February 21, 2017
The General Assembly is getting into full swing! We are excited about the opportunities to champion Tennessee’s classrooms and the work toward success. We believe that everyone involved in the classroom should be accountable for the success of that classroom, including those who make and pass legislation affecting education. Thank you for being here each week and being a part of the work for student success.
Up this week are two bills we are following. We’ll tweet out the links to watch the committee hearings where these bills will be heard – you are always welcome to come to Nashville and join us in person!
–House Bill 310 – The Creation of the Tennessee High-Quality Charter Schools Act is a good step in the right direction to support great programs across the state while also balancing the role of local districts as authorizers. HB 310 will be heard in the House Education Instruction and Programs Subcommittee on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 1:30 pm Central.
–Senate Bill 575 – This legislation adds classroom observation data to the state board’s teacher training report card and is a good lever to insure accountability for all those who are involved in teaching and training our future teachers. SB 575 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 2:00pm Central.
A quick recap on last week: We held our first Facebook Live event and it was a great success! Here’s a link to the video to watch and share. We’ll be holding these conversations all session long and we hope they are a good tool for you to keep up-to-date on education legislation in Tennessee.
We also wanted to make sure you saw the announcement of Aim High TN. Success in classroom isn’t one-size-fits-all. All our children are different, with different learning styles, and different needs. In many Tennessee classrooms, those needs center around having a parent serving in the Armed Forces. There are almost 40,000 military children living and learning in Tennessee classrooms. We are proud of the work of Aim High TN to help all those involved in the classroom better support our military children.
When you have a moment today, read our Board Chairman Austin McMullen’s piece in the Tennessean. “Education in Tennessee can and must keep improving” is a look at our mission and focus. Share it with your networks and friends!
As always, please reach out and let us know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas for helping make sure every student in Tennessee has an opportunity to succeed. We’re grateful to be a part of this important work with you.