Dear friends and partners, 

As fellow believers in what education can still do, I’m inviting you to join Project Reflect on a transformational journey that we began planning and implementing last year. With a new strategic plan guiding our work, we are beginning to reap the fruits of our labor with much more on the near horizon.

Our first priority in charting a new course for Project Reflect was to become a beacon of educational excellence once again, and we are well on our way.

• The TCAP assessment results from the 2025-26 school year show Smithson Craighead Academy is now the top-performing school for ELA (reading) in Madison. 

• These gains are the direct result of our learning community model where lower and upper grades are led by co-principals who are able to singularly focus on the two phases of elementary school: learning to read and reading to learn. 



• In third grade, our percent of students proficient in ELA jumped from 24% to 60.7%, a sure sign that instruction is improving in both lower and upper grades.

Redesigned pre-K as 'Reading Success in the Itty Bitty City'

We know that the pathway to academic success starts before children enter kindergarten.

To increase the effectiveness and impact of our pre-K program, we have redesigned both the physical space and the instructional approach to become Reading Success in the Itty Bitty City. 

• Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. for a ribbon cutting ceremony and official relaunch of our pre-K! 
  RSVP at this link

• The new name comes straight from the beloved fictional world in the original Reading Success program, created by Project Reflect’s late co-founder Mary Craighead.

• Our pre-K has never served more students and is still growing with many families receiving scholarships from the Sister Sandra Memorial Foundation. Thank you to our generous donors for making our pre-K accessible to all!

Our legacy is now our future

Sister Sandra Smithson spoke of moving families “from a culture of poverty to a culture of learning and caring about others.” That is our north star, and it’s captured by our mantra: Reflect. Read. Rise. 



I invite you to learn more about the work we have done this summer to celebrate and reflect on the life and legacy of Sister Sandra, as we chart a new future for our organization rooted in her original vision. I wrote about it on our blog:  

With hope and gratitude,

James Robinson

Executive Director

Project Reflect / Smithson Craighead Academy



P.S. Check out our new website that went live today! 

730 Neelys Bend Road,

Madison, TN 37115

Phone: 615-228-9886

Fax: 615-865-1505

info@scanashville.org