Legislators Praise Report Card

Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), House Education Administration and Planning Chairman Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville) and House Education Instruction and Program Committee Chairman John Forgety (R-Athens) today praised Tennessee’s revamped Teacher Preparation Report Card.  The new report card, which shows how Tennessee’s colleges and universities and other teacher preparation providers are training new teachers for success in classrooms, was unveiled today at a press conference in Nashville.
“The newly redesigned report card provides a transparent look at the effectiveness of Tennessee’s educator preparation providers,” said Chairman Gresham.  “Not only is it a much more user-friendly tool for prospective teachers, school districts and other education stakeholders, it promotes continuous improvement and innovation of our teacher preparation programs.
“As a tool, it provides more detailed and clear information that promote strong partnerships between local school districts and the preparation providers to make sure that the providers are meeting the needs of the districts,” added Chairman Brooks.  “This includes high-needs districts.  I congratulate all of those who were involved in this effort.”
The revamped report card is the result of a partnership with the State Board of Education, Tennessee Department of Education, and Tennessee Higher Education Commission.  The agencies received comprehensive feedback from education stakeholders across the state during the redesign process.
“Research shows that teachers have the most impact of any in-school factor on student achievement,” Chairman Forgety added.  “That is why our teacher preparation programs are vital to our efforts to improve student achievement in Tennessee.  I appreciate all the work that has gone into these revisions and believe it will make a difference in improving education in Tennessee.”