Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 45

Promising Practices
While state education policy is critical to improving Tennessee’s
schools, much of the hard work must be done in local school
districts across the state. To this end, this section highlights
34 promising practices that are working to improve student
achievement in districts across the state. While no two districts
face exactly the same challenges and many of the programs
highlighted in this section are new enough that there is not
yet conclusive data on their effectiveness, these programs
nevertheless provide an array of “promising practices” from
which others might learn.

Standards
Diploma Project Public Service Announcements
Public School Forum of East Tennessee
The Public School Forum of East Tennessee has developed three
public service announcements emphasizing the importance of
Tennessee “raising the bar” and implementing new, higher
graduation standards. Two of the three ads feature University of
Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Head Summitt. The
ads were aired on several stations in the Knoxville media market
and can now be viewed online at www.publicschoolforum.org.

Diploma Project Informational Website
Williamson County Schools
In order to prepare students and parents for the new high
school graduation requirements of the Tennessee Diploma
Project (TDP), Williamson County Schools added a section
to its district website that provides detailed information about
TDP. In addition to clearly listing the state’s new graduation
requirements by subject and course title, the site contains
informational videos that walk students and parents through
the new graduation requirements. These videos include
information on different paths students can take to meet the
new requirements, instructions on how to register and plan a
student’s high school curriculum, and even a skit illustrating
a course planning meeting between a student and guidance
counselor.

Accountability
Fresh Starts
Memphis City Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools
In an effort to turn around schools that had failed to meet
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for several years, Memphis
City Schools gave five schools Fresh Starts in 2004. Fresh
Starts include appointing a new principal at each school and

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T h e S t a t e o f E d u c a t i o n i n T e n n e ss e e

requiring every teacher in each school to reapply for their job.
In Memphis, Fresh 7F'G2