“I actually never thought much about being a teacher before because I always thought I would hate it.” Daniela, a sophomore student, shared this with me after our second Future Educator Leader Academy (FELA) meeting. FELA is a leadership organization created to introduce students, especially students of diverse backgrounds, to the field of education. At…
The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is called the Nation’s Report Card because it tracks student progress over many years and provides a way to compare academic performance between states. Digging deeper into the 2017 results released in April, what do the data tell us about how well we’ve done in Tennessee? Important NAEP…
“I’ve never had a teacher look like me.” I paused my writing and looked up at Samahd, a black male student I have known for four years. “I mean, I love you Mrs. Davis, but, sometimes you’re not always going to get it. Sometimes you just feel more comfortable with someone who looks like you.”…
For the first time, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) will participate in The Big Payback, an annual day of giving to nonprofits based in Middle Tennessee, to encourage community support and engagement in the SCORE Prize. The SCORE Prize identifies and honors the Tennessee public schools and school districts that are rising…
Tennessee has been a national leader in supporting efforts to ensure all students are taught by a highly effective teacher. These efforts are driven by broad research demonstrating the impact of teachers on student outcomes. While the narrative traditionally assumes teacher effectiveness is a fixed characteristic, emerging research demonstrates that Tennessee’s efforts to improve the…
John C. Maxwell, renowned author, noted in his book “Winning with People” that every person has something to share—a lesson learned, an observation, a life experience. As educators in the state of Tennessee, it is our professional responsibility to share researched-based best practices, have a growth mindset, and make every decision that will be in…
When students apply for college, internships, or jobs, we are always asked to talk about our experiences in leadership and the impact that we’ve had in various areas of our lives. It’s an intimidating set of questions, and it often feels as though our stories are not quite big enough, our leadership level not high…
The new Nation’s Report Card has been delivered. While the results provide valuable insights about the past, how Tennessee responds in the future is even more important. The results released Tuesday come from a sample of Tennessee students in grades 4 and 8 who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in early 2017,…
NASHVILLE – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has released this statement from Executive Chairman and CEO Jamie Woodson on the results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress released today: Tennessee has sustained most of the state’s previous academic gains on the new Nation’s Report Card. While Tennessee remains among the states that…
It’s that time of year where you are either in or close to your spring break, or in the final stretch of the school year. That also means it’s an incredibly busy time of the year, including a variety of state assessments and end of the year events. Responding to the Tennessee Educator Survey may…
Having an effective educator for every Tennessee student is one of the most important ways to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education. Teachers are the most important in-school factor for raising student achievement, and their work is vital to preparing students for postsecondary studies and jobs. Making Tennessee the best state for teaching…
Before I studied abroad in college, I had never considered graduating a semester early, changing my major, or moving to a new city. However, during the fall semester of 2016, I took a class called Integrating Reading and Writing for Adolescents that New York University (NYU) Steinhardt required for its English education students. At that…
Dear Friends, At the helm of every great school is a great school leader. Principals set the tone, the culture, and the environment for learning. And, we know that principals are second only to teachers when it comes to raising student achievement. In fact, principals can account for up to a quarter of in-school factors…
I love March. March brings some of my favorite things – St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness (though it’s not as fun this year for Virginia fans like me), the beginning of spring, and the Tennessee Educator Survey. You might wonder how the annual survey of educators brings me the same joy as a new season….
We’ve been spinning our wheels. According to the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP) data, Tennessee continues to make consistent gains in mathematics, while achievement in early literacy continues to be a great challenge. In fourth-grade literacy, Tennessee students ranked 41st in the nation in 2011, climbed to 31st in 2013, and then in 2015,…
Teacher preparation – a powerful lever for advancing great teaching that supports higher student achievement – shows signs of growth in the latest Teacher Preparation Report Card from the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE). The report card rates all Tennessee preparation programs using a number of factors such as whether candidates earn jobs in…
Dear Friends, Whenever I spend time with the Tennessee Educator Fellows, their passion and commitment to achieve great things for their students always impresses me. Each cohort of educators astounds me with their thoughtful reflections and drive to become the advocates their students need. Right now the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is accepting…
Lifting Tennessee students to be among the best in the nation cannot occur without empowering Tennessee educators to be advocates for their students and profession. The Tennessee Educator Fellowship is an opportunity for passionate educators to find and use their voice on behalf of their students. Three fellows in this year’s cohort share what they…
Public education is a vitally important issue to Tennessee voters, and a SCORE poll conducted in December found that voters cite education as the single most important issue in determining how they will cast a ballot in the August primaries for governor. Against that backdrop, SCORE co-hosted the 2018 Gubernatorial Forum on Education in January…
Within my small Title 1 elementary school in East Tennessee there are numerous professionals working daily to meet the multitude of needs of our students. Our team includes a principal, associate principal, classroom teachers, special education teachers, related arts teachers, interventionists, an English language learner specialist, a family liaison, a variety of therapists including speech,…