TennesseeCAN has released The 2019 Tennessee Policy Report Card, scoring Tennessee on 26 education policies that group members say ensure every student receives a high-quality education through access to “great teachers and great schools.”
TennesseeCAN is part of a national nonprofit, 50CAN, which has left-of-center members on its board of directors. Campbell Brown and former CNN personality Roland Martin are among them, according to 50Can.org
Members of TennesseeCAN did not return The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment Monday.
The 2019 Tennessee Policy Report Card analyzes policies that are critical levers for Tennessee to achieve strong educational progress — including the expansion of quality school options, a strong teacher talent pipeline, an aligned annual assessment, and high academic standards. Each policy is categorized into one of four main areas of focus: excellence, equity, choice, and transparency, according to a press release.
“As we measure the impact of new policies and programs, we must also hold true to foundational legislation that has helped Tennessee move from the back of the pack to one of the fastest-improving states in the nation,” said Charlie Bufalino, TennesseeCAN Director of Policy and Strategy, in the press release.
“Under the leadership of Governor Bill Lee, the Tennessee General Assembly raised the bar in 2019 by passing legislation to help ensure all students have access to the school that will best meet their needs and prepare them for success after high school graduation.”
This year’s report also includes new information and scores for two historic bills put forward by Tennessee Republican Gov.Bill Lee that strive to expand access to school choice options for all Tennessee students.
With the increased focus on Career and Technical Education policies in recent years, this year’s report card includes CTE as a new policy area, according to a press release.
“It is becoming increasingly evident that Tennessee’s school funding formula, the BEP, is not providing sufficiently adequate and equitable funding to the schools and students who need it most. Reform is needed to ensure that Tennessee has a fair funding formula,” according to a press release.
“Tennessee continues to need improvement around student assignment policies. Current practice does not require districts and schools to address students who are placed in chronically underperforming classrooms.”
Read the full report:
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Anyone else notice that the “experts” (liberal and conservative) always claim that MORE money is always a requirement for improvement. I beg to differ with them.
I would not trust a darn word from these people the same as I wouldn’t trust anything TN SCORE has to say either. They are all pushing a for profit, privatization, anti-American culture, left wing, global, mental health agenda not a classical (which works) academic agenda. All of which our Commissioner of Education, Penny Schwinn, also supports.
My question is…why do we still have Agenda 21 Common Core in our schools in TN. This was one of Bill Lee’s promises to get red of Common Core. And then we heard from a reliable source, that he signed another contract with a common core publishing company. Our opinion, Bill could use some new advisors.
The Governor of Florida has removed common core and the test scores are already going up….plus the teachers and children are so much happier. Happy teachers are better teaches and children without anxiety especially in K do well in learning.