STATE OF EDUCATION IN TENNESSEE: 2012-2013 – Section I: Year in Review
STATE OF EDUCATION IN TENNESSEE: 2012-2013 – Section I: Year in Review
10,000 in 2011-2012. 22 There are a
number of charter schools in Tennessee that outperform their neighboring traditional schools. However,
there are also a handful of charters
that are underperforming. The state
should take this opportunity to
learn from the high performing
public charter schools and share
their practices for dramatically improving student achievement with
educators across the state. Equally
important is the way information
is disseminated to the expanded
range of parents and students affected by recent changes to the law.
It is imperative that the state’s reporting systems for collecting school
performance data are transparent
to the public, in order for parents to
make informed decisions about their
children’s education.
STEM Education
An increased focus on science,
technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) education plays an important
role in Tennessee’s First to the Top
work. STEM not only refers to the
subject areas it represents, but also
to innovative teaching methods that
integrate technology, are inquiry
based, and facilitate active learning.
The Tennessee STEM Innovation
Network is a public-private collaboration between the Tennessee
Department of Education and the
Battelle Memorial Institute. The
Network is intended to serve as the
primary vehicle for aligning and coordinating STEM education policies,
practices, and partners. Through the
Network’s two key structural components –STEM Platform Schools and
Regional STEM Innovation Hubs – it
can help bring technology solutions
and innovations to districts across
the state. Hubs represent the center
of STEM activity in the region, and
are a formal partnership between
school districts, higher education,
businesses, and community organizations. Platform schools are supported by the Hubs in each region
and act as a laboratory for investigating, creating, and integrating
STEM teaching and learning models.
Platform schools vary across the
state. For example, some are new
schools while some are programs
within existing schools. Hub directors support the platform schools
and stay aware of STEM initiatives
and share best practices.
The Tennessee STEM Innovation
Network seeks to leverage the
state’s STEM resources in fields such
as heavy industry and agriculture to
provide opportunities for students
by using the knowledge of K-12
education, higher education, and
business and community partnerships. Through its hubs in rural areas
of the state, the Network is able to
improve access to technology and
equipment necessary to enhance
learning across STEM subjects. For
example, the Upper Cumberland
Rural STEM Initiative has partnered
with higher education and business
to develop a mobile classroom and
laboratory that will provide technology and state-of the-art equipment
to students across 21 districts. With
infrastructure now fully funded, the
Network will direct its focus to cultivating best practices and long term
sustainability.
Tennessee STEM Innovation Network
Regional STEM Innovation Hub
STEM School
Fall 2012
Enrollment
ETSU Northeast STEM Innovation Hub Johnson
City
160
Middle TN STEM Innovation Hub Nashville
Stratford STEM Magnet High School
685
Isaac Littotn Middle School
320
Bailey STEM Magnet Middle School
448
Hattie Cotton STEM Magnet Elementary
442
Southeast TN STEM Innovation Hub Chattanooga
STEM School Chattanooga
75
STEMspark East TN Innovation Hub
Knoxville
L&N STEM Academy
360
Upper Cumberland Rural STEM Initiative
Cookeville
Prescott South Elementary School
506
Prescott South Middle School
781
West TN STEM Collaboratory Memphis
35
Innovation Academy of Northeast Tennessee
*Southwind High School set to open in Fall 2013
Total enrollment across state
3,777
36