October 18, 2018 News
TDOE Announces Nine Educators Named to the Inaugural Tennessee Teacher Ambassador Network
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today that nine educators have been selected to participate in the inaugural Tennessee Teacher Ambassador Network (TTAN) during the 2018-19 school year. The TTAN is a unique opportunity for teachers to advise and be embedded in the work of the Department of Education without asking them to leave the classroom. As part of the TTAN, each teacher...Read MoreOctober 18, 2018 News
It’s not just the governor’s race. Here’s what Tennessee’s big legislative turnover could mean for education
The battle to replace term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam has consumed the spotlight for Tennessee’s education-minded voters, but more than a hundred legislative races will decide who the new governor will work with on school policy for the next few years. In addition to either Democrat Karl Dean or Republican Bill Lee as the state’s new chief executive, at least a fourth of the General Assembly’s...Read MoreOctober 18, 2018 News
TDOE Announces Nine Educators Named to the Inaugural Tennessee Teacher Ambassador Network
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today that nine educators have been selected to participate in the inaugural Tennessee Teacher Ambassador Network (TTAN) during the 2018-19 school year. The TTAN is a unique opportunity for teachers to advise and be embedded in the work of the Department of Education without asking them to leave the classroom. As part of the TTAN, each teacher...Read MoreOctober 16, 2018 News
Colleges Partner With Housing Authorities to Combat Student Homelessness
Officials at Tacoma Community College knew they had a problem when they surveyed students four years ago and learned that nearly 100 of them reported being homeless or near homeless. The survey underscored what, at the time, was becoming a crisis for the region. The IT boom in Seattle had driven demand for housing to accommodate new workers moving to the area. Rental housing costs and home...Read MoreOctober 16, 2018 News
Tennessee has a lot of early-career teachers, especially at schools with more students of color. Here’s why it matters.
This story is part of a partnership between Chalkbeat and the nonprofit investigative news organization ProPublica. Using federal data from Miseducation, an interactive database built by ProPublica, we are publishing a series of storiesexploring inequities in education at the local level. Alexis Singleton is one of thousands of Tennessee teachers in their early years of teaching. She’s one of...Read MoreOctober 15, 2018 News
No tech degree? No problem. Tech Council launches Apprenti program to meet Nashville’s demand for skilled employees
When Nashville’s new program to address demand for tech talent, Apprenti, launches in November, the class will be comprised of 15 Nashvillians seeking a new path to a highly paid field. They include a pharmacist from India, whose credentials didn’t translate in the U.S., a former robotics operator and a truck driver who wants a career closer to home. While the goal is to help these...Read MoreOctober 12, 2018 News
Tennessee Succeeds: Moving from “Good” to “Better” to “Best”
By Dr. Candice McQueen, Tennessee Commissioner of Education Last Wednesday at our annual LEAD conference, I had the opportunity to share with hundreds of Tennessee’s educator leaders some of what I am thinking about as I have reflected on what I have learned over the past year. Through the highlights and lowlights, I keep coming back to a few key points: Our beliefs in students are incredibly...Read MoreOctober 11, 2018 News
Three big differences on Tennessee education heading into Dean and Lee’s final debate
While the first two debates have been polite and cordial between Democrat Karl Dean and Republican Bill Lee, sharp differences are emerging on hot-button education issues in the race to be Tennessee’s next governor. The successor to Republican Gov. Bill Haslam will have the chance to shape the state’s policies for K-12 public schools in significant ways. Voters have told pollsters that...Read MoreOctober 11, 2018 News
The Little College Where Tuition Is Free and Every Student Is Given a Job
There’s a small burst of air that explodes from every clap. And when hundreds of people are clapping in unison, it begins to feel like a breeze—one that was pulsing through the Phelps Stokes Chapel at Berea College in Kentucky. The students and staff that had gathered here were stomping, clapping, and singing along, as they were led in a rendition of the Civil Rights era anthem, “Ain’t Gonna...Read MoreOctober 11, 2018 News