Neely’s Bend Leader Named to Governor’s Academy for School Leadership Program

Congratulations to Meghan Stowe, an assistant principal of instruction at LEAD: Neely’s Bend in Madison, who was recently named as one of the Tennessee educators in the 2019 Governor’s Academy for School Leadership (GASL) program, a one-year fellowship program designed to cultivate and develop future school leaders across Tennessee and to improve school effectiveness and student performance.

Stowe was named last week to the prestigious program. She joined the team at LEAD Public Schools in Nashville, a 5-12 charter network with 2,400 students across the city whose mission is to prepare all students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in college and in life, in 2015 as a social studies content leader and teacher at LEAD Cameron, a middle school in South Nashville that has been named a Reward School three times since 2014. 

Stowe became the assistant principal of instruction at LEAD Neely’s Bend this summer as a key member of principal Dr. Tait Danhausen’s leadership team. In the 2017-2018 school year, Neely’s Bend jumped from a Level 1 to a Level 5 on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS). 

Stowe is joining the program as it begins its fourth year as a unique partnership between the state of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and local school districts, providing an opportunity for exceptional assistant principals to increase their leadership skills.

“The success of our students and our schools starts at the top, so it’s critical to identify and build future school leaders ready to guide our students and teachers to greatness in the classroom,” Gov. Bill Haslam said in a news announcement on Nov. 29. “We’ve made record investments in K-12 education, raised our standards, and increased accountability, and, while our students and teachers are rising to the challenge, we must have strong principals to support them and continue the momentum.”

The academy’s goal is for all participants to be promoted to principal within three years of completion. The program has impacted 32 partnering school districts representing all regions of the state.

Each assistant principal selected for the 2019 GASL class will be paired with an experienced principal mentor, will attend monthly group training sessions and a week-long summer institute at Vanderbilt, and will intern three days a month at his or her mentor’s school. Upon completion of the academy, participants will be expected to pursue placement as a school principal in their districts or regions.

Congratulations once more, Ms. Stowe! To read more about the program, please visit this link.