State leaders and school officials across Tennessee gathered this week to weigh in on a pressing issue in wake of the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting—how can we make schools safer? “I am a father of a second grade teacher and when I heard the stories about the teachers huddled in classrooms with their kids, like [...]

Half-hour documentary looks at “Graduation by the Numbers;” part of national “American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen” initiative. NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Nashville Public Television (NPT-Channel 8)  takes an in-depth look at efforts in Nashville to keep students in school until they graduate in “NPT Reports: Graduation by the Numbers,” premiering Thursday, January 24 at 9:00 [...]

Principal Ron Woodard is the epitome of ‘in your face’—but in a good way. He’s trying to change the culture of Maplewood High School and get college on his students’ minds, everyday. “I think it provides students with a focus,” said Woodard, Executive Principal of Maplewood High School in Metro Nashville Public Schools. “At the [...]

A school’s success is often measured by academic performance, test scores, and attendance rates. But what about factors like safety, drug and alcohol use, and even how students feel in the classroom? Beginning this year, students in Tennessee can have their say about school climate by taking an online survey. “The school climate project is [...]

Mariachi classes are now being offered at Wright Middle School and Glencliff High School as part of the new Music Makes Us education program, a public/private partnership among Metro Schools, Mayor Karl Dean, and music industry leaders in Nashville. “One of the aspects of Music Makes Us is the notion that nontraditional programs are being [...]

For many students new to the United States, school can be the greatest adjustment. Helping to close that culture gap is why members of the Kurdish community gathered recently at the Salahadeen Center of Nashville, a Kurdish mosque and community center, for an education seminar with representatives from Metro Nashville Public Schools. “We invited them [...]

Leann Norrod has big dreams. “My goals are to get into Watkins university and get my degree for photography, and then to work for National Geographic,” says Norrod. But the high school senior didn’t always see herself as college-bound, or even making it out of high school. “Before I just thought what does school matter? [...]