Government
Agencies
Tennessee Department of Education
http://www.tn.gov/education
Nathan James, Director of Legislative and External Affairs
[email protected]
615.532.3528
Tennessee Higher Education Commission
http://www.tn.gov/thec
The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) is a
service agency of Tennessee. TDOE provides support
and guidance to Tennessee’s 146 public school districts
and 1,811 public schools, in addition to over 600 private
schools and thousands of home-schooled students in
Tennessee. TDOE is responsible for ensuring equal, safe,
and quality learning opportunities for students, prekindergarten through 12th grade. TDOE maintai ns and
distributes education data that is used for district and
school support and accountability. TDOE also serves as
the state liaison for federal education requirements and
funding opportunities. TDOE is led by the Commissioner of
Education who is appointed by the Governor.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) was
created in 1967 by the General Assembly for the purpose of
coordinating and supporting the efforts of postsecondary
institutions in Tennessee. THEC currently serves as the
coordinating body for the 51 public colleges, universities,
and colleges of applied technology across Tennessee. One
of its statutory requirements is to create a Master Plan for
the development of public higher education in Tennessee.
The mission for Tennessee’s 21st century system of higher
education is to elevate the overall educational attainment
of citizens in the state through increased accessibility to
mission-focused institutions, which deliver educational
services on campus, as well as through a planned network
of off-campus instruction.
Candice McQueen, Commissioner
[email protected]
615.741.8457
Mike Krause, Executive Director
[email protected]
615.741.7561
Elizabeth Fiveash, Assistant Commissioner for Policy and
Legislative Affairs
[email protected]
615.253.1960
Scott Sloan, General Counsel & Associate
Executive Director for Legal & Regulatory Affairs
[email protected]
615.741.7571
Tennessee State Board of Education
Tennessee Board of Regents
http://www.tn.gov/sbe
https://www.tbr.edu
The Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE) is the
governing and policy-making body for the system of
public elementary and secondary education in the state.
The SBE is comprised of nine members — one from each
of Tennessee’s congressional districts, in addition to one
student member. The SBE coordinates its efforts with TDOE,
which implements the law and policies established by
the General Assembly and the SBE. SBE members are
appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the General
Assembly, and serve five-year terms. The student serves a
one-year term. The SBE’s vision is to prepare all Tennessee
children for successful postsecondary work, education,
and citizenship.
The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) governs the state’s
13 community colleges and 27 technical colleges. Under
the FOCUS Act of 2016, Tennessee’s six state universities
are now governed by local boards, with TBR’s focus
sharpened on the community and technical colleges.
TBR consists of 18 members: 12 lay citizens appointed
for six-year terms by the Governor and representing the
nine congressional districts and three grand divisions, one
faculty member from an institution in the system serving
a one-year term, one student from a system institution
serving a one-year term, and four ex-officio members
including the Governor, the Commissioner of Education,
the Commissioner of Agriculture, and the Executive Director
of THEC. TBR’s mission is to educate more Tennesseans in
order to provide Tennessee with the workforce it needs for
sound economic development.
Sara Heyburn, Executive Director
[email protected]
615.741.2966
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