The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) today announced the 12 finalists for the second annual SCORE Prize Award. The Prize is awarded to the elementary, middle, and high school, along with one school district in Tennessee that have most dramatically improved student achievement. The winners of the SCORE Prize will be announced at an…
Focusing on all students having the chance to be successful, Fairview Elementary School was the elementary winner of the 2011 SCORE Prize. With an emphasis on data and assessment, Fairview uses a data wall to display student success. At this school, students don’t just take standardized tests; teachers also use formative assessments to keep track…
There has been a lot of buzz about the Common Core State Standards coming to schools in Tennessee and it is finally here. Over the next two years Tennessee will implement CCSS in public schools across the state, and this past July thousands of Tennessee teachers were trained on the higher standards and what the…
With more than 63 percent of students classified as economically disadvantaged, Charlotte Elementary is raising the bar and closing the achievement gap. Selected as a 2011 SCORE Prize finalist, Charlotte Elementary credits high expectations and collaboration to its rising TVAAS averages. Using data to make decisions regarding instruction and hiring high quality teachers in all…
Our jobs as educators can get overwhelming at times. Of course if you have been in education for more than 15 minutes, this isn’t a revelation. Do we actually stop and think about our attempt to manage and incorporate the constant inflow of new initiatives, policies, technology, training, and websites all offering positive ways to…
John Sevier Elementary was a 2011 SCORE Prize elementary school finalist. By providing teachers with consistent feedback, using technology to quickly assess how students are performing, and using data to identify to meet school wide challenges and meet student needs, John Sevier was able to narrow the achievement gap while improving achievement levels in math…
A recent report by TNTP brings to light a very real crisis that has been holding back student learning across the country – we are failing to keep the best teachers where they are needed most. Teachers guide and educate our students every day. To many, the best teachers are like super heroes.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) released the following statement today from Jamie Woodson, President and CEO, on the release of the 2012 ACT test results for Tennessee: “Over the last year, many schools and school districts in Tennessee have seen increases in student achievement and growth on our state’s assessments. The ACT is…
In my work as a mentor with mostly low-income, first-generation, aspiring college students the phrase, “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” has taken on a new meaning. Today in Nashville, there are many entities in place to…
What do the following quotes have in common? “You should strive to be the best, expect the best, and accept only the best from your students.” “[Our] teachers have the belief that our scholars can perform at high levels no matter their socioeconomic background.” “We are serious when we say that every student will succeed.”…
As with meeting all education priorities, ensuring that data end up in the hands of the appropriate stakeholders, and that those stakeholders are empowered to use those data to inform their decisionmaking, takes ongoing investment of time, resources, and generally focused, diligent work. At DQC we have a handy catch phrase to describe the key…
Two weeks ago I stood in the gymnasium of Innovation Academy of Northeast Tennessee to participate in the ribbon cutting of the region’s new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) middle school. An overflowing crowd of excited students, parents, business leaders, and elected officials lined the gymnasium and wound through the hallways to hear how…
As a student with a disability, the majority of my memories of elementary and high school are of teachers. They supported me, worked hard to figure out what I needed to succeed, and celebrated with me when I moved on to each new step in my life. In a recent Education Week blog post by…
Seven students from low-income families in Birmingham, Alabama—a school district fraught with dysfunction—took on a challenging opportunity this Summer: They spent the month of July studying in Beijing, China. Their story is one of a teacher going to extraordinary efforts to open an opportunity hosted by the Jiayu School, Youth Leaders of America and China…
There is a great deal of anxiety across the state as school districts begin implementing the Common Core State Standards. In Loudon County, we feel clear, concise communication will be the center of a successful implementation. This communication needs to include all stakeholders–administrators, teachers, students, and their families and communities. But how do we get…
When I decided to become a special education teacher, I could not help but sense others’ disappointment: “A teacher? But you’re so smart!” They didn’t sway my decision, but I can’t count how many times I’ve been advised to pursue other fields, even from teachers themselves. While it seems strange that so many would disapprove,…
When my students would furrow their brows and tell me, “You do too much,” I knew it was code for, “you are working us too hard.” My students deserved teachers who would push them to their highest potential, so when they lamented that they were working too hard, I was confident that they unsuspectingly loved…
As part of an effort to learn more about the implementation of Tennessee’s First to the Top plan to improve student achievement, my colleague Laura Moore and I have been talking with educators across the state and gaining an incredibly valuable perspective on what is changing in classrooms, schools, and school districts. While policymakers can…
Voting has now ended. Thank you to everyone who submitted inspiring stories about rising to the challenge and improving student achievement in rural areas! The winning entry, Viking Advertising, received a $100 Donors Choose gift card. Finalist 1: The Trials of SpongeBob Square Pants By: Karen Terry Camden Junior High School, Benton County, TN As a…
Much of the education-reform community is buzzing about an opinion piece that appeared in yesterday’s New York Times. The piece, Is Algebra Necessary?, can be summed up in the first paragraph: A typical American school day finds some six million high school students and two million college freshmen struggling with algebra. In both high school…