Education Task Force
What is the problem and why should we care?
To effectively break the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately impacts students of color, the NOAH membership selected the area of Education as one of its top priorities. African American students are three times as likely to be suspended as white students in Metro Nashville Public Schools.
What Should Be Done?
Robust implementation of Social Emotional Learning programs has proven to be effective at reducing suspensions, increasing student achievement, and most importantly, allowing students to more effectively address the emotional and behavioral issues that make learning a challenge. Most importantly, the Education Task Force recognizes that only powerful organizing and leadership will bring about the systemic change necessary to eliminate racism in our school system.
About the Education Task Force
The NOAH Education Task Force (ETF) includes teachers, parents, professionals in the education sector, Metro Nashville Public Schools graduates and other NOAH member representatives concerned about eliminating racism in the school system. The ETF has three committees which are focused on three specific issue areas:
Social Emotional
Learning (SEL)
Breaking the school- to-prison pipeline through robust SEL supports (including Restorative Practices) in all schools. Learn more about our Social Emotional Learning Committee, which meets every fourth Thursday of the month at 6 p.m.
About
Academics
Increasing racial equity in Advanced Academic programming and pushing for a historically accurate curriculum. Learn more about our Academics Committee, which meets every first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m.
State
Funding
The state of Tennessee provides woefully inadequate funding to the state’s largest school districts, leaving it up to Metro Nashville to foot the bill for our priorities. Learn more about our State Funding Committee, which meets every Monday at 6:30 p.m.
- The NOAH ETF was successful in getting Metro Nashville Public Schools to alter its discipline policy to exclude suspensions for elementary school students. Unfortunately, this policy was rolled back in 2020 when principals lacked resources to provide social emotional learning supports. The ETF continues to fight for replacement of these policies as well as the funding and support for SEL programming.
- The NOAH ETF held four successful public meetings for school board candidates in 2020 with over 3,000 people in attendance, including facebook viewers. One elected school board member cited the NOAH public meetings as the most organized and powerful public event for this election.
- The NOAH State Funding Committee held a legislative roundtable with the majority of the Davidson County delegation present. This meeting developed the relationships necessary to help the ETF strategize on funding issues going into 2021 and 2022.