Tennessee's Race
To The Top Information
Want to see the application submitted to the U.S. Dept of Education by Gov. Bredesen?
The link above will direct you to a copy of the official bill summary for TN's Race To The Top as displayed on the Tennessee Legislature's website. This information will change from a summary to law when it is assigned a public chapter.
TEA DROPS OPPOSITION TO RTTT
NASHVILLE - A compromise was struck Wednesday on teacher evaluation legislation Gov. Phil Bredesen says is needed to boost the state's prospects for winning $435 million in federal funds for education. With the agreement, the 55,000-member Tennessee Education Association dropped its opposition to the "First to the Top Act" and kept alive Bredesen's hope of the bill winning final approval by Friday. The bill would for the first time authorize use of student performance testing in evaluation of teachers, a provision that must be part of state law for a state to qualify for federal "Race to the Top" funding. The state's application must be filed with federal officials in Washington no later than 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. To meet that deadline and avoid working over the weekend, lawmakers must enact the bill by Friday. Under the compromise announced Wednesday after lengthy negotiations, the "student growth data" from value-added testing will be the basis for 35 percent of an evaluation. At times the debate was notably intense. For example, Rep. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville, complained at one point that the bill raised the possibility of "selling out to the federal government."
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Published by: Knox News on January 13, 2010 at 10:44 p.m. Article by Tom Humphrey
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Teacher performance is key in Tennessee's Race to the Top
Gov. Phil Bredesen has convened a special session on education reform for the General Assembly to pass legislation in time for the Race to the Top application deadline Jan. 19. A Race to the Top grant would help ensure that Tennessee students graduate prepared for college and ready to take on the high-skill jobs of the future, strengthening the state's economy for the long term. Under President Barack Obama's directive, Race to the Top could invest a half-billion dollars in Tennessee teachers and schools. But to win this money, meaningful legislation has to be passed that allows for results of student test scores to be included as part of teacher evaluations.
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Published by: THE TENNESSEAN on January 13, 2010 Article by: Michelle Greenfield
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Racing For An Early Age
"Mr. Duncan called Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, to urge him to retool what was one of the nation’s most restrictive charter-school caps; in June, the legislature approved expanding the pool of students eligible to attend charter schools.
“We’ve passed a bill to show our willingness in this area,” said Tennessee Commissioner of Education Tim Webb. “I think the interest was there. I don’t think it would have been done as expeditiously” without Mr. Duncan’s advocacy.
Mr. Webb said he now plans to focus his state’s Race to the Top efforts on teacher incentives and maximizing the state’s existing data system."
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Published by Education Week in Vol. 28, Issue 36, Pages 22-23