MEMORANDUM

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Lyndell Norton, our Coordinator of Vocational-Technical Education, shared some good news
with me about our vocational-technical education programs that I wanted to forward to
you. Enclosed are articles about two of our very successful vocational-technical education
programs. One is Hillsboro High’s Music Technology program and the other is the Information
Technology Academy at Stratford.

Also enclosed is information about college credit for courses completed in high school
in the Certified Internet Webmaster program. This program is offered at McGavock
and Stratford high schools. This is a great opportunity for our students.

CREATING THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT

From July of 2002 through March of 2005, 1,543 administrators, teachers, counselors,
students and support staff of Metro Nashville Public Schools have been trained in Stephen
R. Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” An additional 1,400 vocational
students have been offered workshops based on “Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens.”

There is no way to easily quantify the value of this program. In reviewing the required
post-training session assessment documents, we find a wealth of positive comments
and high marks for the material covered. We hear how the training has influenced
positive change throughout our organization. And we know many of those trained
have become trainers, extending the value of the program to numerous others in our
organization. And what is that value?

Participants in Covey training are taught to:

1. Be proactive – to take risks and accept new challenges to achieve goals.
2. Begin with the end in mind – to be united under a shared vision, mission and purpose.
3. Put first things first – to prioritize tasks by importance.
4. Think win-win – to resolve conflicts by seeking mutual benefits.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood – to communicate effectively with problem solving in mind.
6. Synergize – to get buy in from team members and leverage diversity to increase success.
7. Sharpen the saw – to seek continuous improvement and prevent burnout.

Which of these seven habits does not have value to any school principal or teacher?
It’s obvious they all do, but without training, these may be underused or neglected tools
preventing us from achieving what we all want – improved success for students.

All seven of the habits contribute to making an individual more effective in our teaching
and learning environment. And as more individuals increase their effectiveness, we
continue building a school district that offers all students increased learning opportunities
and greater avenues to success.

The training gives people the tools to move from dependence, to independence to
interdependence. It also sends a powerful message that we are committed to professional
development and that we want our workforce to have the same resources successful
businesses in the private sector have to succeed.

I believe the men and women of Metro Nashville Public Schools must have a variety
of continuing learning opportunities for our district to keep pace with an evolving society.
Successful businesses in the private sector recognize this and provide their staff with
numerous training sessions, seminars and courses. Any person who doesn’t believe
this should visit a few hotels in Nashville – or any other city in the country – and
take a look at the daily roster of events and activities. You’ll see a list of businesses
going about the good work of training employees for the challenges ahead. They
are making an investment in their future – and so are we through Covey training.

Our task is too important to neglect continuing training – and the Stephen R. Covey
program is rooted in the fundamentals needed by every member of our organization.
I was reminded of the value of basics – and how we often overlook them – when
we recently inducted Jackson Brown into the MNPS Hall of Fame. His bestseller,
Life’s Little Instruction Book, won acclaim for making us realize the value of the
little things that make a difference. Those “little things” if neglected can destroy
us. But if we continually emphasize their value and encourage leadership in their
deployment, we can drive positive change throughout every school.

The “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” program is also an important component
of our work to promote organizational leadership and foster transformational change
throughout the district. Experts in these fields agree the capacity to handle change
must be created by the individuals that make up the organization. Through “Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People” training we’re doing that; creating the leadership
we need now and in the future.

The “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” training provides an additional immeasurable
quality: Empowerment. Participants leave with a capacity to drive change and make
a difference. They develop an appreciation for the habits and how they can be used
to better themselves – and, ultimately, to better the district.

I’ve been asked why we don’t just buy copies of the book “Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People,” and distribute them to staff. My answer is this: It’s the process,
the exercises and the richness of the conversations in the three-day training sessions
that move individuals to acquire the capacity to change. It’s the same reason why
you don’t buy a Bible and a CD of choir songs instead of going to church. It’s the
shared experience that makes the difference. It’s also the training conductors
Covey provides – highly skilled individuals who motivate and inspire.

I believe the training we’ve conducted thus far has played an important role in the
modest progress we’ve made in recent years to improve our district. When people
complete the training and tell us “Wow, this was great; I will use it everyday,”
“Everyone needs to take this class,” and “It will go with us all our lives,” we know
we are on the right track. We are on the right path to developing a highly effective
organization – and I believe we can empower more to achieve more by continuing
this very important program.

WOODY MCMILLIN, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER

Continued work on arrangements for the April 26 MNPS Sports Hall of Fame induction
ceremony (program, information packages, event logistics planning, staffing).

Continued work on arrangements for April 18 community meeting at Hillwood High
School (to discuss property adjacent to football field/noise abatement).

Responded to media requests for information (federal cuts, safe & drug-free schools,
teacher doing MNEA work at State Legislature, new school construction).

Met with Metro Health Dept. to discuss possible pilot programs to address issue of STDs in Nashville young people.

Drafted information piece for central office employees on customer service center.

Prepared proposal for posting central office closing information on switchboard phones.

Attended meeting on content management for web site.

Assisted other departments with requests for information, printing, logos, etc.

Continued work on April Report Home (primarily complete with a few areas left to fill).

PEG/jw     

Attachment:
      
                     Articles about two successful vocational-technical education programs