Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 51

to build an Academic Village in downtown Kingsport, where
an estimated 2,500 students will attend classes each day. The
village will house the Regional Center for Health Professions,
which will host all of Northeast State Community College’s
medical programs; the Kingsport Center of Higher Education,
where students can earn a four-year degree from a variety of
colleges and university; and the Regional Center for Advanced
Manufacturing and the Pal Barger School of Automotive
Technology, where students can earn technical credentials.
Together, Educate and Grow and the Academic Village were
named one of Harvard University’s Top 50 Innovations in
Government for 2009.

“Plant the Seed” Program
Fentress County Public Schools
Starting in Pre-K, Fentress County Public Schools’ “Plant the
Seed” program is focused on emphasizing the importance of
attending post-secondary education. As part of the program,
middle and high school students visit local colleges, vocational
schools, and technical schools to experience a collegiate
atmosphere first-hand. Students in the county’s two high schools
are also encouraged to take dual enrollment classes, and a new
program is being created to invite recent alumni enrolled in
post-secondary education institutions back to their middle and
high schools to discuss their experiences and answer students’
questions about college.

Project GRAD Knoxville
Knox County Public Schools
Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) is a
whole school public-private education reform mod