Pennsylvania has a mine pollution problem. America has a critical mineral shortage.
And both problems may get solved as researchers find these critical and strategic elements in the polluted waters that come from acid mine drainage. If all goes well, Pennsylvania could become a leader in boosting national security — while potentially creating billions of dollars in value from environmental hazards.
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Afton Partners, a national organization specializing in school funding and education policy, has announced via social media a new partnership with the Tennessee State Collaborative for Reforming Education(SCORE) and The Tennessee Charter School Center(TCSC). The stated purpose of the budding collaboration is to help Tennessee’s charter school leaders better understand the operational and financial implications of Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement(TISA) – the state’s new funding formula for public schools.
TISA was passed by legislators during the last General Assembly and is slated to replace the current funding formula for the 2023-2024 school year. Touted as a formula that funds students over systems, the bill establishes a base funding rate of $6,860 per pupil, then distributes additional funding for students considered as being economically disadvantaged, having unique learning needs, or living in rural or impoverished communities. Tennessee charter schools are considered public schools and therefore receive funding through their charter authorizer at the same rate as traditional schools.
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The college-going rate for Tennessee students after high school graduation has dropped from 63.8% for the Class of 2017 to 52.8% for the Class of 2021, according to a report from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
There has been a 9 percentage point drop since the Class of 2019, which matches a national trend where there was a 9.2% decline in freshman college enrollment from fall 2019 to fall 2021.
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As Chairman of SCORE, Senator Bill Frist should be commended and honored for his tireless advocacy and passion for making education a priority in our state.
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who leaves office in January, 2019, has announced a statewide listening tour intended to improve delivery of the state’s elementary and secondary assessments known as TNReady. Unless called into a Special Session the Tennessee Legislature (with at least two dozen new members) will not convene again until next year. Current House Education Chairmen Rep. Harry Brooks and Rep. John Fogerty did not seek reelection and Democrat Senator Reggie Tate (D-Memphis), the Senate Education Vice-Chair, was defeated in his reelection bid. “Tennessee’s unprecedented improvement in education is the result of high academic standards and an assessment that measures knowledge of those standards,” Haslam said in making the announcement. “Without aligned assessments, we don’t know where our students stand and where we need to improve. We finally have a test that is aligned to Tennessee’s strong academic standards, and I don’t want recent assessment delivery issues to cause us to lose sight of why we have these tests in the first place. Delivering the test without disruption is essential and we must get it right. I am confident this listening tour and process will inform the critical work ahead of us.” The lame duck Governor’s listening tour will…
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee–The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) Gubernatorial Forum on Education held at Belmont University’s Curb Center on Tuesday turned out to be a slow-moving draw punctuated by partisan differences between the three Republicans and two Democrats in attendance over in-state-tuition for illegals. Each of the five participating candidates made their points and none hurt themselves, for the most part restating positions they had staked out in pre-forum interviews with the Professional Educators of Tennessee. Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, and Williamson County businessman Bill Lee were the three Republican gubernatorial candidates in attendance. Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Tennessee House Minority Leader State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) were the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates in attendance. Republican candidate Mae Beavers did not attend, due to the passing of her mother. Republican candidate Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) also did not attend, due to scheduling conflicts since Congress is currently in session. NewsChannel5, the media co-sponsor, broadcast the forum live for one hour. NewsChannel5’s Rory Johnson was co-moderator of the event, along with reporter David Plazas from media co-sponsor The USA Today – Tennessee. The moderators posed about a dozen questions to the…
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Former State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers cancelled her scheduled appearance at Tuesday’s SCORE Gubernatorial Forum debate with the announcement of the loss of her beloved mother, Evelyn Louise Spruill: It is with much regret that I will not be able to be at the SCORE Gubernatorial debate tonight. SCORE is focused on educational issues and you will not find a candidate more passionate about the education of all our children. My mother passed away this weekend and her funeral was today, and though I was looking forward to this debate, it is not possible to be with you tonight. My mother was one of the hardest working women you have ever known. When we four children were small she babysat for others and did laundry for Trevecca Nazarene University students so that she and Dad could pay tuition for four children to go to Trevecca Elementary School. Every night before bed, she read Bible Stories and books that I will always remember. We were encouraged to do our best in school, and my Mom loved all forms of education, so much so, she earned money as a proof-reader to support me and my siblings, by even proofing medical…
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Professional Educators of Tennessee has awarded their first Donor’s Choose gift to teacher Mary-Owen Holmes.
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The goal of the Teach Today, Change Tomorrow Initiative is to insure a “great teacher in every classroom.”
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