NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – DeeAnne Miree, a dedicated doctoral student at Tennessee State University and the principal of Nashville’s Cambridge Early Learning Center, has been honored as the 2024 winner of the National Distinguished Principals Award for Tennessee. This prestigious award, presented by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), recognizes exemplary leadership among elementary and middle school principals nationwide, emphasizing their commitment to student achievement, character development, and fostering a positive school climate.
April Knight, right, President of NAESP, presents the National Distinguished Principals Award to DeeAnne Miree at the ceremony in Washington, D.C. (Submitted photo)
With over 27 years of experience in education, Miree has served as the principal of Cambridge Early Learning Center for the past nine years. During her tenure, she has made significant strides in enhancing academic performance, positioning Cambridge as one of only four Pre-K schools within the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools system.
“I see this award as the pinnacle of my career. While no one does this work for accolades, it is gratifying to be recognized,” Miree said. “My focus has always been on celebrating my teachers and acknowledging the incredible work they do. This award reflects not just my efforts, but the dedication of my entire staff and the remarkable growth of our students.”
DeeAnne Miree will receive her doctorate in Educational Leadership from TSU next fall. (Submitted photo)
In the nomination process, Miree was required to provide data highlighting student growth, including social and emotional learning developments. She expressed pride in possibly being the first principal of a Pre-K school in the state to receive this recognition, emphasizing the importance of supporting students for future success.
A proud three-time alumna of TSU, Miree holds bachelor’s, master’s, and education specialist degrees from the College of Education. She is expected to receive her doctorate in Educational Leadership next fall. “TSU has been my foundation. The education and support I received there were unparalleled, shaping the educator I am today,” she said.
Dr. Janet Finch, Dean of the College of Education, praised DeeAnne Miree for her commitment to academic excellence. (TSU photo)
Dr. Janet Finch, Dean of the College of Education at TSU, commended Miree’s achievement, stating, “As exemplified by Ms. Miree, TSU graduates embody our commitment to academic excellence and social justice, working to ensure quality education for all students and a positive impact on society.”
Miree’s advisor, Dr. Kimanj Gundi, professor in the College of Education, praised her exceptional capabilities, noting, “DeeAnne exceeds expectations with her strong organizational skills and her passion for education. Her leadership qualities are remarkable, and we take great pride in her accomplishments.”
In addition to her role as principal, Miree also serves as president of the Tennessee Principal’s Association. Coming from a family of educators, her commitment to teaching and leadership is deeply rooted. Her achievements illustrate TSU’s vital role in training and supporting effective educators in Tennessee and beyond.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s College of Education has received a $300,000 grant to train 49 aspiring assistant principals in Middle Tennessee school districts.
Dr. Jerri Haynes, Dean of the College of Education, says the college has developed a special program of study to train the aspiring school leaders. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
The funding from the Tennessee Department Education will be used to conduct a one-year, master’s degree-level training for cohorts from the region, including four of the state’s largest school systems – Metro Nashville Public Schools, Rutherford County Schools, Sumner County Schools and Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.
“This is an
opportunity that Tennessee State University is certainly proud to receive,”
said Dr. Jerri Haynes, dean of the College of Education. “It is a further
recognition of the quality of our programs. It helps to increase our enrollment
and helps fill the void or shortage of assistant principals, especially
minorities.”
According to Haynes, participants in the program are teachers in their various systems who show leadership potential and have been selected by their superintendents or principals to take part in the training. All courses in the program, which is from June 2020 to June 2021, will be offered online. When completed, participants will receive professional licensure as educational leaders.
“We have developed a special program of study for this project,” Haynes said. “We are going to provide them the theory and application, as well as internships and on-the-job training. They will receive university mentors, and we will work to identify mentors at their schools where they work.”
Dr. Eleni Elder, left, Professor of Educational Leadership, holds discussion with graduate students in her school finance class. The course is part of the curriculum for the aspiring assistant principal training program. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Dr. Kirmanj Gundi is the interim chair of the COE’s Department of Educational Leadership. His department will be primarily responsible for conducting the training, which he called a “remarkable opportunity.”
“When we became
aware of the grant through Dr. Haynes, we had less than 10 business days to
come up with a winning proposal,” Gundi said. “We were successful, thanks to
our leadership and a remarkable team. Getting this grant is another
opportunity for TSU to go out there and put its name out. We have an
outstanding state-approved licensure program, we have great faculty.”
Current TSU students in the educational leadership program talked about the strength of the curriculum and how beneficial it would be in developing the leadership skills of the aspiring assistant principals.
“This program helps build character because it offers a lot of field experiences where we go and directly talk to people and observe what they are doing,” said Pragati Natraj, a first-year graduate student from India majoring in instructional leadership. “We have practical experience, and gaining that knowledge and seeing what leaders are already doing in the field help us reflect on what we should do.”
Bridney Jones,
who’s also pursuing her master’s degree in educational leadership, agreed.
“I believe this course will benefit the new cohorts by giving them strong hands-on and practical experience they will need as leaders,” said Jones, of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Dr. Terrance
McNeil, assistant professor of educational administration and coordinator of
the training program, said the partnership with the state gives TSU a great
opportunity to “take an active role” in training principals.
“We at TSU believe that we have a great program that can prepare principals in a very unique manner, given our history of educator preparation,” McNeil said. “We already do a great job with educators and all-around teachers, but when you start talking about principals, you are talking about the ability to create leadership and policies that can be implemented for the betterment of the students.”
TSU’s College of Education, which has been recognized as the highest producer of teachers among HBCUs in the nation, has had a long relationship with the Tennessee Department of Education for many years. In October, the college received more than a half million dollars from the department’s Title III program to develop a Global Education Student Support Services Lab to increase student learning across the curriculum.
In 2017, TSU was one of only four applicants out of 18 to receive the Tennessee Innovation in Preparation grant, or TIP. The grants are designed to support an increase in the development of a diverse educator workforce, an increase in the production of educators in high-demand licensure areas, and promote collaboration to improve educator preparation in literacy.
For the assistant principals’ training program, Dean Haynes congratulated the following committee members for their hard work in coming out with a successful proposal that made the grant possible: Dr. Heraldo Richards, associate dean; Dr. Trinetia Respress, assistant dean; Dr. Gundi, department chair; and faculty members: Dr. Carole De Casal, Dr. Eleni Coukos Elder, Dr. McNeil, and Dr. Darren Kennedy.
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