2026 State of Education in Tennessee: Moving Every Student Forward
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Teachers & Leaders | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
Leading in Literacy: Building Early Literacy Partner Teams
September 26, 2024
Teachers trained in Tennessee are staying in Tennessee to teach. So, what can their training institutions (educator preparation providers, or EPPs) and future districts do to foster an even deeper connection between training and the classroom? The question is particularly important to ensure effective instruction reflecting Tennessee’s new literacy policies. Collaboration between EPPs and school districts is critical. This paper offers both a framework for this new model and an elementary school site visit toolkit.
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Teachers & Leaders | Innovative Models
Unlocking AI: A Primer for Educators
September 24, 2024
As of fall 2023, more than half of all U.S. workers use artificial intelligence (AI) for work. The education field is no exception to this trend, as teachers across the nation are exploring ways AI can transform their work and help students learn. Despite the incredible promise of this new technology, many educators are still at the starting line — nationally, over half of teachers have never used AI. The opportunity that generative AI (GenAI) — programs that can generate text, images, and other media — brings to Tennessee’s classrooms, however, is worth the exploration. Our memo outlines two readily available tools for teachers to either dip a toe in the water or take a full-on first dive into AI to experience the possibilities and limitations of AI in its current state.
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Teachers & Leaders | Education Finance | K-12 Success
Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement: Prioritizing Student-Centered Funding
September 18, 2024
The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) modernized the state’s K-12 education funding formula to focus on individual student need while establishing a foundation of education finance that supports all students to succeed in school, careers, and life. Tennessee should remain committed to the TISA funding formula as a foundational policy that provides the resources for initiatives and investments that drive improved student outcomes.
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K-12 Success
Literacy: Adopting Research-Based Strategies to Develop Young Readers
September 10, 2024
Tennessee’s strong foundation of research-based strategies — including early literacy standards, interventions, teacher training, and high-quality instructional materials — have contributed to significant English language arts (ELA) proficiency gains for young readers.
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Education-to-Career Pathways
Funding Student Opportunity Through Tennessee’s Outcomes-Based Formula
August 12, 2024
Postsecondary education leads to improved earnings and employment on average, but not all credentials and degrees yield meaningful economic returns. There’s also a persistent shortage of educated Tennesseans to meet our workforce needs. The outcomes-based funding formula is one among a series of important strategies to ensure the state’s education systems drive students toward career success and steer Tennessee toward economic growth. It’s time to align the outcomes-based funding formula to include measures that show whether students are prepared for careers that enable economic independence.
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Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways
Postsecondary Innovation Spotlight: One Million Degrees
July 26, 2024
This memo spotlights how the One Million Degrees comprehensive college coaching model has proven successful and could be scalable at Tennessee community colleges and nationwide.
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Teachers & Leaders | Education Finance | K-12 Success
Policy Pillars Series: Supporting What Works
July 8, 2024
Tennessee’s foundational education policies over the last 20 years have led to significant advances in student achievement. This series highlights research-backed policies that are essential pillars of support in helping students achieve career and life success.
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Teachers & Leaders | K-12 Success
Standards and Assessment: Setting High Expectations and Monitoring Progress
July 7, 2024
Tennessee’s commitment to high academic standards, aligned assessments, and to using data to support improved student outcomes moved our state from the bottom of the pack nationally in education outcomes to one of the fastest growing in the country. We should remain committed to high expectations through rigorous academic standards and aligned assessments that provide essential data about student achievement and growth.
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Teachers & Leaders | K-12 Success
Teacher Evaluation: Driving Improved Instruction and Student Achievement
July 7, 2024
Tennessee’s commitment to annual teacher evaluations and providing educators with high-quality feedback has led to more effective instruction and significant advances in student achievement. Tennessee should preserve its evaluation system and aim to bolster and strengthen it so that educators continue receiving high-quality feedback that will, in turn, benefit all students.
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Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways
Building a Vision of Opportunity for All Tennesseans: Measuring Credential and Degree Outcomes
June 20, 2024
Economic development in Tennessee has increased career opportunities, but we need to ensure students are earning degrees and credentials that prepare them for those jobs and enable them to benefit from this economic opportunity. This report offers a vision for measuring what success looks like for Tennessee students entering the workforce.
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Teachers & Leaders | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
Strategic School Staffing: Tennessee’s Opportunity To Sustain And Elevate Great Teaching
May 8, 2024
Access to highly effective teachers is essential for student achievement. However, growing evidence suggests students have unreliable and inequitable access to effective educators, with many school districts reporting high levels of teacher vacancies. This series examines the challenges facing Tennessee’s educator labor market and highlights innovative practices to strengthen it.
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Teachers & Leaders | Data Insights | K-12 Success
Rural District Leader Perceptions Of The Educator Labor Market
April 29, 2024
Access to highly effective teachers is essential for student achievement. However, growing evidence suggests students have unreliable and inequitable access to effective educators, with many school districts reporting high levels of teacher vacancies. This paper offers perspectives on the topic from rural district leaders across Tennessee.
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