Tom Donohue, President of the U,S, Chamber of Commerce, remarks this week that the presidential candidates have been shunning educational issues in favor of discussing the Iraq war, health care and the economy.
Donohue said that what has been noted from the candidates has been a rejection of No Child Left Behind, which he credits with helping raise math and reading skills. The U.S. Chamber favors increasing the No Child Left Behind program and holding the education system more accountable for preparing students for the workforce.
"If we don’t bring urgent change to our K-12 system, how will we compete with India and China? Who will fill the high-tech jobs of the 21st century knowledge economy, especially as baby boomers begin to retire? What will happen to the dreams and potential of our kids?" Donohue wrote.
Donohue praised the Tennessee system and Governor Bredesen's action in education reform.
"Fortunately, the silence of our presidential candidates on education is sharply contrasted by substantial action at the state and local level. Officials like Chancellor of the D.C. Public School System Michelle Rhee and Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen are rejecting a system that fails students, parents, and taxpayers. They are bringing innovation, accountability, and competition to schools with outstanding results."
Tennessee will soon kick off a million-dollar effort to teach educators the new standards that will be implemented as part of the American Diploma Project requirements voted on last month, according to a Tennessean article.
The standards involve additional math, science and foreign language requirements, among others. Conferences with school administrators and supervisors will be the first step in teaching the new curriculum. Then, these educators will share with their colleagues what they have learned so that all teachers are aware of the new policies.
"That's exactly what I want us to be able to provide our teachers: good teaching practices, great examples they can model and any additional knowledge about the content they will teach," said Susan Bunch, assistant commissioner of teaching and learning for the state Department of Education.
In a continuing series of columns on education, the Knoxville News Sentinel this weekend had a column from Pete Stevens about individual teachers and their effect on the education system as a whole.
Stevens placed teachers in one of three categories, wonderful, adequate but in need of mentoring, and terrible. He polled upper-level college students and found that through their experiences, up to 50 percent of teachers fall into that last category.
Former superintendent Charles Lindsey's recommendation was to ensure that students did not have two bad teachers in a row. Stevens' recommendation was to, "kill government schools."
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.
Siemens' President and CEO George Nolen had an editorial in the Washington Business Journal recently describing how his company will need young people who are well educated in math and science, yet does not see that population growing to the numbers that the market requires.
"Strengthening America's commitment to math and science is a critical business issue that transcends quarterly results. Over the next five years, the demand for scientists and engineers in this country is expected to outstrip the overall growth rate for other occupations by at least 70 percent. Yet to date, as a nation, we are falling far short in preparing the next generation of Americans for these critical jobs."
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.
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