Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 37

Infrastructure and Implementation
Tennessee has a fractured and disjointed system of education
governance that makes it difficult to consistently implement
new reforms and policies effectively. The state Constitution
gives broad responsibility for education to the Tennessee
General Assembly. While state statute includes some fairly
specific education laws, such as those surrounding the state’s
accountability system, other laws are more vague, leaving room
for interpretation by both the State Board of Education and the
State Department of Education.
Created in 1875, the State Board of Education has responsibility
for creating a wide range of state education policies including
curriculum standards, graduation requirements, teacher
certification requirements, and discipline policies. The
Board has nine members, who are appointed for rotating
four-year terms by the Governor, and a small full-time staff,
which is led by an executive director. State law prohibits the
Commissioner of Education from having any control over
the Board, although the Commissioner is required by law to
attend all State Board meetings.

In addition to the State Board and State Department, the
Education Improvement Act of 1992 created the Tennessee
Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA).
Housed within the State Comptroller’s Office, OREA is
responsible for producing periodic reports on various education
programs for the Governor and General Assembly. Although
OREA does not fall under the authority of either the State Board
or State Department, OREA must rely on data provided by
the Department when producing its reports. To the frustration
of all parties involved, this divided governance structure often
results in unclear responsibilities, confusion over the proper
mechanisms for accountability, and tension over resources.

Courtesy of Amanda Anderson, Tennessee Department of Education

The Commissioner of Education is appointed by the Governor
and is responsible for running the Department of Education.
The Department of Education is responsible for implementing

the education laws passed by the General Assembly and the
policies approved by the State Board of Education. The
Department has lost approximately 100 positions since the
mid-1990s, including around 60 positions because of the state’s
current hiring freeze and employee buy-outs, making effective
implementation somewhat challenging. The Department
technically only reports to the General Assembly, not the State
Board of Education, and the Commissioner has the authority
to waive certain State Board regulations for individual school
districts upon request.

Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Tim Webb reads to
Ms. Campbell’s First Grade Class at Sylvan Park Elementary School in Davidson County.

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The STaTe of educaTion in TenneSSee