Project Reconnect seeks to identify, train, and mobilize community partners to directly assist Metro Nashville Public Schools in finding and re-enrolling students who were previously enrolled in MNPS but were not present for the first ten days of the new school year.
MNPS will provide a targeted list of students/families to partners based on that organization’s specific population or service area. The role of the selected community organizations is to assist in locating the families of these identified students in order to find out why the identified student has not returned to school and hopefully assist the student in re-enrolling in schools.
Any barriers being experienced by the family will be communicated back to MNPS and entered into the collaborative referral system. A data contract will be issued between the community partner and MNPS with strict guidelines on what data will be shared, how it may be used, confidentiality and how the data needs to be destroyed. When possible, translation/interpretation services may be provided for partners when conducting outreach to non-English speaking students and families.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Review the requested services below and complete the form to support the 2021 Project Reconnect Initiative!
Project Reconnect Partners will be asked to fulfill the following commitments:
- Sign MNPS Data Contract
- Send staff to attend Project Reconnect training
- Make efforts to find families/caregivers of missing students
- Make efforts to assist families/caregivers in getting students not enrolled in another school to re-enroll with MNPS
- Help families identify barriers to enrollment and identify needed resources
- Complete electronic data form
- Complete Community Partner evaluation survey
For questions or support completing the form, please contact lwam@alignmentnashville.org.
Having trouble viewing the form on this page? Complete it here.
INITIATIVE GOALS
Long-Term Outcomes
Decrease chronic absenteeism and truancy
Students who are reenrolled will complete a full educational program within MNPS and become prosperous adults
Midterm Outcomes
Short-Term Outcomes & Outputs
Attendance Alignment Team
Research has shown over and over that chronic-absenteeism and truancy often lead to horrible outcomes for all students in all schools. Nashville is a large urban district with a very high diversity rate. There are over 140 languages spoken within MNPS. This often leads to barriers in school attendance such as transportation, having to work and help with family needs, non-english speaking households, health and access to good healthcare, just to name a few. The Attendance A-Team was created to address these unique needs.
- Jennifer Wade, Metro Juvenile Courts, Co-Chair
- Bradley Redmond, MNPS, Co-Chair
- Brigid Mahoney Caldwell, Attorney
- Carol Lampkin, MNPS
- Catherine Knowles, MNPS
- Eric Johnson, STARS Nashville
- Katrinna Collins, MNPS
- Kawema, Communities in Schools
- Ken Stark, MNPS
- LaSeanda Sanders, MNPS
- Leigh Patton,MNPS
- Marcel Hernandez, Be About Change
- Marvin Cox, Metro Action Commission
- Melissa Gordon, MNPS
- Miriam Leibowitz, WeGo Public Transit
- Rikitta Dews, Communities in Schools
- Ruben De Pena, MNPS
- Viva Price, Youth Encouragement Services
- William Clemons, Metro Nashville Police Department