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West Leads Nashville Chamber’s Education Report Card

Susan WestBelmont Vice President and Chief of Staff Dr. Susan West was appointed co-chairwoman of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Education Report Card Committee. The Education Report Card Committee provides a community perspective on specific issues and challenges facing Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS).

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Chamber in this capacity.  This appointment reaffirms my commitment to creating the best possible education system that we can envision for our youth and our community,” West said.

The committee reports on overall school system performance as well as a topic selected annually. Most recently, the chamber’s focus area was chartered schools.

The committee, comprised of  business and community leaders, conducts interviews, collects data and visits schools before developing findings and recommendations for improvement. The MNPS School Board and administration consider the committee’s findings each year and report specific outcomes of implementing the recommendations.

Urban League President and Chief Executive Officer Patricia Stokes served as co-chairwoman with West. In their roles, West and Stokes played an integral leadership role in the report card process, leading each meeting and ensuring that the committee stays on task to produce the report.

In its 2013 Education Report Card for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools released on Dec. 16, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Education Report Card Committee issued five recommendations in the areas of school system performance and Common Core State Standards. The final report was presented to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the MNPS School Board and administration, the mayor, the Metropolitan Council.

“The committee believes the district is taking the right course in its commitment to teacher quality, lead principals, school autonomy, quality school choices, and the ambitious goal of being the highest-performing urban district in the country by 2018,” West said in a press release. “When looking at the 2012-2013 school year, however, we find the academic results are mixed.”

Click here to read the recommendations. Click here to read the full report.

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