Metro Schools Announce New Program

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has partnered with Nashville State Community College for the 2018-2019 school year with the inaugural launch of the Early College High School Program.  Dr. Shawn Joseph, Director, of MNPS, shared this exclusive announcement with the Tennessee Tribune as he continues to remarkably exceed the expectations of the community and prepare today’s students to be the future leaders and change makers of Nashville.  According to Dr. Joseph, “Effective immediately, every rising eighth grade student in Davidson County with at least a B-Average, who can pass the required state tests, they can now apply for the Early College High School Program and participate in a regular high school educational schedule and graduate with a tuition paid Associates’ Degree after four years.”  These pre-requisites and application standards are no different than the application process for Magnet schools or schools such as Martin Luther King.  

Dr. Joseph indicated that a version of this concept has existed in some format in Nashville for tenth grade and above, but not like this, not at this level and not at this magnitude  There is no program in Davidson County where an eighth grade student can go to high school as part of a normal schedule and walk out the door in four years with a two-year degree in Business Administration, General Studies, Mechanical Engineering, Health Sciences, Computer Science, Music or Information Systems and be college ready to begin working on a Bachelors Degree or head into the work force prepared to be a contributor to Nashville’s thriving economy.  With over 86,000 students, 167 schools and the 2nd largest school district in the state under his leadership, Dr. Joseph’s visionary efforts with this Davidson County initiative has gone above and beyond traditional ready-to-work, advanced academics and internship programs.  Dr. Joseph indicated “this is a game changer for hundreds of families who do not have money for college because their child can now receive a free all expense paid Associate Degree across seven disciplines.”  In other words, this is the high school version of the adult program Tennessee Promise.  Whether a family has a child of one or a family with three, the children are all eligible to apply.  All resources such as fees, lab related expenses and textbooks are provided in order to help the students achieve success.  [Read More at The Tennessee Tribune]