Michael Peterson, a renowned county music star, will bring his "Real Life Tour" to Knoxville Feb. 18-23. The event will cap off with a concert at the Civic Auditorium on Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m.
The purpose of the tour is both to entertain and educate. He and other musicians and entertainers hold shows throughout the week at various locations, but the message behind the show is helping teens and young people get on the path to a career.
He presents the "Tag You're It" program, which engages students in activities to guide them on the path to careers and personal improvement. He also visits adults at various ages and teaches them to share their experience and knowledge with the younger generations. He works with mentoring and internship programs to match students with adults who will help their future.
To learn more about these weeklong activities, visit the "Real Life Tour" Web site.
Note: This release was sent by Pellissippi State Technical Community College. The school is hosting a mathematics competition in April, which may be of interest to middle school students, parents and educators.
Challenging, yet fun, mathematics will be the order of the day on April 25, as middle-schoolers who know their numbers participate in the eighth annual Tennessee Middle School Mathematics Competition at Pellissippi State Technical Community College.
The event, which is hosted by the college’s Math Department, is 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road. Pellissippi State’s Math Department activities are supported by a grant to the Pellissippi State Foundation from Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
The competition is designed for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students, including home-schoolers, in the East Tennessee region who excel in mathematics. Participants will be able to see how their math ability compares to that of other regional students.
The contest is a multiple-choice exam designed by college math professors from Pellissippi State, Austin Peay State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee at Martin and Walters State Community College.
Contestants should compete at their grade level and not at the grade level of the math class in which they are enrolled. Students will be permitted to use calculators, including graphing calculators, on the exams.
The registration deadline is March 31, and no registrations will be accepted after that date. The space for students is limited and may fill up prior to the deadline, so early registration is recommended.
To be eligible for the team competition, a school must bring at least four students at each grade level. Schools must limit the number of students at any level to a maximum of 10 percent of grade-level enrollment, or up to 15 students.
Check-in will take place at the Performing Arts Center 7-8 a.m. The competition test is scheduled 8:30-10 a.m., followed by a trip to Zuma Fun Center and then the presentation of awards.
More than $3,000 in trophies and gift cards will be awarded to the top 10 students at each grade level. All students in attendance will receive a free contest T-shirt.
For additional information, contact Jonathan Lamb, associate professor of Mathematics at Pellissippi State, at (865) 694-6699 or jwlamb@pstcc.edu.
A blogger for the U.S. Chamber's ChamberPost blog singled out Tennessee and Governor Bredesen as the leaders in making positive changes in education policies.
Lydia Logan of the U.S. Chamber writes, "While many reformers pay lip service to the idea that ready for college and ready for work are the same thing, Tennessee is walking the talk."
She cites the increased graduation requirements and one-track diploma programs as positive catalysts for change that have been made recently in Tennessee under Bredesen's leaderhip.
The Knoxville News Sentinel this weekend had a guest column from Athanasios Bayiates, president of the Knox County Education Association, who discussed hiring and retaining effective teachers.
He opined that individual educators are essential to student success and said that retaining high-quality teachers will help bridge the learning gap in struggling students and schools.
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen delivered his State of the State Address Monday night and one of his focuses in both his budget and his speech was education.
From the Tennessean:
"Gov. Phil Bredesen proposed $287 million in new education spending in his budget proposal but warned in his State of the State speech on Monday that prudent fiscal decisions must be made amid economic uncertainty.
"His $27.9 billion budget next fiscal year includes lowering the grade point average for returning college students to keep their lottery scholarships — from 3.0 to 2.75 — and using $200 million in lottery reserves to help low-income students pay college tuition."
See Bredesen's budget and read his State of the State address.
Note: This column by Mike Edwards, President and CEO, Knoxville Chamber, was printed in the Knoxville News Sentinel
Workforce Development: what does it mean? In a nutshell, workforce development is about building the quantity and quality of our labor supply to meet the demand for labor. It is a simple enough concept but the steps in achieving that balance are loaded with undertones of politics and serious culture change.
Why should you care? Well, your future and your family’s future depend on it. Your children’s future is directly tied to the knowledge, skills and abilities they have when they leave high school. The health of our economy is a result of a knowledgeable, skilled workforce. In order for our economy to function and grow, we need doctors, nurses, electricians, teachers, truck drivers, customer service representatives, engineers, pilots…you get the picture. The financial security of retirees is also directly tied to the economy, and thus a quality workforce.
So how do we improve the quality of our workforce? Well, we need to ensure that more students are exiting high school with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace or in college. The same goes for students leaving college – they need to have employable skills that are transferable across industries. Educators need to know what those skills are and be able to teach them effectively. Businesses need to expand opportunities for internships and apprenticeships. We need to focus on early career development and the importance of science and math in today’s economy.
We should inform parents and the community as a whole about the benefits of an education and change any negative attitudes towards vocational and technical careers. Welders and pipe-fitters make an extremely good living today and companies are fighting each other for those skilled workers. We need to find ways to attract quality workers to our area and figure out how to keep our local university and college graduates here. And let’s not forget the expertise and experience of our soon-to-be retired or retired workforce. We need their help and we should utilize their talents to prepare the up and coming workforce.
Bottom line is that there is no silver bullet that will solve everything and there is no one person or organizations that can do it alone. Mayor Ragsdale has challenged the Knoxville Chamber to organize a summit where all of these issues are addressed. We will not leave the summit with “the solution,” but the objective is to leave with a game plan for each issue.
However, before we begin, we must agree on our goals. “Do we all agree that students need to improve math skills? If so, then how?” Or, “Do we all agree that effective teaching is critical to a student’s success? If so, then how do we help teachers become more effective?”
These are matters that we - as parents, students, teachers, community members, business leaders and politicians - must decide together. The summit will provide us with a forum to do this. So why should you care? Your future depends on it.
This weekend, the Knoxville News Sentinel carried a column by Don Barkman, president of the Business Center, who opined that schools and parents need to work together to overhaul the way that the youth learn.
He notes that the success of the educational system has a direct impact on the economic/business system.
"Global competitiveness requires a competent work force. Employers are one of the customers of the education system whose product is an educated citizenry/work force. That system should produce citizens who know pertinent facts, apply fundamental skills (4Rs) and creative thinking to new experiences, achieve productive results and establish positive interpersonal relationships."
Barkman suggests that parents and educators of the youngest students need to establish successful learning habits for students to meet that level of competency as young adults.
"To solve a problem requires addressing the root cause. In this case, that involves the processes employed by the suppliers of the raw material (students) — parents and the elementary schools ... The root cause is a flawed educational process. Teachers at all levels find it difficult to draw students’ attention away from entertaining distractions to focus on the nitty-gritty skills of life."
Barkman recommends emphasizing practical skills and experience that students will need as adults rather than more abstract knowledge.
"Strip away the needless memorization of facts that never last into adulthood. Replace them with everyday skill sets like reading a loan application and planning a nutritious meal, and assessment makes more sense to everyone ... On the business side of the education equation, local firms can band together to become “foster firms” to schools to bring more support and real-life connections into the classroom."
Read 'State’s education process needs big changes to make graduates ready for workforce'
The Knoxville News Sentinel this weekend discussed in greater detail the Innovation Valley Inc. partnership that was announced last week. The stories outlined the plans and goals of the new group.
Economic development goals include $3.1 billion in new- and expansion-project capital investment, 30,000 jobs created (direct and indirect), 19,000 existing company jobs added, 2,750 technology related jobs created, and 200 existing-industry headquarter visits.
Education and workforce development goals include raising the area-wide graduation rate to 90 percent, adding 12 new technology curriculum offerings at the high-school level and adding 16 curriculums at the University of Tennessee and other local education institutions.
The Tennessee Board of Education today voted to raise the standards for Tennessee high school students to graduate.
These standards include additional math and science courses, as well as changing policies in physical education, foreign languages and other requirements.
The Board also voted to discontinue the Gateway exams and instead implemented end-of-year tests in key subject areas.
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