The Attendance Task Force was a short-term project convened to identify opportunities for community partners to contribute in meaningful ways to address the systemic barriers that prevent students from being present at school. This project identified barriers to regular school attendance (such as transportation, housing, job relocation, health and competing family needs) in order to develop recommendations that leveraged existing resources, planned events and community resources.
Kathryn Addison, MNPS - Family Engagement Specialist
Alan Calhoun, Juvenile Court Metropolitan Nashville- Metro Student Attendance Center
Kawema Orita, Communities In Schools
Katrinna Collins, Metro Nashville Public Schools - special populations
Marvin Cox, Metro Action Commission
Marcel Hernandez, Be About Change
Catherine Knowles, Metro Nashville Public Schools - HERO
Viva Price, Youth Encouragement Services
Beth Schroeder, MNPS - Coordinator, School Counseling Services
Makeda Watson, MNPS Community Achieves
Lyn Ratliff, MNPS - Attendance
Tremeta Norman, MNPS - Family Engagement Specialist (high schools)
Carol Lampkin Brown, MNPS - Attendance
Megan Trcka, MNPS-Office of English Language Learners
DaVonne Jinks, MSAC
During three strategic planning sessions, the Attendance Task Force drafted the following recommendations for the 2024-25 school year:
• A Family University collaboration with immigrant/refugee-focused agencies to strengthen bi-directional communication between EL Families and MNPS
• The appointment and training of Parent Attendance Ambassadors, who will serve as advocates and resource guides for other families
• The enhancement of mentoring support for students before, during and after school
Alignment Nashville staff will work closely with Family University and Community Achieves, as well as additional community partners, to implement the above recommendations. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Nathan Shulman, Collaborative Initiatives Manager, at nathan@alignmentnashville.org.
