In today’s climate of high stakes testing, business leaders and politicians continue to demand better results with data driven assessments and test scores. It is important to realize that the classroom is not a factory floor where uniformity and precise precision can be molded into just one final finished product.
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Schools in Tennessee are getting ready for spring testing starting mid-April, hoping to leave behind the debacle of last year, when glitches in carrying out revamped tests caused headaches across the state. Hitting reset again this year potentially creates more hurdles in getting an accurate read on student achievement at a time when the data that is available shows low student performance, even as state officials are touting high graduation rates. The Tennessee Department of Education terminated its contract with Measurement Inc. last year after technical problems ground an initial round of online testing in February to a halt and the company then missed deadlines to deliver paper and pencil tests for spring. This year, the state has a contract with a new vendor, Questar, for the second year of TNReady testing that is part of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), begun in 1988. Testing was canceled last spring for students in grades 3-8 because of the mishaps, but high school students were able to take the full assessment. Many students scored below expectations, but state officials say the scores reflect changes in standards and types of test questions and new achievement levels. “Just as we expected proficiency to dip in…
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Understanding our government and founding documents, such as the Constitution, creates a more reflective, clear-thinking, and invested citizen.
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An engaging and challenging education is the proven path to prosperity and a life-long love of learning. Teachers consistently tell us that “testing” and “preparing students for a test” are among their top concerns in our internal surveys.
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Education reform is no longer focused on students or teachers. It is focused on ancillary issues.
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More than 16 million children are growing up in poverty, meaning that 22% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level of $23,550 a year. Research has shown that children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism and dropout rates than those coming from middle class or higher.
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Sometimes government action creates unintended consequences. It is estimated that nearly 10 highly committed educators lose their license each year due to no fault of their own. Then have no recourse to resolve this issue. That is why we worked with Rep. Pitts and Senator Tracy to address this issue with House Bill 111 and Senate Bill 661.
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If public education is to continue to be successful, it will take all the policymakers and stakeholders working together. Our message must be about children, teachers and public education not politics or social policies not related to public education.
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America’s children are immersed in a culture of disrespect: for parents, teachers, and one another. Let’s show action on the education front by passing a Teacher Bill of Rights in Tennessee, and bring the respect back to our public schools.
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More than three decades of research shows that a focus on “process”—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life.
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The third Monday of February is known as Presidents Day in the United States. In the beginning, the day was intended to celebrate the birthday of the first president of our country, George Washington. Today we use it to commemorate all 45 Presidents of the United States.
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The United States Supreme Court ruled in Plyler vs. DOE that children in our country here illegally have the same right to attend public schools as other citizens. In addition, these children are obliged to attend school until they reach a mandatory age. So there will be an impact in whatever state that these children reside, including here in Tennessee.
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The color of our skin has no bearing on our intellectual potential, moral character or behavior. Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
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Respecting the authority of teachers is essential to creating an environment conducive to learning, effective instruction in the classroom, and proper administration of our local public schools.
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Teachers are physically, verbally, or emotionally abused in public schools on a regular basis by supervisors, colleagues, parents and students.
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Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
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In the name of reform and federal dollars we have often chased ideas that didn’t serve our children or educators very well. We over-test our students and put a tremendous workload burden on educators in the name of accountability.
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You have read the statistics enough to know that there is an undeniable connection between literacy skills and incarceration rates. Children who do not read on grade level are more likely to dropout, use drugs or end up in prison. Research shows that reading abilities in third grade act as a tell-tale barometer for later school success.
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Professional Educators of Tennessee announced on Monday they will be sponsoring The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee. “It is vital that we rediscover the importance of our Constitution, and pass it along to the next generation,” J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, tells The Star. “We think a Constitution Bee is a good step to encourage that effort. The preservation of our liberties is an ongoing battle, something our Founders understood,” Bowman says. The event, to be held on Saturday, September 23 at a venue in Middle Tennessee still to be selected, is open to all secondary students in grades 8 through 12 who live in Tennessee. It is designed to focus on student knowledge of the Constitution and civics in the same way as the National Spelling Bee and the National Geography Bee. The top three students in each grade (8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th) will receive small cash prizes and be featured in profiles at The Tennessee Star. The five champions of the different grade levels will then compete for the title of Overall Champion of The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee. That overall champion, and a parent, will win a trip to Washington, D.C. Judges…
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