COMPETITIVE FEDERAL GRANTS WILL SUPPORT WORK IN THREE PRIORITY AREAS
Nashville, Tenn. - (Oct. 2, 2017) - Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) announced today two additional federal grants totaling $8.9 million which were awarded to the district by the Department of Education (DOE). The awards come on the heels of another large DOE grant announced Sept. 27 that will create new magnet programs in five elementary schools.
Dr. Shawn Joseph, MNPS director of schools said, "We know that local and state public dollars are limited for us to achieve our ambitious agenda to improve our schools. In Nashville, we are fortunate to have strong staff and strong partners who work hard to find additional resources to advantage our children. We are poised to put this $23.9 million in grant money to work doing what we set out to do - creating equity and access to high quality instruction for all students across the district.”
Anna Shepherd, chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Public Education, noted the competitive nature of the grants. “In public education, we're constantly competing for finite resources at the local, state and federal levels. The fact that expert evaluators saw fit to
invest in Nashville signifies that MNPS submitted exceptional proposals that have the very real potential to improve teaching and learning.”
The Grants were awarded for the following programs:
- Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) grant: $1.2 million- “Music and Art City: Metro Nashville's Professional Development for Arts Educators Project”
- Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant: $7.7 million - “Metro Nashville Public Schools Scaling Up Pyramid Model Implementation in Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms”
- Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grant: $15 million: “Metro Nashville Public School Magnet Schools Assistance Program”
MNPS will use the PDAE grant to provide professional development for all visual arts and music teachers at the 55 Title I elementary schools in the district. The grant will also be used to build upon the district's partnerships with the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and QuaverMusic.com, to provide learning opportunities to expand art teachers' knowledge and skills and enhance their instructional practices in the classroom.
MNPS will use the EIR grant to expand the use of the pyramid model in Pre-K and kindergarten classes. The pyramid model is a framework for promoting social, emotional and behavioral development of young children. This work will be done in partnership with Vanderbilt University, the University of South Florida, the University of Colorado and SRI, an external evaluator.
As announced last week, the district will use the MSAP grant over five years to convert five elementary schools into whole-school magnet programs, increasing access to high quality magnet programs and working to increase diversity in the schools chosen. They are:
- Glencliff Entrepreneurship STEAM Magnet Elementary School (545 students)
- Inglewood Environmental Sciences STEAM Magnet Elementary Schools (230 students)
- Rosebank STEAM Magnet School: Integrated Technology and Biological Sciences (302 students)
- Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School (300 students)
- John B. Whitsitt Environmental Engineering STEAM Magnet Elementary School (451 students)
These five schools were chosen because of the demographic, economic status and achievement level of their students.
“Our school and community partners are so excited and grateful to have been selected for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grant with a focus on STEAM implementation," said Whitsitt Elementary principal Justin Uppinghouse. "Whitsitt is on an upward trajectory with academic growth and community engagement; however, with the implementation of the MSAP grant, the sky is the limit for our students, families and
METRO NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Metro Nashville Public Schools is one of the nation's top 50 largest school districts, preparing 88,000 students for higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the first choice for Nashville families, Metro Schools is committed to #ExceedingGreatExpectations with the mission of delivering a great public education to every student, every day. The district is earning a national reputation for urban school reform, social and emotional learning and rising academic achievement. The governing body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information, visit MNPS.org, or follow us on Twitter @MetroSchools or Facebook /MetroSchools.