This monthly series of thought leadership webinars addresses ten key aspects of high-quality systemic SEL. Key Takeaways:
Educators can honor and elevate a broad range of student perspectives and experiences by engaging students as leaders, problem solvers, and decision-makers in their own learning and classroom experiences, as well school- and districtwide.Youth voice opportunities can be provided at all grade levels.
Policymakers can provide guidance, resources, and support for evidence-based approaches that elevate youth voice.
Partnering with students in reviewing data is a strong mechanism in engaging in authentic and data-informed student voice efforts.
Student leadership both in classrooms and school-wide can allow for meaningful conversations about complex topics that students want to see changed.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Adrienne BattleDirector of Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Abenezer Haile Student Board of Education Member, Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High
/
Dr. Adrienne Battle
Dr. Adrienne Battle is the director of Metro Nashville Public Schools. She has spent almost her entire career at MNPS, previously serving as a math, reading and language arts teacher; an assistant principal, academic principal and executive principal; a turnaround coach for principals of the district’s priority schools; a community superintendent overseeing all schools in the Southeast quadrant of Nashville and Davidson County and high schools across the district; and as interim director before her unanimous appointment by the Board of Education as director in 2020. A Nashville native, Dr. Battle is a graduate of Overton High School, Missouri State University and Tennessee State University, where she earned her master's degree and doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision.
Abenezer Haile
Abenezer Haile, who was born in Ethiopia, has been an MNPS student for 10 years. He attended Carter-Lawrence and Una elementary schools and Rose Park Magnet Math and Science Middle School before MLK, from which he will graduate in 2023. He will serve a two-year term on the board.
“I saw that this position would give me the opportunity to use my skill set to better serve my community and to make sure the voices of students are heard,” Abenezer said. “I want to make a difference by showing my classmates that they have a district that is willing to hear them and understand them. I want to make sure that by the time I leave, the student body has a better relationship with the board and the board has a better understanding of the students.”
