As a result of intentional efforts to accelerate the learning progress of students coming out of the pandemic and the strong academic outcomes the district has achieved, Metro Nashville Public Schools was featured in a national study on academic recovery following the pandemic.
“This recognition underscores not only the strategies we’ve designed but also the extremely impressive work so many people across the district have done to implement those plans and ensure our students are getting what they need both in and out of the classroom,” Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said. “I’m so proud of our MNPS educators, support staff, parents, community partners, and students for putting in the work every day to make these results possible. And they haven’t slowed down.” 
The Education Recovery Scorecard, a joint effort by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard, the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford, and the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, casts a light on the achievements of MNPS.
The scorecard distinguishes our district for surpassing national education recovery trends, emphasizing our strategic, inventive, and successful strategies to secure such notable results.
“We applaud Metro Nashville Public Schools for the progress their students have made in recovering from the pandemic, making improvements from 2022 to 2023 of more than a half of a grade level equivalent in math and nearly a third of a grade level equivalent in reading,” said Council of the Great City Schools Executive Director Ray Hart. “While there is more work to be done, district leaders, staff, and families should be commended.”
Key points from research among districts involved in the study:
- MNPS ranked 3rd among top 100 districts in math growth from 2022 to 2023
- MNPS ranked 6th among top 100 districts in reading (English Language Arts) growth from 2022 to 2023
- MNPS was one of just two large urban districts that ranked in the Top 10 for both math and reading.
“These rankings are a powerful statement about the connections happening between students and teachers every day in classrooms across Nashville and Davidson County,” MNPS Board of Education Chairwoman Rachael Anne Elrod said. “Under Dr. Battle’s leadership and with the Board’s support, the district is making tremendous strides, and while I’m not surprised, I am thrilled to see this validation of our strategic direction.”
The report cited several key strategies MNPS continues to use to spur academic recovery from the pandemic:
- Implementing strong, evidence-based curricula in reading and math and ensuring they’re followed carefully through coaching cycles that support teachers. MNPS adopted the Wit & Wisdom curriculum for English Language Arts and STEM Scopes for math in grades K-5 and myPerspectives for ELA and Open Up for math in grades 6-12.
- Leadership development to ensure that principals have what they need to be strong instructional leaders, including effective classroom observation skills.
- Wraparound supports such as no-cost breakfast and lunch for all students; advocacy centers and Peace Centers where emotionally distressed students can cool down and get ready to learn again; regular check-ins with caring adults at school, known as Navigators; and summer and weekend learning opportunities.
- Using federal ESSER funding for tutoring, professional development, and curriculum support as well as sending $24 million per year directly to schools so they can fund specific programs or positions to best serve their student populations.
- High-dosage tutoring in a research-based program, Accelerating Scholars, that gives more than 8,000 students 90 minutes of one-on-one tutoring each week across three one-on-one sessions with school staff, full-time tutors, and community partners.
- Family and community engagement through the launch of MNPS Family University and expansion of the district’s Community Achieves program, which brings business and community partners into schools.
Announced last year, MNPS achieved Level 5 TVAAS status two years in a row thanks to improved academic success of our students as shown in TCAP results. The district not only demonstrated significant growth in TCAP results but also exceeded the state’s growth in 7 out of 8 categories and met their growth in one other. In addition to surpassing the state in growth in TCAP categories, MNPS has also achieved the highest proficiency ratings in ELA, both for grades 3-8 and overall, since the implementation of new state standards and testing in the 2017-18 school year.
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