Nashville celebrates ten years of the Community Achieves initiative

Metro Nashville Public Schools is celebrating ten years of the Community Achieves initiative and its work to positively impact students.Founded in 2012 with 9 schools, Community Achieves has grown to serve 58 schools and nearly 35,000 students. The initiative is led by the district’s Support Services Department to connect students and families to various opportunities and community resources.Community Achieves is focused in four areas of growth including college and career readiness, family engagement, health and wellness and social services and adult development. The initiative works to ensure that students are on a path to academic success and positive personal growth.Community Achieves connects students with tutors and mentors to help bolster success in the classroom. Additionally,  donations of food, clothing and household items are distributed to ensure each child has the tools to accomplish their goals.“When schools use the community school strategy, they collaborate with families and the community to share accountability for student success, all bringing different assets to the partnership,” said Alison McArthur, director of Community Achieves. “It has been amazing to see this strategy evolve in MNPS over the past 10 years.”Through the initiative, schools pair with parents, nonprofits, community members, and volunteers to provide and support academic success and personal growth inside and outside of the classroom.Community Achieves has brought scientists, guest readers, musicians, gardeners and more into MNPS classrooms to educate students about various careers and to provide students with a fun way to learn about different disciplines.The ultimate goal of Community Achieves is to ensure that each student is known and cared for by the community they reside in.