LEAD Public Schools

LEAD Southeast Middle School recently welcomed a cohort of educators from St. Louis who are traveling the country to learn from other schools. The Opportunity Trust, the non-profit behind the educator cohort, shares LEAD Public School’s vision to increase access to high-quality education for all students.  

The group visited our classrooms at LEAD Southeast Middle for the day and got a look at how we serve our students. “We were able to share what is happening with data-driven instruction on our campus, practices to support all learners, structures that sustain our adult culture, and systems behind our school discipline that promote just and equitable practices for kids,” said Principal Jonathan Brocco. 

“Our teachers are excellent practitioners, and they deserve the spotlight! Above all, we hope that what is working at LEAD Southeast Middle can serve as an inspiration, hope, and framework for others because when kids win, we all win.”

“This visit to LEAD Southeast Middle School was profoundly rewarding,” said Ayanna Banks, an associate partner at The Opportunity Trust. “Jonathan Brocco, his leadership team, and their instructional staff demonstrated the very practices our fellows named in their reflections: urgency, precision, real-time data use, high adult accountability, and a culture rooted in belief, belonging, and JOY!”

The exchange proved valuable for all involved. Cross-collaboration with educators outside of our network is a practice that strengthens our schools as well as those with which we collaborate. Fellows who were present for the visit shared some of their takeaways, as well as what they plan to implement themselves as a result of the visit:

• “My biggest takeaway from LEAD Southeast was the strong staff culture and the emphasis on high-quality instructional practices. It was also evident that this school centers not only its students academic growth and success, but their overall social-emotional well being as well.”
• “My largest takeaway from this visit is to truly live within ‘every minute matters.’ Everything was intentional, timed, then evaluated. This left very few idle moments in every classroom. There is a crystal clear sense of urgency and focus within instruction; which should always be at the forefront. They did not allow anything to pull them away from supporting instruction and the principal spoke of how he worked to ensure his instructional managers were able to stay 100% instruction focused and be in classrooms everyday.” 
• “I am going to implement data tracking in the moment. I will set meetings with grade-level teams to plan look-fors for each instructional round. I will model for our teachers how to collect the data for each round and reteach in the moment to address misconceptions.”

“Collaborating with groups like The Opportunity Trust not only allows us to share our story, practices, and impact, but also affirms us in the efforts we are pursuing to accelerate the brilliance and belonging of all students,” said Principal Brocco. “Their feedback motivates us to be even better at what we do and strive to be an example for others in the education community in Nashville and beyond.”