Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 52
education. Since its inception in 1990, MEGA has funded
over 150 different projects, totaling over $400,000 in total
investment. Started with just a single check for $10,000 from
the district’s largest employer, the foundation has continued to
raise small dollar donations from engaged businesses and parents
to support educational projects of teachers in the district who
would otherwise not be able to find funding. Although many
districts in the state have education foundations, MEGA is one
of the most successful, especially given the relatively small size
of the Milan community.
Parents as Teachers
Wilson County
Wilson County Schools, Lebanon Special School District,
the University of Tennessee Extension Services, and Prospect,
Inc. have come together to form the Wilson County Parents as
Teachers (WCPAT) program. Based on the national Parents
as Teachers model, WCPAT focuses on ensuring school
readiness for every child by hosting group support meetings
and providing parents with personal home visits by trained
specialists. These meetings and visits serve as opportunities for
parents to receive information about child development and
the educational needs of their young children. Additionally,
the program connects parents with social services agencies,
medical agencies, childcare organizations, and social activities
in the community. As a benefit of enrolling in the program,
children also receive access to free learning development and
health screenings.
Y-CAP for three months. Longitudinal studies have shown
Y-CAP graduates have a 90 percent high school graduation rate,
17 percentage points higher than the district average. Since the
implementation of both programs, truancy rates in the district
have declined 8 percentage points.
Safe Schools / Healthy Students Initiative
Bradley County and Cleveland City Schools
Bradley County and Cleveland City School District are
implementing a Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative.
Initially funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the
initiative includes several programs aimed at creating safe
schools and promoting healthy childhood development. For
example, over half the faculty in the two districts have been
trained and are now implementing Second Step, a violence
prevention program geared to preschool through eighth grade
students. The districts have also established a Juvenile Drug
Court liaison who is responsible for providing intensive, yearlong support to first-time non-violent drug offenders. Every
elementary school was also given a School Resource Officer
(SRO), and every high school was given two SROs. As a result
of these programs, arrests, petitions, and citations of juveniles
in both districts have been cut in half. Both Bradley County
and Cleveland City schools are working to determine which
aspects of these programs can be maintained now that the
federal grant has expired.
Truancy Prevention Program
Hamilton County Public Schools
Alarmed by their ranking as the state’s u rban district with
the highest truancy rate, Hamilton County Public Schools
partnered with the county sheriff’s office and local police
department to improve student attendance. Since state law
defines a student as being truant when they miss more the five
days of school, the district implemented a policy where after a
student’s fourth absence, school administrators are required to
call the student’s parents and ask them to come to the school
for an informal meeting to discuss the child’s attendance. If a
student reaches a sixth absence, parents are called into a meeting
with administrators and representatives from the Hamilton
County Juvenile Court, who warn parents and students about
the legal actions that can be taken if truancy continues. In a
collaborative but separate program called YMCA Community
Action Program (Y-CAP), up to 20 students with frequent
absences receive support services including after-school tutoring
and one-on-one counseling. Students typically stay enrolled in
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