Strengthening Schools through Effective Leadership: In
2014, the principal evaluation was revised to reflect evidence-based best practices in instructional leadership.
This revised principal evaluation is being implemented for
the first time in 2014-15.11 This evaluation provides school
leaders with the opportunity to receive critical feedback
throughout their careers and for district leaders to more
fully understand the needs of principals in their schools.
While the principal evaluation is an important component
of the principal pipeline, gaps in preparation and support
practices persist in Tennessee. Gaps in the quality of principal preparation programs produce challenges in districts’
ability to fill vacancies with highly effective school leaders.
Further, gaps in principal support practices make it difficult
for current principals to grow as instructional leaders and
more effectively meet teacher and student needs.
Expanding Student Access to Great Teaching: After three years
of implementation, the teacher evaluation process underwent additional revisions based on feedback collected from
teachers and school leaders. School leaders also continued
to receive support on the implementation of classroom observations through the Tennessee Department of Education’s professional learning opportunities for principals.12
The Tennessee Department of Education developed a new
Educator Preparation Policy that focuses more heavily on
preparation programs’ recruitment and selection strategies, the nature of clinical experiences in preparation programs, and the impact preparation programs have on the
long-term effectiveness of teachers once they enter the
classroom.13 This policy reflects a key recommendation
from SCORE’s 2013-14 State of Education in Tennessee report and should lead to the creation of a stronger pipeline of
effective teachers for Tennessee’s schools. While this policy
lays the foundation for improvements in the teacher pipeline, it is important to ensure that this policy is implemented effectively. Additionally, it is critical to continue to fill in
existing gaps in teacher support practices to ensure current teachers have the resources they need to continually
improve their instruction and meet student needs.
Investing in Technology to Enhance Instruction: Many districts and schools around the state expanded teacher and
student access to technology, not only to prepare for technology-based assessments, but also to improve instruction
and learning in classrooms. Some schools and districts increased access to technology through one-to-one models,
providing every student with access to at least one device at
school. Additionally, some schools are implementing “bring
your own device” policies, allowing students to use personal
devices in the classroom to support their learning. Even so,
there continue to be significant gaps in access to technology both between and within districts. This has significant
implications for districts, as the state plans to transition to
technology-based assessments in the coming years.
Supporting Students from Kindergarten to Career:
In 2014,
Governor Bill Haslam launched the Tennessee Promise,
offering two years of tuition-free community or technical
college to all students who graduate from Tennessee high
10
SCORE’S 2014 LISTENING TOUR
To ensure this report reflects the views and experiences of educators, SCORE sought the input of
hundreds of education stakeholders across Tennessee through focus groups and one-on-one interviews. In particular, the voices of teachers and
school leaders are key to understanding the successes and challenges schools experience in the
implementation of state-level policies. This year,
SCORE sought the input of over 130 teachers and
principals in more than 20 focus groups held in
eight different cities around the state. Through
these focus groups, SCORE aimed to gain a better
understanding of successes and challenges related to the state’s priorities in 2014 and to gather feedback that helped inform priorities for the
2014-15 report.
To ensure accuracy, SCORE recorded each focus
group and analyzed each group’s data to better
understand overall themes and trends in the comments by teachers and principals. Focus group
questions centered on participants’ experiences
with policies and programs related to the five priorities outlined in SCORE’s 2013-14 State of Education in Tennessee report.
While these focus groups are a key component of
SCORE’s work and provide insight into the experiences of educators in schools on the ground, it is
important to note that the themes gleaned from
these focus groups are reflective of a sample of
Tennessee teachers and school leaders. Therefore,
it is important to continually seek the feedback
of educators in different contexts throughout the
school year to better understand how state-level
policies and programs impact student learning in
schools and classrooms.