CMCSS Director of Schools Millard House II Named TN Mid-Cumberland Superintendent of the Year

May 7, 2021

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events
may be not be relevant for the current school year.

Mr. Millard House II, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System’s Director of Schools, has been named the TN Mid-Cumberland Superintendent of the Year and is in the running for the state’s Superintendent of the Year.

House has been CMCSS’ Director of Schools since 2017. Under his leadership, the district has continued to advance as a high-performing school system, receiving state and national recognition for its accomplishments and innovation. A few of the many notable accomplishments under his leadership include:

  • The expansion of CMCSS’ portfolio of academic offerings to provide families the opportunity to choose schools and programs that will help their children reach their potential:
    • 2020 – CMCSS K-12 Virtual School, an at-home educational experience that provides families the opportunity for both structure and flexibility in learning.
    • 2020 – Fine Arts Pathway for Middle College at APSU, providing an opportunity for students to earn a maximum of 30 hours of college credit with a focused elective in fine arts: music, visual arts, theatre, creative writing, or dance
    • 2019 – Academy of Teaching and Learning at West Creek High School, preparing students to enter careers in education.
    • 2018 – Early Technical College at TCAT, a unique, hands-on learning experience that allows students a no-cost opportunity to work towards an industry certification while also completing the necessary high school courses for graduation.
    • 2018 – Elementary Spanish Immersion Program at Barksdale, a proven method of educating children by immersing them in the Spanish language so they become bilingual.
  • In 2018 and 2019, CMCSS had 26 schools designated as Reward Schools, the top 5% of schools in the state, by the TN Department of Education. Due to the pandemic, TDOE did not name Reward Schools in 2020.
  • In 2018, CMCSS was featured on Good Morning America for its partnership with Google for the innovative Rolling Study Halls.
  • All eight high schools have ranked in the top 25% in the U.S. News and World Report during his tenure.
  • Moore Magnet Elementary, Carmel Elementary, and Kenwood High received the competitive TN STEM School designation, being recognized for their commitment to integrating quality STEM teaching and learning practices for all students.
  • In 2018, CMCSS implemented its first innovative Teacher Residency Pathway programs to address the teacher shortage. Now, the district has three different residency programs and five partnerships.
  • Over the summer of 2020, the district expanded 1:1 technology to all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
  • For the past two years, the district has had exemplary audits from the TN Comptroller of the Treasury with no findings.
  • Throughout the pandemic, House ensured that CMCSS safely reopened schools, providing both in-person and virtual options to accommodate parent and guardian choices.

While leading CMCSS, House was selected for Chiefs for Change, one of the most prestigious honors for a superintendent with a membership including our current TN Commissioner of Education and superintendents from Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and others. He was selected by the Commissioner of Education and his colleagues to be the Director-at-Large for the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS). Additionally, House has been invited to meet with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Scarlett Family Foundation, and other major national philanthropists because of his focus on innovation and equity.

House is a Tulsa, OK native with almost three decades of education and nonprofit experience. Before being selected as the CMCSS Director of Schools, he served as an Executive Consultant and Executive Director of New Leaders Charlotte in Charlotte, NC. He also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System in Charlotte, NC, and Deputy Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools.

Prior to being named as a member of the executive cabinet in Tulsa, he founded and led a college preparatory middle school in one of Tulsa’s most economically underserved communities. Over the course of four short years, his school became one of the highest performing and most sought-after schools in Tulsa. Before founding his school, House was one of the nation’s youngest public-school administrators as he served as assistant principal for one year and principal for four years at Marian Anderson Elementary School in Tulsa at the ripe age of 26. During House’s tenure, Anderson Elementary went from being designated one of the lowest performing schools in the state of Oklahoma to being one of the highest performing Title I schools in the state of Oklahoma. In 2003, House was voted Tulsa Public Schools’ Principal of the Year. He was the first African American to earn this honor. He also was named the Outstanding Administrator of the year by the Tulsa Area Alliance of Black School Educators.

House earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Montevallo, AL, and his Master of Administration in School Administration from Northeastern State University, OK. He also graduated from the Fisher School Leadership Program at the Hass School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.

House has served on several boards, including Tulsa Educare Board, Oklahoma Center for Community & Justice Board, Oklahoma Education Oversight Board, Southwestern Educational Development Laboratory Board, Harvey B. Gantt Museum Board, Charlotte Children’s Theater Board, Tennessee Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission, Complete Tennessee Steering Committee, and the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce.