Our Work
Explore our work across our four priority areas:
HIGHLIGHTS
New Skills Nashville Data Dashboard
The New Skills Ready Data work team and the Nashville Area Chamber's Research team have partnered to create an interactive data dashboard! The dashboard contains data based on Momentum Metrics for Nashville across project partners, including college application completion, acceptance, enrollment, and persistence measures.
The dashboard is now live on our website - check it out at the link below!
Mayor O'Connell Releases Transit Plan
Mayor O'Connell released his transit plan for Nashville, Choose How You Move, in April 2024. Dr. Kimberly Malone-Haddox from Nashville State served on the community advisory committee for the Transit Improvement Program (TIP), showing that our city's leaders understand the importance of reliable transportation for students.
Dr. Shanna Jackson from Nashville State Community College introduced the mayor at the release event and referenced the Point of Departure report released by TCASN in partnership with New Skills Ready.
Here are a few of the recommendations from Point of Departure that are addressed in the proposal:
Recommendation: City and college leadership should improve access to Nashville State Community College and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Nashville from Nashville’s highest need zip codes.
TIP Proposal:
59% of sidewalk improvements and additions, 64% of bus stop improvements, and 66% of new transit centers will be within traditionally underrepresented communities
All-access bus corridor from the Capitol to White Bridge Road
Transit center near TSU (which is adjacent to 37208 zip code)
80% of new routes walkable to historically underrepresented communities
Recommendation: City leadership should secure dedicated funding for public transit.
TIP Proposal: Mayor O'Connell is seeking dedicated funding with this proposal.
Recommendation: City and regional leadership should increase access to bachelor’s degrees for low-income students by improving public transit access to Middle Tennessee public universities.
TIP Proposal:
Park and Ride facilities with potential regional connections to Murfreesboro, Clarksville
Transit center near TSU
MNPS Voices: Beth Wilson
Our very own Beth Wilson, CCR Coach at John Overton High, was featured in the MNPS Voices series in May of 2024 highlighting her transition from industry to education, her drive to help students succeed, and how the New Skills Ready network has supported collaboration across partners.
Sixteen Students Complete Certification at Meharry
NSR and the Tennessee College Access and Success Network partnered with Meharry Medical College’s Bridge to Success program to deliver a Patient Services Representative certification program for both recent graduates and their parents. Taught on Meharry’s campus and by Meharry staff, this “2 generations, one future” approach was offered on weekends from September through December of 2023. Sixteen students completed the coursework and a graduation ceremony was held Friday, December 1st. Three of the sixteen completers have already secured employment!
Welcoming Glencliff High School
The team is thrilled to announce that Glencliff High School is officially a part of the New Skills Ready Nashville Network! Principal Clint Wilson, Academy Coach Thommye Kelley, and College and Career Readiness Coach Bailey Tidwell will be key project team members representing Glencliff. We are so glad to have the opportunity to impact more students and broaden the NSRN network.
Policy Scan
The Tennessee College Access and Success Network has released their annual policy scan for 2023. The report provides a review of local, state, and federal policies and programs that create direct and indirect barriers to higher education success for students in the Metro Nashville Area.
Year 4 Work Teams
Our structure for Year 4 focuses on work teams in 5 areas:
1) Pathway Mapping
2) Advising Capacity and Support
3) Summer Melt
4) Employer Engagement
5) Data Gathering
Our Work in Years 1-3
Our project team has accomplished a lot over the first three years of the investment. Learn more about what we've put in place that is student and family-facing, systems change, and backbone and collaborative-facing.
Year 3 Pilot Projects
Our team developed a series of collaborative pilots to address our project priorities and implement scalable solutions during the 2022-2023 academic year. Cross-sector teams came together during a two-day design sprint to think about barriers they want to address systemically and devise projects and plans that they proposed for funding from our Guiding Team.
Pilot Projects Featured by Advance CTE
Advance CTE wrote a New Skills Ready blog featuring several of our pilot projects for the 2022-2023 school year.
FURTHER READING
TOOLS WE USE
Systemness
Our team utilizes the Systemness framework to focus our work on systemic rather than programmatic solutions. Systemness, an approach developed by CivicLab, emphasizes the processes and relationships that make up the system.
Work-Based Learning Continuum
As students explore and make choices about their education and career options, we utilize a developmental approach in which experiences build on each other across the education continuum.
Momentum Metrics
Our team uses a set of Momentum Metrics identified by Education Strategy Group as predictors of postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion, to measure the impact of our work.