1st.
transportation staff without being routed
through the Family Information Center. 3. Provide professional support and financial
resources to schools to assist with marketing
2. Provide additional information in the School
Choice Application about the StrIDe program* their schools and recruiting students.
and include a phone number where parents can 4. Continue partnering with the Nashville Public
get additional information about transportation. Education Foundation to refine and improve
3. Collaborate with Metropolitan Transportation Nashville School Finder.**
Authority (MTA) to continue and expand where
5. Convene prior to and after the launch of
feasible the StrIDe program.
School Finder version 2.0 representative
4. Establish a transportation committee that groups of parents, principals, staff, and other
includes staff from the District, MTA, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on its effectiveness.
agencies to study options to ensure equitable
access for students exercising school choice. 6. Introduce the new version of School Finder 2.0
via principals at their school parent nights.
5. Continue partnering with the Nashville
After Zone Alliance (NAZA) program which 7. Link SchoolFinder.org and MNPS websites
helps to provide equitable access to after so that school descriptions are consistent
school extracurricular activities and provides and easily updated by the school.
transportation for the programs.
8. Develop a districtwide strategy to market and
promote zoned middle schools strengths to
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS help decrease student attrition between
elementary and middle school
1. Study school choice patterns to determine
if there are large groups of students who
wish to exercise choice to attend schools in LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
specific geographic areas and the cost viability
of providing transportation services when 1. Consider mobile units for traveling into
such cases exist. communities throughout the school year
to communicate options and assist with
2. Consider whether charter middle school the application process.
students should be included in the StrIDe program.
2. Conduct an academic and enrollment needs
assessment at each school. Use results of this
* StrIDe is an innovative partnership between MNPS, the assessment to develop a strategic marketing plan
Mayors Office, Metro Council, and the Nashville MTA
that provides opportunities for students to travel to and to help promote equity and access.
from school and other activities via an MTA bus.
3. Develop marketing and outreach strategies
** Nashville School Finder is an online tool
(www.nashvilleschoolfounder.org) parents can use
to promote the school choice process.
to find the public school that is the best fit for their
child and family. 4. Seek business community support to assist with
the school choice marketing and outreach process.
2. Create and execute an editorial plan that 3. Consider augmenting the work with the
regularly showcases district and school activities Arbinger Institute and Gallup by designating
and accomplishments and authentic stories of someone as a senior-level culture czar in
educators, students, and community members the district.
using mainstream media, social media, video 4. Take additional steps to promote the positive
and website. culture work early and often.
3. Streamline good news blogs and proactively
send a weekly digest to a Friends of Public LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
Schools list to ensure key influencers are seeing
what is on elective social media channels. 1. Conduct a culture asset mapping of all
schools to provide school leaders with candid,
4. Strengthen proactive communications independent feedback that will help them
with the city and state. strengthen the culture of buildings, better
engage families and community partners,
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS and grow faculty and student satisfaction.
1. Produce an annual report to the community 2. Review the districts policies regarding faculty
that candidly and transparently outlines access and use of technology, Internet, and
achievements, areas of focus, challenges, and social media and ensure they are consistent
progress toward the larger vision and strategy. with strengthening family communication
In tandem with the release of the annual and engagement.
report, consider making an annual State 3. Conduct an expansive audit of existing
of the Schools address. parent communications around critical
2. Retain outside help to develop a robust areas to determine if they exist and/or if
marketing strategy and staff/resource they need improvements so they are more
it effectively. family-friendly.
1. Redesign and streamline the application and 1. Create a Principal and Hiring Manager
hiring processes with the goal of ensuring Advisory Board to advise the Executive Human
that all high-quality candidates are available for Resources Officer about challenge areas and
principals to hire in January, February, and opportunities for improvement.
March and for central office hiring managers
to hire in a timely manner. 2. Establish an annual survey that is sent to
principals and hiring managers to learn about
2. Implement a strong recruitment effort that the ways in which Human Resources is
highlights why MNPS is a great place to work. supporting the human capital needs of
Focus recruitment efforts on hard-to-fill areas schools and worksites.
and ensure that the workforce is diverse and
of high quality. 3. Institute consistent exit surveys that are
automatically sent to staff who leave the district
3. Review the current use of the Applitracks and use this data to inform recruitment, hiring,
system and redesign the workflow to ensure and retention strategies.
that this automated applicant-tracking system
is used to its full potential. 4. Build a culture of helpfulness within the
HR department through training, coaching,
4. Implement strategies to improve the substitute and practicing an outward mindset.
teacher fill-rate through improved systems that
enhance recruitment and incentive pay
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
for substitutes.
1. Develop and communicate clear protocols for
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS various HR actions so that employees are aware
of the procedures. Develop the following areas first:
1. Create and implement a multi-year quality
research-based induction program for a. Create an annual Compensation Benefit
all employees. Summary and distribute it to all employees.
2. Audit all current data reports so decisions can b. Develop a protocol for terminations so the
be made regarding the prioritization of the data employee and the workplace site has a clear
to be used internally with HR staff and externally procedure for exiting employees.
with customers and stakeholders. c. Develop an online Human Capital portal
3. Identify clear goals and objectives for the HR for current and future employees where
Department that contribute to the all standard operating procedures would
accomplishment of the districts goals. be updated.
Develop implementation
Develop Implementationplans professional
plans development,
- professional communications,
development, district annual,
communications,
school
district annual, improvement,
school performance
improvement, management
performance & state ESSA
management & state ESSA
So, exactly what is a strategic planning process? This process is how district leadership and the Board of Education will create a long-term plan
to guide the district over the next few years. Its an intentional plan that will touch all areas of the organization. To date, district leadership and the
transition team have collected and analyzed information and will release a full report in January. Over the next few weeks, we will begin the next phase
of the process: the Mission, Vision, and Values of Metro Schools. Throughout December, January, and February, the district will gather feedback on a
variety of areas culminating with Dr. Joseph releasing all findings and his strategic plan in late March or early April 2017.
continued from page 1 As part of this work, elementary schools are using running records
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AND