• Category 2

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: k - 3
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 4,627
    Student Enrollment: 548
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 24.2%
    White/Caucasian: 52.9%
    Hispanic: 21.4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.2%
    Asian: 1.1%
    Native American: 0.2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
    % Reduced Lunch: 74.9%
    % ELL Learners: 20%
    Founded: 1974
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Nathan Evans
  • CONTACT:
    1201 N 8th Street
    Nashville, AR 71852
    870-845-3510
    nathan.evans@nashvillesd.com
Nashville Primary School
Nashville, AR
When students love being at school they will, more importantly, love learning.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
When it comes to school changes, the questions I first ask are: Does it benefit the students? Does it support our teachers? Does research support this change? Is it worth the time?
School change is something that must first start with a lot of thought and preparation coupled with the understanding that full implementation will take time. Teachers must buy-in to what is being done in order for students to see the benefits. Teachers need to be educated and proven success will need to be seen before it settles in to school culture.
At Nashville Primary we are currently working on a small mindset change that success does not equal a score on an assessment. Success is when a student shows growth, which is easy to say until the first interim test. We then have to remind them that it is not where students are then, it is where they are going. That is what determines success. Even this small change comes with challenges and we must be deliberate with how we plan to move forward.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
We at Nashville Primary will have two main goals for next year. First, we will strive to get 100% of our staff on board with data driven interventions - meeting students where they are. While most have bought in, more work needs to be done on my end to provide all the remaining educators need to fully do so.
Our second goal is to delve deeper into the science of reading and adjust previous methods of presenting language arts instruction that are not scientifically supported. We will continue making necessary adjustments toward better methods with our administration providing all necessary support, information, and guidance along the way.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
As I was beginning my career as an administrator a seasoned principal offered me advice: "If your teachers love coming to work, they are going to do amazing things in the classroom." Expectations remain high, but creating a positive atmosphere that is inviting, I believe, sets a foundation that allows for greater teaching and greater learning. This first starts with making sure all teachers feel supported and that their needs are being met. If this is done, teachers will naturally be able to reciprocate that better for their students. When students love being at school they will, more importantly, love learning. A building full of people who want to be there everyday makes a world of difference.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
I am proud of the history that we have of preparing and presenting our curriculum to our students extremely well, however, we realized that further steps needed to occur to take it to the next level. When we began identifying specific areas where students struggle and using that information to establish more productive interventions, we immediately knew it would be a game changer. Using the data that we gathered and utilizing it to guide more purposeful, specific interventions not only supports what students already know but sets them on a path that provides opportunity for significant gains. We are excited about the successes that we have seen but know we have much more work to do. We are focused on reevaluating our methods and eager to continuously make improvements as needed.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our school is proud to gather its strength from the tremendous support our community provides. We realize how fortunate we are to operate in such a community and continuously work to nurture and reinforce this relationship.
We have also taken steps to ensure that we share a common goal - student growth. Success is growth and we celebrate it regularly and for those students who don't quite meet their goals, we use positive reinforcement and interventions to motivate and encourage. No matter the role of a staff member at Nashville Primary, each understand that they have an important part to play when it comes to our students growing both academically and personally.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: k - 3
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 4,627
    Student Enrollment: 548
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 24.2%
    White/Caucasian: 52.9%
    Hispanic: 21.4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.2%
    Asian: 1.1%
    Native American: 0.2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
    % Reduced Lunch: 74.9%
    % ELL Learners: 20%
    Founded: 1974
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Nathan Evans
  • CONTACT:
    1201 N 8th Street
    Nashville, AR 71852
    870-845-3510
    nathan.evans@nashvillesd.com