October 11, 2018 News
Tennessee’s evaluation system is a model for the nation
A new report out today reinforces what many other researchers have found to be true: Tennessee’s teachers are improving more (and more rapidly) each year as a result of our teacher evaluation model and support. Today, Tennessee is called out as a model for the country in a report by the National Council of Teacher Quality, following a similar report last week from FutureEd at Georgetown and a...Read MoreOctober 10, 2018 News
Tennessee needs to better prepare students before third grade | Opinion
In the last decade, Tennessee’s education reforms have driven historic improvements, resulting in high academic standards, aligned assessments and accelerated growth in academic achievement for students in grades 3 through 12. Despite the improvements, student proficiency still falls short of Tennessee’s goals. Tennessee’s standards-aligned assessments reveal alarming news: a majority of...Read MoreOctober 9, 2018 News
At this KIPP high school, a new tactic for getting students to college: bringing college to them
It’s common for high school students to head to college campuses for classes. It’s much rarer for a college to set up shop on a high school campus. But that is what’s happening at a KIPP high school in New Orleans this year. Bard College, a New York-based private liberal arts college, is enrolling half of KIPP Renaissance’s juniors in a two-year program designed to end with them earning both a...Read MoreOctober 8, 2018 News
Giving Rural Students ‘the Short Box’
SALT LAKE CITY — A student’s decision about where to apply to college can depend on what is in front of her, Jazmin Regalado said during a session at the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s recent annual meeting. Regalado, a freshman biology and premed student at New Mexico State University, recounted her application process in high school. She is from...Read MoreOctober 8, 2018 News
As Tennessee Voters Prepare to Elect New Governor, a ‘Pivotal Moment’ for State’s Bipartisan Reforms on School Standards, Teacher Quality, Turnarounds
Few states have embraced education reform with the vigor of Tennessee, where leaders have instituted tough standards, rigorous tests tied to teacher evaluations, and state takeover of failing schools. Those efforts — conducted under both Republican and Democratic governors for the past 16 years — have made Tennessee schools among the fastest-growing, as judged by scores on national benchmark...Read MoreOctober 8, 2018 News
Nashville mayor proposes $351M for schools, parks, sidewalks, east bank and more
Nashville Mayor David Briley has proposed a robust $351 million capital-spending plan that hits on a wide range of areas — including schools, parks, street and sidewalk paving, and the redevelopment of a portion of the Cumberland River’s east bank. Briley’s administration filed a resolution with the Metro Council on Friday outlining the mayor’s first capital-spending plan...Read MoreOctober 7, 2018 News
‘Showing that they care’: College faculty called on to aid floundering students
CARLISLE, Pa. — When the new student walked into Steve Riccio’s first-year seminar at Dickinson College, her enthusiasm impressed him. A dancer, “she was . . . excited,” said Riccio, a lecturer in international business and management. “Like a lightning bolt.” Then, the student stopped submitting assignments. She came to class but looked as if she hadn’t slept. Instead of excited, she seemed...Read MoreOctober 5, 2018 News
Why change in top leadership is needed at Metro Nashville Public Schools | Opinion
Editor’s note: On Sept. 23, The Tennessean ran a guest column titled “Nashville must unite on improving schools” by Mayor David Briley, Vice Mayor Jim Shulman, Nashville School Board Chair Sharon Gentry and MNPS Director Shawn Joseph. This guest column is a response from three school board members who share a different perspective. The level of dysfunction in Metro Nashville...Read MoreOctober 5, 2018 News
Parents As Literacy Partners
Leading Innovation for Tennessee Education (LIFT) is a group of Tennessee districts working together to explore innovative approaches and share best practices that benefit students. One of LIFT’s primary areas of focus has been improving literacy outcomes in the early grades. In spring 2018, Trousdale and Sullivan County Schools surveyed parents regarding their child’s early literacy...Read MoreOctober 4, 2018 News