In 2013, Governor Haslam announced the creation of
the changing nature of the principal’s role. In 2013-14,
a new school leadership program in partnership with
ten districts piloted a new administrator evaluation
Vanderbilt University, the Tennessee Department
rubric aligned to the revised TILS. These districts
of Education, and local school districts.
provided feedback to the Tennessee Department
40
After two
years of planning, the state recruited its first cohort
of Education to further strengthen the rubric, the
for the Governor’s Academy for School Leadership in
evaluation process, and accompanying support tools.
2015. The fellows begin their training at Vanderbilt’s
In 2014-15, the new evaluation rubric was implemented
Peabody College in January 2016. The 12-month
statewide.44
program aims to strengthen the principal pipeline by
developing beginning assistant principals into highly
Also during the 2014-15 school year, the Tennessee
effective school leaders.41 In addition, the Tennessee
Department of Education provided sixteen regional
Department of Education has called on the University
administrator evaluation coaches (two per CORE region)
of Tennessee Knoxville’s Leadership Academy to
to support district leaders in their implementation
expand its program to districts beyond Knox County.
of the new administrator evaluation rubric. Other
supports from the Tennessee Department of Education
Beginning in fall 2015, the Tennessee Department
included a teacher perception survey aligned to the
of Education convened the Transformational
administrator evaluation rubric, a site visit tool featuring
Leadership Advisory Council to inform principal
best practices from districts, and an initiative pairing
pipeline improvement efforts. The department also
highly effective principals with struggling principals to
plans to create regional transformational hubs across
form cross-district learning partnerships.45
the state. These hubs will create opportunities for
principals to collaborate with principals in other
On the 2015 Tennessee Educator Survey, school
schools and districts.
administrators expressed a high degree of satisfaction
with the principal evaluation process. Of the nearly
Legislative Change. In 2015, a teacher in
2,000 administrators who participated in the survey,
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools with a degree
81 percent agreed that the administrator evaluation
in administration from Harvard University was unable
process will lead to improved student learning,
to pursue a principal position because she did not
compared to 57 percent in 2014. Eighty-seven percent
receive her administrative degree from a Tennessee-
agreed that the evaluation process is fair, and 81
based university. In response, the Tennessee General
percent indicat ed that they were satisfied overall with
Assembly passed a bill that prohibits the State
Tennessee’s administrator evaluation process.46
Board of Education from denying instructional leader
licensure based solely on whether the applicant
Many of the principals who participated in SCORE’s
graduated from a preparation program located in
2015 Listening Tour reported having valuable
another state.42 Under the previous policy, applicants
conversations with their evaluators about how to
who had not completed an approved in-state
improve their practice. Using the revised principal
master’s program had to have at least three years
evaluation rubric as a guide, evaluators were able to
of experience as an administrator in order to receive
give principals more specific and useful feedback than
a Tennessee Instructional Leadership License. In
in previous years. Even so, principals also indicated
response to the legislation, the State Board of
that district leaders sometimes did not provide them
Education amended its licensure policy so that
with the feedback and support they need to improve
graduates of out-of-state programs do not need to
as instructional leaders.47
have prior experience as an administrator in order to
be licensed in Tennessee.43
Professional Learning. Throughout 2015, the
Tennessee Department of Education offered a
19
Principal Evaluation. During the 2012-13 school year,
variety of professional learning opportunities for
the Tennessee Department of Education worked with
school and district leaders. In the spring, school
multiple stakeholder groups to revise the Tennessee
leaders and district instructional staff could attend
Instructional Leadership Standards (TILS) to reflect
a Leadership Course focused on Tennessee’s new