We need increased educator voices to make Tennessee the best state in the nation for education
The Educator and the Classroom

~Writings, Musings, Thoughts and Wit~
We need increased educator voices to make Tennessee the best state in the nation for education
Embrace 2019 with zeal and enthusiasm. It can be a year full of potential. We have an opportunity to renew our belief in our fellow citizens and set a new course in Tennessee that our fellow Americans can seek to emulate.
The choice of Commissioner of Education will assume the overwhelming burden of ensuring that every child in Tennessee graduates from high school prepared for college or the workforce. The success or failure, of the next Commissioner of Education will largely determine the success or failure of the next Governor. It will be a difficult job to fill and it may be a job that nobody wants.
Christy Ballard is the long time General Counsel of Tennessee Department of Education. Nobody in the state knows Education Law better than Christy Ballard. And she shares her vast knowledge. She regularly assists in the implementation and enforcement of Tennessee’s education laws and regulations by providing legal technical assistance to local school board attorneys, other state agency staff, legislators, LEA officials, teachers and the general public by providing the TDOE’s position on school related laws and regulations.
JC Bowman writes: the emphasis on testing misses the bigger issue: student academic growth measured by flawed testing. Then the results being used in educator evaluations. This is certainly more problematic to educators than the actual tests themselves.
We look forward to continuing the dialogue with policymakers and working with all stakeholders toward creating a better framework for both educator evaluation and student assessment in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Department of Education announced changes include rebidding the testing contract, refining the current Questar contract, revising timeline for online testing, and engaging more teachers.
“If you don’t understand — from the school district to the superintendents — that we want our teachers held harmless, then I’m sorry, you’re tone-deaf,” said State Representative Eddie Smith.