Tag Archives: Nashville teachers

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NPEF Announces Nashville Blue Ribbon Teachers

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) announced the 2026 Blue Ribbon Teachers:

The Nashville Public Education Foundation proudly congratulates the 2026 Blue Ribbon Teacher award winners! In partnership between NPEF and Metro Nashville Public Schools, 25 educators will be recognized at a reception hosted by Vanderbilt University this evening. Award winners will be honored across three categories of impact:

  • Excellence in Student Success and Opportunity
  • Excellence in Instruction
  • Excellence in Leadership 

Since its inception in 2014, the Blue Ribbon Teacher Awards has honored over 500 educators. This year’s winners will receive a $2,000 prize and round-trip airline tickets generously provided by Southwest Airlines.

The 2026 Blue Ribbon Teacher award winners:

  • Lesley Baxter, Tulip Grove Elementary School
  • Melisa Brown, Neely’s Bend K-8 School
  • Chris Dickerson, Norman Binkley Elementary School    
  • Natalie Elliott, Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School    
  • Stephanie Ellis, Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School
  • Briana Evans, Cambridge Early Learning Center
  • Elmer Feliciano, McMurray Middle School    
  • Lacey Galbraith, John Overton High School    
  • Brenda Gauss, Amqui Global Communications K-8 Magnet School    
  • Magdi Girgis, Glencliff High School
  • Thelma Guzman Ardon, Hume-Fogg Magnet High School
  • Dr. Jenna Hagengruber Neal, John Overton High School
  • Ashley January-Reed, Isaiah T. Creswell Arts Magnet Middle School    
  • Marlon Jones, William Henry Oliver Middle School
  • Shasta Lee, McGavock High School
  • Ashley Lehenbauer, Apollo Middle School
  • Erinn McGee, John B. Whitsitt Elementary School    
  • Kirsten McGlone, Apollo Middle School    
  • Darcy Muller, Cane Ridge High School
  • Frank Norris, Meigs Magnet Middle School
  • Rebecca Pearson, Norman Binkley Elementary School    
  • Christopher Reid, J.T. Moore Middle School    
  • Jesi Seifert, Stratford STEM Magnet High School    
  • Dr. Deerre’ll Taylor, Cane Ridge High School
  • Hannah Younker, Haywood Elementary School

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Teacherpreneur Applications Open

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) is now accepting applications for Teacherpreneur:

Teacherpreneur is one of our signature programs that guides participants in developing their big idea through five impactful professional learning sessions. Ideas are explored, honed, and strengthened to become pitch night-ready. That’s when the top ideas will be awarded a total of $25,000 in cash prizes in addition to seed funding to implement a pilot program.

The application will close on Sunday, November 15, 2026. Eligible educators in Nashville’s public schools, including teachers, librarians, and counselors, are welcome to apply. For questions about Teacherpreneur, email Colleen Gilligan, Director of Strategic Initiatives.

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EdCo Teacher Spotlight: November

The latest Educators’ Cooperative newsletter includes a teacher spotlight:

Meet Cohort 3 EdCo Member Natalie Elliott, a cross-sector and interdisciplinary collaboration all-star! This year, she used our “EdCo in the Classroom” Member Services, to enrich her Gifted and Talented (GATE) classroom at Waverly-Belmont Elementary.
As part of their “Physics of Toys” unit, Natalie requested an EdCo Exchange collaboration with Built Technologies engineer (and EdCo Board Member) Thomas Schlegel. He visited her 5th graders for a career talk, case study, and to help Natalie with her teacher-led project: an in-class toy design activity.Natalie knew exactly what her students would want to talk about (Labubus) and exactly what they would need to successfully design toys (small groups, lots of engagement, and many chances to debrief with their peers).In classic EdCo fashion, Natalie even extended the learning beyond her own classroom and invited another teacher’s class to join the talk and plan their own toy designs for the project ahead alongside her students.

READ MORE>

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Celebrating Blue Ribbon Teachers

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) is celebrating 25 teachers in a “Blue Ribbon Teachers” event.

More from an email:

Please join us in congratulating the 25 educators named Blue Ribbon Teacher award winners this year! These talented and dedicated teachers demonstrate an exceptional commitment to ensuring all students thrive and have earned the Blue Ribbon Teacher designation in this year’s award categories of
 leadership, instruction, and student success and opportunity. We are thrilled to honor them and are grateful for all they do for our public schools and community!

Meet the winners here.

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Educators’ Cooperative Celebrates Summer

In their recent newsletter, Educators’ Cooperative hyped up their summer:

At EdCo, we’ve been reflecting on the end of this school year and celebrating the huge impact we were able to make due to our new Program Coordinator, Virginia Henry.

Thanks to her expertise and work ethic, our “EdCo in the Classroom” Programs were able to triple the delivery of in-class support to schools all over Nashville from Q3-Q4!

Looking forward, EdCo is excitedly preparing for our 11th Annual Summer Workshop.

We’ve been reviewing teacher-applications and selecting candidates for EdCo’s 11th Cohort. Summer Workshop is where they’ll come together for the first time as a class of our newest Members and learn how to use (and contribute to) EdCo’s mutual aid network.

We can’t wait to graduate them as official Members of our Educators’ Cooperative!

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Nashville Teachers: EdCo Accepting Applications

A summer workshop for Nashville teachers is accepting applications – it’s part of The Educator’s Cooperative

Details:

Our 200+ Members work at 120+ Nashville schools with a combined 89% who remain active in professional education. This retention rate is so high because we give teachers the kind of support they actually need to keep teaching. Here’s what that looks like:

  1. Access to a network of 200+ dedicated teachers who are eager to collaborate
  2. A community that supports on challenging days AND celebrates rewarding ones
  3. Customized professional learning for individual teachers based on specific needs

The workshop is July 7th-11th at University School of Nashville.

Applications here.

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EdCo Summer Workshop 2025

The Educators’ Cooperative (Nashville) is hosting a summer workshop for teachers – details from an email:

EdCo provides:

  1. Access to a network of 200+ dedicated teachers who are eager to collaborate
  2. A community that supports on challenging days AND celebrates rewarding ones
  3. Customized professional learning for individual teachers based on specific needs

Completing Summer Workshop is how they join EdCo and gain access to our mutual aid network of cross-sector support, expertise, and resources. Plus, full scholarships are awarded to all accepted applicants.

Want to learn more about Summer Workshop? Watch this video to see teacher testimonials from last year’s.

More details here.

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Payroll Math in Nashville

It doesn’t seem to add up

TC Weber takes a look at a payroll anomaly (or mixup or mistake or communication error) that meant the first summer paycheck for Nashville teachers was about 20% short.

Talk about ruining summer plans.

Last week, many of Nashville’s teachers and support staff who have extended their paychecks throughout the summer got a surprise. Paychecks were roughly 20% shorter than expected.

Metro Nashville Public Schools pays all certificated staff on a 22-week pay schedule, equivalent to the length of the school year. As a courtesy to teachers who wish to maintain a paycheck throughout the summer, they can sign up to be paid in 26 installments.

This is accomplished by MNPS deducting a portion of each paycheck, after taxes, and dividing it between four summer paychecks – two in June and two in July. For some reason, according to MNPS, this year has 27 paychecks, requiring 5 paychecks in the summer.  Two in June, two in July, and one in August. That’s some fancy math turning 26 biweekly opportunities into 27.

As TC notes, all years have 52 weeks – which makes (or should make) for 26 checks.

He further notes that blaming the “mixup” on a communication error is not ok.

If teachers and staff didn’t get the message, the error is on the sender.

It’s particularly distressing in an era of teacher shortages and in a state with persistently low teacher compensation.

A Solid F
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