February 22, 2018
Policy Principles
Tennesseans for Student Success strives to engage the state’s parents, teachers, and community leaders in the common goal of creating and supporting a public educational system that prepares students for success following graduation from high school. We frame our policy priorities around four key goals:
High Academic Standards — Tennessee’s students will soon be competing with students from across the country for spots in colleges and universities, for jobs, for placements in technical fields, and for prestigious positions in our nation’s Armed Forces. We know our students can compete and succeed, but they can also be better prepared. High academic standards aren’t about fitting more instruction into a school year or making sure every box gets checked on our educational goals. High academic standards are about expecting more from our students, our teachers, our parents, and ourselves.
Fewer, better tests — Helping students to be successful means that, along with helping them develop the necessary skills to move from one grade to the next, we must work to ensure that they know how to be successful in life after graduation. Whether in college, at a job, or as they file their taxes each year, there will be moments when they have to demonstrate their competence. It is a disservice to bring students through the educational system with the belief that they will never have to show their grasp of a subject or an idea. Simply put, tests are part of life, although for adults, they’ll take on different forms and won’t be graded in red ink. Thus, they have a rightful place in the classroom.
Greater Accountability — Public education is a public good – and a great public good at that! As we work together to protect and advance the gains made in Tennessee, we will maintain our commitment to holding all those involved accountable for our children’s success.
Public School Choice — More than an elected official, more than a school administrator, parents engaged in their child’s education know best the right setting where their child can reach his or her full potential. For many, success in the classroom comes in a traditional school setting. For other students, more focus is needed in a certain discipline or subject. The goal for education advocates in Tennessee isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to student achievement. Every child in Tennessee deserves a top-notch education that prepares her or him for success in the 21st century.
2018 State Legislative Priorities
High Academic Standards
– Support rigorous K–12 academic standards that create high expectations for all students and better prepare them for postsecondary academic or career options.
– Support career and technical education or early postsecondary opportunities that prepare all students to thrive after high school.
– Support investments into the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) program to ensure that all students are on track to succeed.
Fewer but Better Aligned Tests
– Support an assessment aligned with the state’s K–12 academic standards to accurately measure student achievement.
–Support fewer, better tests as a strategy to increase classroom instructional time.
Strong Accountability in Every Classroom
– Support an accountability system that incorporates student achievement and academic growth to improve instruction in the classroom.
– Support efforts to ensure that talented new educators are recruited, trained, and supported throughout the state.
– Oppose efforts to repeal Tennessee’s new A–F school accountability framework.
– Support the current system for selecting members of boards of education and local school superintendents.
– Support strategies to increase access to effective teachers for all students.
Public School Choice
– Support strategies with a demonstrated track record for improving student growth measures to turn around and improve underperforming schools.
– Support equitable access to resources for high-quality charter schools.