January 10, 2017
The Christmas decorations are packed away, the snow is – mostly – gone across the state, and the gavels fell in Nashville today. The 110th General Assembly is underway and we are excited about this first legislative session and the work to protect and advance Tennessee’s historic gains in education.
We wanted to share our statement with you on the start of the 110th General Assembly:
“We continue to be encouraged by the mandate issued by Tennessee voters last August and November that the state’s recent academic gains are worth protecting and should be continued. Last spring, when Tennesseans for Student Success announced an aggressive air, ground, and data campaign to take the message of student success across the state, we were overwhelmed by the strong support expressed for the policies that have led Tennessee to become the fastest improving state in the nation in education.
“Over the last seven months, we’ve talked to 50,000 Tennesseans and heard directly from parents, teachers, and community leaders about the importance that legislators maintain a focus on the student-center reforms that are driving the state’s record achievement gains. As a result, we will continue our advocacy and outreach work in 2017, combining out grassroots and field efforts with our legislative focus, we look forward to championing student success in the legislature in Nashville.
“We will continue that successful strategy in this legislative session as we work to defend and promote our four priorities for student success: accountability for everyone involved in Tennessee’s classrooms, fewer and better tests for Tennessee’s students, more publicly-funded choices for Tennessee’s parents, and high standards for Tennessee’s future. Combining our grassroots and field work with our legislative focus, we look forward to championing student success in the legislature in Nashville, in classrooms from Clarksville to Collierville to Chattanooga, and in homes across the state.”
This isn’t work we do alone and are grateful for all our partners, volunteers, champions for student success, and friends who share with us the goal to make sure every student in Tennessee has an opportunity to succeed. Be sure to check Facebook, Twitter, and our weekly updates for opportunities to join us and let your voice be heard! We’ll share more in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned for new and exciting ways to be involved. To join this important work, sign up at tnsuccess.org and become a Tennessean for Student Success.