Principal Natalie McClarty has initiated a variety of instructional programs and strategies at Hardy Elementary School in Chattanooga that have resulted in extraordinary academic gains among her students. Ms. McClarty led the school in becoming the only campus in the county with a year-round calendar and implemented a Reading for Accuracy Program designed to accelerate the learning curve of low-achieving students. She also implemented a Saturday Writing Academy for fourth and fifth graders, as well as early-bird and after-school tutorial programs. In 2005, the school achieved the highest academic gains in math and social studies among elementary schools in the entire state. Ms. McClarty has presented her instructional strategies locally, regionally and nationwide. The school's success under Ms. McClarty's leadership led to its being featured in a statewide commercial to recruit teachers for Tennessee schools, and Ms. McClarty herself has been interviewed on public television and featured in publications such as Education Week. With such demonstrated excellence in school leadership, Ms. McClarty deserves all the press she can get.
