Supervisor of the Year

Each year an outstanding public school supervisor earns distinction as the Tennessee Department of Education Supervisor of the Year (SOY).  This honor is reserved for leaders who demonstrate
superior abilities in:

• managing and motivating students and faculties;
• evoking high standards;
•  demonstrating a commitment to excellence;
• implementing innovative programs; and
• having a track record of exceptional gains in student learning.

The winner is honored annually at the Principal and Supervisor of the Year Banquet.

2020-21 Supervisor of the Year

The 2020-21 Tennessee Supervisor of the Year is Dr. Kay Martin of Rutherford County Schools.

Dr. Kay Martin has been an educator since 1999 when she started as an eighth-grade Language Arts teacher at Walter J. Baird School in Lebanon. She joined Rutherford County Schools in 2002 as a Language Arts teacher at Siegel Middle School and later taught at LaVergne Middle School, where she became an assistant principal in 2006. Martin served as principal at Walter Hill Elementary in 2009, joined Central Magnet School in the fall of 2013, and moved to the district level in 2017 to serve as Rutherford County’s Secondary Coordinator. She was named DNJ Ruthie Favorite Principal of the Year in 2010 for Rutherford and Cannon County, served as a Principal Common Core Coach twice for the state of Tennessee, and has been a leadership mentor with Lipscomb University and Tennessee Tech University for aspiring administrators. Dr. Martin has had 14 years of administrative experience ranging in all grade levels PreK-12 and at various academic settings including a Title I school, an all-academic magnet school, and now serving the fourth largest district in TN. Throughout her life, Dr. Martin’s heroes have always been her teachers. Their belief in her and encouragement inspired her to reach beyond her ambitions and opened her world. She now has a strong desire to invest in students and teachers, as others did for her, and to motivate them to dream without limits and become more than they could ever imagine. Dr. Martin will always consider her greatest contribution to be her students and their legacy.

Benefits of Participating in the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year Program

What are the benefits to supervisors?

By participating in the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year program, district leaders have the opportunity to:

• be celebrated and honored for making exceptional district-wide gains with students,
• expand knowledge of education policy and participate in local, state, and national policy discussions,
• serve as spokesperson and advocate for the education profession, and
• become inducted into an amazing network of statewide awardees, and become connected to an impactful, ongoing body of work that engages you as a professional long after an awardee’s service year.

What are the benefits to schools and districts?

By participating in the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year program, districts have the opportunity to:

·         attract local, state, and national attention,

·         allow the district’s honorees to serve as a voice for the education profession, thus elevating the district and attracting educators and leaders to the district, and

·         celebrate excellence in education by honoring hard working, successful district leaders.

What does the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year do?

·         Respond to and fulfill Tennessee Supervisor of the Year speaking requests, presentations, etc.

·         Share their expertise with the department.

·         Identify and advocate for educational issues.

Eligibility & Selection Process

A Supervisor of the Year nominee must:

• Have a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in public schools.
• Have a minimum of one (1) year of experience as an administrator.
• At all levels of recognition, must be employed as a supervisor in a Tennessee public school system.

Directors of schools will nominate one supervisor from the district using the online Principal and Supervisor of the Year Nomination Form.

The 2020-21 nomination deadline is Jan. 31, 2021.

Projected 2020-21 Timeline

Application Resources

• Supervisor of the Year Part I Application: This document contains all questions listed in the electronic part I application. Districts are encouraged to use this document as a foundation for their own district-level Supervisor of the Year applications. Applicants are encouraged to use this document to draft and revise application responses prior to submitting via the online form.
• Supervisor of the Year Part II Application: This document contains all questions listed in the electronic part II application. Applicants are encouraged to use this document to draft and revise application responses prior to submitting via the online form.
• Application Guidance: This document contains tips and tricks for how to improve your Tennessee Supervisor of the Year application. While referencing this document will not guarantee a successful outcome in the selection process, this document is useful for refining your responses to ensure they align to the application prompts.

Past Recipients