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EDUCATION
Williamson County and surrounding Middle Tennessee offer a complete range of superior educational institutions including two public school systems which serve the residents of Williamson County: the Franklin Special School District, a K-8 school system, and the Williamson County School System, a K-12 school district. There are many private primary and secondary schools, a community college, a college of design and a Christian college located within the county. Other educational opportunities may be found just next door in Nashville, TN known across the country as the Athens of the South for its many fine universities.
The Williamson County-Franklin Chamber of Commerce has made a continuing commitment to create strong working relationships between the business and education communities. To learn more about special projects such as Education Edge and Character Under Construction, read the information below and join the Chamber in its efforts to enrich all aspects of education in the community.
EDUCATION EDGE
The Williamson County-Franklin Chamber of Commerce, Franklin Special School District and local community, business and industry leaders have joined together to increase academic achievement and better prepare today's youth for the 21st century workplace by implementing the state funded School-to-Career program known as Education Edge. Through these partnerships students are provided with career information, job shadowing, mentorships, job training and internship opportunities and specially designed school curriculum to expand options for students while they are still in school and guide them as they plan to make their career decisions.
CHARACTER UNDER CONSTRUCTION
As early as 1985, the Tennessee State Legislature mandated that character education be taught in all public schools in order to foster a safer environment and provide students with the skills needed to acquire a good work ethic. To comply with this mandate, in 1999, the Franklin Special School District adopted a program known as Character Counts . Since then, a group of Williamson county concerned citizens have expanded the program outside the schools to reach the whole community. The product of this community wide initiative, the "Character Under Construction" coalition, seeks to further the goals of Character Counts by focusing on the non-partisan, non-sectarian, core ethical values of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, perseverance, courage and cooperation.
While Character Under Construction is not an "add-on" program for teachers, it does afford teachers the opportunity to take advantage of every "teachable moment" to emphasize character within the confines of the existing curriculum. Franklin Special School District counselors have attended a Michael Josephson Institute of Ethics Character Counts & Character Development seminar to become certified to train teachers in these Pillars of Character. In the FSSD, a specific pillar of character is emphasized throughout the district each six weeks. Counselors have the responsibility for overseeing the program and developing ways to promote character in their specific buildings. Parents are also made aware of the pillar being emphasized each six weeks so that they can emphasize it at home. The ultimate goal is for everyone - educators, parents, custodians, cafeteria workers, secretaries, employers, community leaders, etc. - to teach character by example.
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