State Board of Education

Effective Teachers
Just in time for the challenges of education in 2010, here’s a review of a book written in 1886. Take a gander and see if John Milton Gregory’s Seven Laws of Teaching are applicable today.
Here’s some perspective from the L.A. Times release of value added data that may be useful to the TEAC’s […]

Effective Leaders
A 2003 study showed that getting teachers involved in decisions re student discipline and tracking significantly reduces teacher attrition.
What does “Waiting for Superman” mean? Here’s an explanation and here’s a preview:

You can also hear the director explain his motivation here.
Effective Teachers
Wondering how to turn new state standards into curriculum in your classroom? […]

Oh, Canada! The last version of Did You Know? wasn’t as education focused as some might have liked. The New Brunswick Department of Education has brought the ideas back to earth and blasted off again:

If you’ve read about some of the work in districts in Canada, you may not be surprised. See, […]

Effective Leaders
These two stories are about effective leaders and teachers:
Although every situation is different, if Graham and Pérez can serve as examples, certain common factors appear to be crucial for beating the odds of poverty and racial disparities. First, students must have someone in their lives-a parent, a guardian, a relative or a coach-who refuses […]

Effective Leaders
Computer Scientist Fred Brooks, in a recent interview:
Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera, once said that his method of design was to start with a vision of what you want, then, one by one, remove the technical obstacles until you have it.
Are your school, district and state leaders working in the same way? […]

Effective Teachers
Good kindergarten teachers are worth $320,000/year, according to this study of 12,000 Tennessee students, now in their 30s.
Mr. Chetty and his colleagues - one of whom, Emmanuel Saez, recently won the prize for the top research economist under the age of 40 - estimate that a standout kindergarten teacher is worth about […]

Effective Leaders
Parents are school leaders, too. Read this, then watch this:

New Jersey’s governor plans to limit superintendents’ pay (and not just because most of them make more than he does) and offer bonuses based on student performance.
Effective Teachers
Read about the Gates Foundation’s admitted failure (the small schools initiative) and its next at-bat: teacher evaluation […]

Watch and listen as teachers and leaders at a rural middle school in Kentucky explain what they’ve done to turn things around for their students (e.g., establishing departmental and grade level teams that meet almost daily, providing double doses of some courses during the school day)

Effective Leaders
What does your community expect its high school graduates […]

The Advisory Council on Teacher Education and Certification will meet on Wednesday, July 21st (9AM to 3PM) in the State Board Conference Room, 9th Floor Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243, (615) 741 - 2966

Effective Leaders
Tennessee districts are outlining their plans for Race to the Top funds.
You can see funds by district and Metro Nashville’s proposal.
Are we now entering the post-NCLB world? Check out this writer’s overview of the current status of education reform.
Rigorous, Relevant Curriculum
Is Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) working? The number of students identified as […]