Dr. Jesse Register, Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Dr. Paul Changas, Executive Director of Research and Assessment, will host a special media event Monday, August 1, at 12 p.m. They will discuss and explain the district’s 2011 status under No Child Left Behind.

Parents and community members can follow along through the district's Live Blog.

Gini Pupo-Walker, a native Nashvillian and graduate from Hillwood High School, has been named the district’s new Director of Parental and Community Engagement. She comes to this position after serving for the past year as Glencliff High School’s Director of Parental and Community Engagement. Her primary role will be overseeing efforts to increase parental and community engagement in our schools.

Katerine Hernandez, a rising senior at Glencliff High School, won a Gold Medal at the Family, Career, & Community Leaders of America National Conference in Anaheim, California!  Katerine competed with students from across the nation in the Nutrition and Wellness event and earned the top score in the Southern Region.

Alan Coverstone, who has been serving as Director of Charter and Private Schools, will become the Executive Director of the Innovation School Zone. He will continue overseeing the charter and new thematic magnet schools. Steve Ball, principal at East Literature Magnet High School, will assume the position of Lead Principal over all Paideia schools in the district, as well as continuing on as executive principal of East Lit.

“These positions will further our transformation efforts in the district,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register. “Our goal is to offer the very best opportunities for our students and staff, and that means we need to build the infrastructure to support great teaching and learning.”

The Innovation School Zone was announced at the July 12 Metro Nashville Board of Education Meeting. Coverstone will oversee approximately 10 of the district’s high priority schools this first year. He will report directly to Dr. Register, speeding up the process of school turn around. The schools that will fall into the Innovation Zone will be announced after the state releases 2011 NCLB results.

Read more after the jump.

Two new resource guides have just been published by Alignment Nashville. They join a growing list of extensive guides meant to help parents raise healthier, more confident, disciplined and educated children.

• Adolescent Healthy Futures


• Social Emotional Learning: A Guide to Resources for Behavioral Health

Don't lose your green thumb this summer. Come help Glencliff High School manage its extensive garden project with a few hours of volunteer time. You could end up going home with an armload of fresh vegetables in return!

The Glencliff Garden project teaches students (and adults) to cultivate fresh produce and how to keep a more healthy diet. But they need help to keep it going throughout the summer break. That's why they're asking you to join one of the "Adopt-a-Volunteer Days" offered all summer long!

Sign up to be a volunteer leader for the day of your choice, bring together a group of your friends for an afternoon of garden volunteer work, and you can take home some of the very produce you work wtih!

June 5th-August 28th
Sunday Evenings
5:00-8:00 p.m.

June 2nd-August 4th
Thursday Mornings
7:00-10:00 a.m.

It has been a hot summer but the West End IB World School garden is thriving thanks to the dedicated volunteers who have watered and cared for the garden over the summer! Students and staff have harvested more than two gallons of green beans, lots of cucumbers, fragrant herbs, zucchini and 2 watermelons. They are now anxiously awaiting the day they can harvest the eggplant, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Click through to see the proof.

Want to learn more about the state's increased academic requirements? The Tennessee Department of Education launched a new website, ReadTennessee.org, aimed at helping teachers, parents, and community members understand new state curriculum standards.

Growth in TCAP scores is a clear indicator that schools are progressing in the right direction - particularly encouraging since Tennessee now has some of the highest standards for achievement in the country. We are pleased Metro Schools’ preliminary information shows clear progress with growth across all grades in the areas of math and reading. We also saw growth in most grades for science and social studies.

Have you walked your 100 miles? Even if you haven't, you can join Mayor Karl Dean and hundreds of others on the final walk of the Mayor's fitness series - an 8-mile trek starting at Wave Country.

That same evening, walkers will gather for a celebration and free concert by JoDee Messina and Melinda Doolittle. There will be a kids' zone, face painting, sports, and healthy food. And it's completely free!

MTA will even offer free bus transportation to the celebration for all MNPS families. Just mention "Walk 100 Miles" to your bus driver!

"Walk 100 Miles with the Mayor" Finale Walk
8 miles
8:00 a.m., Wave Country

"Walk 100 Miles with the Mayor" Finale Celebration & Concert
5:00 p.m., Public Square Park

Seven teachers and the assistant principal at Nashville School of Arts recently completed the Coaches' Training for Critical Friends Groups with the National School Reform Faculty. By completing the training, these educators are Certified Critical Friends Coaches and are now a part of the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF), the national network of educators coaching Critical Friends Groups (CFGs).

Clint Wilson, most recently the assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at Antioch High, will assume the executive principal role at Glencliff High. Previous administrative positions within the district include assistant principal at Wright Middle and Stratford High.

Wilson also spent two years as principal of Lebanon High School, during which time he increased the graduation rate by 7.4%, raised four of five TVAAS areas, and earned a $35,000 grant from AT&T for the school¹s freshman academy. He also served as a member of the implementation team for small learning communities in MNPS and is a graduate of the Principal¹s Leadership Academy of Nashville in 2005.

Other professional experience includes presenting at the national small learning communities conference this past June where he presented on designing an academy based master schedule, the implementation of effective professional learning communities, and the utilization of community support and resources. He has also led past professional development on data driven instruction, rigor in the classroom, and using common core standards to raise benchmark scores.

He plans on building on the many successes that Glencliff has experienced in the last several years and to bring a strong focus on transforming teaching and learning.

This fall, Jere Baxter Middle School will begin the transition into a teacher-led school. Dr. Corey Walker will serve as interim principal in the first year. To learn more about what this means for Jere Baxter, check out the video  with Associate Superintendent of Middle Schools Dr. Lora Hall.

MNPS’ six HealthierUS Schools Challenge award-winning schools and the district Food Services Department have been invited to Washington D.C. for efforts to promote healthier lifestyles! The group will participate in a HealthierUS School Challenge Reception at the White House on July 29. Click through to see a video from the award presentation earlier this spring!