Mayor Megan Barry and the Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) announced today that applications are now being accepted for the 2017–2018 Parent and Teacher cabinets. These cabinets were created in 2016 to elevate the voices of parents and teachers on key education topics in Metro Nashville Public Schools.

“We are thrilled to welcome the second class of Parent Cabinet and Teacher Cabinet members,” said Shannon Hunt, NPEF president and CEO. “These groups of individuals will help ensure that we are consistently engaged with community leaders and can provide authentic feedback to anchor the Foundation’s and the city’s efforts to improve schools.”

The Parent Cabinet is a diverse group of MNPS parents who provide feedback on various education initiatives and strategies, and represents a variety of grade levels, neighborhoods and types of school experiences.

The Teacher Cabinet is composed of teachers with diverse teaching experiences, including those at the elementary, middle and high school levels, as well as teachers from zoned, magnet and charter schools.

“The Parent and Teacher cabinets are key voices as we discuss the future of education in our city,” said Mayor Barry. “Their insights help us better understand and support student and teacher needs, both in and outside of the classroom.”

The first Parent and Teacher cabinets, formed in 2016, consisted of 24 members in the Parent Cabinet and 22 in the Teacher Cabinet. During the 2016–2017 tenure, the Teacher Cabinet helped the district begin to reimagine professional development for teachers, helped look for ways to improve new teacher on-boarding and supports, and help form ideas around workforce housing for teachers and larger community support for educators. The Parent Cabinet provided instrumental feedback to the Director of Schools’ Transition Team, weighed in on what true parent engagement should look like, and helped provide parent feedback around the SchoolFinder website.

Members selected for each Cabinet will meet with their peers throughout the school year to discuss current topics of interest in the MNPS. They will engage in significant conversations with the Mayor’s Office, the NPEF, and other city, philanthropic and private-sector leaders to assist in making informed decisions for our city’s schools.

Applications can be submitted online at nashvillepef.org/cabinetapplications. The deadline for Teacher Cabinet applications is Friday, June 2. The deadline to apply for the Parent Cabinet is Tuesday, June 27.