State Helps Redesign MNPS Central Office and Curriculum and Instruction Departments

MNPS, State Department of Education announce changes NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 12, 2008) – MNPS and the Tennessee Department of Education are today announcing reorganization of some MNPS central office staff and functions. The Department of Teaching and Learning will be transformed into a newly structured Department of Curriculum and Instruction; it will be led by six cabinet-level curriculum specialists who will have oversight of the schools under them. “This department is filled with great educators who want to help principals and teachers lead more students to success,” said Interim Director Chris Henson. “The state has been able to objectively look at our offices and direct the creation of a new structure that will allow us to better serve our community. Thanks to the leadership and collaboration of our state partners, a new structure is evolving to help all students -- and to ensure our district meets the rigorous No Child Left Behind benchmarks in all measurable areas.” "The state has been a constructive partner in our effort to improve Metro Schools, and I fully support the decision to reorganize," Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said. "Time is of the essence when it comes to educating our students. The way I see it, a child has one chance to be successful in the third grade or the eighth grade. We need to move forward with changes that will give our students the best education now." The new Department of Curriculum and Instruction will be aligned into the three grade-set configurations with an Assistant Superintendent and Associate Assistant Superintendent at the helm in each area. The Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools will be Greg Patterson, a previous area director for MNPS in the central office. The Assistant Superintendent for Middle Schools will be Sandra Tinnon, who currently directs the Division of Teaching and Learning. The Assistant Superintendent for High Schools will be Jim Briggs, the current director for High School Redesign in MNPS. These appointments are a first stage in the redesign of the curriculum offices serving educators and families. In coming weeks, the state Department of Education and MNPS Administration will be working with the new Assistant Superintendents to continue reorganizing. Individuals will be assigned to positions based on strengths they bring to schools and their individual areas of expertise. The process is designed to be budget-neutral. When staff changes are complete, the new organization will be able to respond quickly to needs of schools, and to provide equitable resources and opportunities to students in every school. Assistant Superintendents will also be able to work collaboratively across all grade spans and with the state in implementing more rigorous curriculum while also providing additional educational opportunities for students. Metro Nashville Public Schools provide a range of educational opportunities to more than 74,000 students in Nashville and Davidson County. The governing body for MNPS is the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Board of Public Education, a nine-member group elected by residents of Metropolitan Nashville. For more information, please visit http://www.mnps.org/.
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This was agreed upon previously and is currently being carried out. I fully support the efforts of Connie Smith and trust that measurable gains will result from this targeted approach in aligning central office staff to the school level/teacher classroom level.