ly understand how to provide teachers with high-quality
feedback and support. These professional learning opportunities should model best practices in instructional feedback and provide real-time coaching to school leaders on
how to improve the quality of feedback they give teachers.
schools without leaving the classroom. As these models are
implemented, they should be monitored for effectiveness
and evaluated for continued improvement. It is important
for school districts to work with the Tennessee Department
of Education to expand teacher leader models throughout
the state and to explore other innovative ways to provide
teachers with leadership opportunities throughout their
careers. Districts should also look to national models of
teacher leadership, local business partners, higher education partners, and non-profits to support the development of teacher leader models in their districts. Finally, it is
important to provide educators with opportunities to have
an authentic voice in the policymaking process through
experiences like SCORE’s Tennessee Educator Fellowship,
TeachPlus’ Teaching Policy Fellowship, the Tennessee Department of Education’s Teacher Advisory Council, and
Hope Street’s National Teacher Fellows Program.
3. Teacher Recognition: Ensure Tennessee commits to being
the fastest-improving state in teacher pay and expands
opportunities for high-performing teachers to be recognized for their exemplary instruction. It is important
to recognize and reward teachers for the work they do
in classrooms every day to improve student learning. In
comparison to other states, Tennessee currently ranks
40th in average teacher pay and 30th in percent change
in teacher pay between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school
years.97 Tennessee made a commitment to being the fastest-improving state in the country in teacher pay and it is
important for Tennessee leaders to follow through on that
commitment in 2015. Local school districts, the Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee’s teacher organizations, and education partners such as SCORE play a
critical role in continuing to recognize and reward highly
effective teachers through initiatives such as teacher of
the year programs, differentiated pay plans, and teacher
leadership opportunities.
4. Teacher Leader Models: Provide leadership opportunities to
current teachers through the expanded implementation of
teacher leader models throughout the state. In the 2013-14
school year, several districts had the opportunity to develop teacher leader models for their schools. These models
provide opportunities for highly effective teachers to serve
as mentors, instructional coaches, and leaders in their
5.
Literacy Instruction: Convene a task force to develop a
strategic plan around statewide reading performance that
will ensure all educators have the support they need to
help all Tennessee students establish a strong foundation in reading. While Tennessee students have shown
significant growth in math over the past several years,
data from Tennessee achievement tests indicate that students in grades 3-8 continue to struggle in reading.98 Key
leaders including the Tennessee Association of Colleges
for Teacher Education, the Tennessee Higher Education
Commission, and educators should convene a taskforce
that includes national experts to develop a strategic plan
around literacy performance for Tennessee. This strategic
plan should focus on developing instructional skills in
literacy for both current teachers and incoming teachers.
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