Latest Stories
By Ann Marie Deer Owens
When the Tennessee Department of Education released the latest data on its Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program last summer, Metro Nashville Public Schools showed improvement in every testing category and at every grade level. The data, however, also revealed some achievement gaps that persist across the district’s 160 schools.
Notably, only 29.6 percent of MNPS students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts proficiency. For economically disadvantaged students, the number was markedly lower: just 15.4 percent.
As MNPS works to address these low literacy rates among its students, the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries at Vanderbilt University have stepped forward to partner on novel solutions. Joining the libraries in these efforts are not only campus partners but also others in the local community, including independent bookstore Parnassus Books and Book’em, a nonprofit that brings books and reading role models to Nashville youth.
“Our mission at the Heard Libraries does not stop at the campus’ edge,” said University Librarian Jon Shaw. “We see real value in bringing our expertise and resources to Nashville’s communities and particularly its public schools. Our collaborations with MNPS aim to foster lifelong learning and expand educational access, leading to positive outcomes for students of all ages.”
In fall 2023, Shaw contacted Lindsey Kimery, coordinator of library services for MNPS, and proposed having Vanderbilt students serve as library ambassadors in Metro schools. The idea—based on a similar concept that Shaw had worked on at the University of Pennsylvania before coming to Vanderbilt—quickly took root, and soon a student ambassador program was launched at two elementary school libraries.
“We’re thrilled to have Vanderbilt students as ambassadors in two schools—Carter-Lawrence Elementary and Eakin Elementary—and we hope this program can grow,” Kimery said. “Many of our schools have a single librarian, so they can definitely use additional hands as they juggle everything from presenting lessons to shelving books.”
Bolstering this initiative are Heard staff members who regularly support reading programs at MNPS elementary schools. Currently, library staff volunteer at Napier Elementary through Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s leading children’s literacy nonprofit, and at Carter-Lawrence through Book’em.
“Knowing the tremendous value of K-12 education and the importance of school libraries, the Heard Libraries have developed a more intentional relationship with MNPS,” said Melissa Mallon, associate university librarian for teaching and learning. “We’ve asked ourselves: How can we be more purposeful and authentic in our collaborations?”
Another MNPS school—Ida B. Wells Elementary—has partnered in multiple ways with the Heard Libraries to improve student literacy. The broad initiative is led by Peabody Library Director Tiffeni Fontno, who developed the idea in conjunction with Rosevelt Noble, former director of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt, and the Association of Vanderbilt Black Faculty and Staff affinity group.
Fontno, whose doctoral research focused on the importance of adult Black males reading to young Black males, draws inspiration from her previous roles working in public schools. “My engagement with MNPS is driven by purpose,” she said. “I want to share my past experiences as a school librarian and third-grade teacher so that students understand the importance of literacy for opportunity, imagining, access, and lifelong learning.”
Among the MNPS projects Fontno is helping lead is one that aims to enhance the music curriculum district-wide by adding literacy components from the book Bros by children’s author Carole Boston Weatherford. Fontno and Holling Smith-Borne, director of the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library, are collaborating on this effort with Franklin Willis, director of visual and performing arts for MNPS.
“Children across MNPS are rewriting some of Weatherford’s book verses, and she will visit schools in February to watch the students perform her book in different ways,” Fontno said, adding that copies of Bros were made available for teachers to use in their lessons through support from Vanderbilt’s Division of Government and Community Relations. The division’s Community Engagement Collaboration Fund, which offers funding opportunities for Vanderbilt faculty and staff who are partnering with local organizations, has helped strengthen the libraries’ engagement with MNPS.
“We’re excited to help leverage the Heard Libraries’ research expertise and vast resources as they deepen and sustain their engagement inside Metro schools and work collaboratively with the district to foster mutually beneficially partnerships,” said Kathleen Fuchs Hritz, senior director of community relations.
One project that benefited from the Community Engagement Collaboration Fund was a reading day at Ida B. Wells in spring 2024 that featured Creea Shannon, a Vanderbilt doctoral student in biomedical informatics who wrote the children’s book STEM Inspires Me. Free copies of the book were distributed to the students at the event, which Fontno organized with ReChard Peel, director of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, and Dexter Adams, the school’s executive principal.
“Tiffeni is doing amazing work in not only connecting library resources with teacher education at Peabody,” Mallon said, “but also reaching out to colleagues across campus to strengthen Black history programming at Ida B. Wells and other schools.
“As we look for additional ways to make a positive impact on MNPS students and teachers, we’re grateful for the benefits these initiatives bring our own students, faculty and staff,” Mallon added. “These are truly win-win programs, helping both Vanderbilt and MNPS meet educational goals.”
