News Releases
Home >
Newsroom >
News Releases
January 26th, 2012
Organization Will “Listen and Gather Feedback on Successes and Challenges”
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) today announced details of a statewide feedback process on Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation system at a meeting of the State Board of Education. The process, which is designed to gather input from a wide range of voices, particularly from educators, follows a charge by Governor Bill Haslam to conduct a formal feedback process, independent of state government.
“Great teaching is the number one school-based factor in improving student achievement,” SCORE President and CEO Jamie Woodson said. “Our state is now in the first year of implementing a teacher evaluation system to identify and foster great teaching. Critical to the success of this implementation work is robust and extensive feedback from educators and community leaders to identify what is working and what can be improved. Over the next four months, SCORE’s role will be to listen.”
From February through May 2012, SCORE will gather feedback and input in four ways:
- Regional Roundtables: SCORE will facilitate eight public regional roundtables across the state. Roundtable participants will include teachers, principals, superintendents, parents, and community and business leaders.
- Online Survey: Beginning March 1, SCORE will launch an online survey to gather feedback on current teacher evaluation practices and policies from educators.
- Discussions with existing groups and networks: SCORE will gather feedback from existing groups, such as superintendent, principal, and supervisor study councils, as well as leaders and educators from each of the four evaluation models.
- Educator Work Team: SCORE will convene a representative group of teachers and principals from across the state to provide ongoing feedback.
Seven organizations have partnered with SCORE to gather feedback from educators and community leaders. They include: Tennessee Education Association (TEA), Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA), Tennessee Business Roundtable, Tennessee PTA, Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET), and the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
More details on the regional roundtables and educator survey are available at www.tnscore.org/feedback.
Following the feedback process, SCORE will produce a report to the Tennessee State Board of Education and Department of Education. The report, which will be completed by June 1, will provide a catalogue of feedback from across the state on the four approved evaluation models and will propose a range of policy considerations for teacher evaluation moving forward. SCORE’s work will be led by Dr. Sharon Roberts, who has served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in Tennessee, and now works as the Chief Operating Officer at SCORE.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) collaboratively supports Tennessee’s work to prepare students for college and the workforce. We are an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan advocacy and research institution, founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
November 22nd, 2011
District Leader, Educator, and Administrator to Lead Statewide Outreach Efforts
(Nashville) – Jamie Woodson, President and CEO of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), announced today that Dr. Sharon Roberts will join the organization as Chief Operating Officer. Roberts, who currently serves as Director of the Lebanon Special School District, will begin her new role at SCORE on January 2, 2012.
“Sharon Roberts is recognized as one of Tennessee’s most outstanding educators, having spent over 30 years as a teacher, school administrator, and district leader,” Woodson said. “SCORE is focused on the successful implementation of our state’s education reform efforts, and Sharon’s leadership will be critical to supporting this work. We are thrilled she will be joining our team, and are excited about the perspective and background she brings as an experienced practitioner.”
In her role as Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Roberts will lead SCORE’s outreach program, targeting and engaging stakeholders across the state. Her work will include driving statewide reform efforts through information and guidance, maintaining and deepening relationships with education partners, and identifying successes and challenges in implementation. Roberts will also have a leadership role in SCORE’s organizational operations, working with the CEO and staff to further SCORE’s mission, vision, and strategic plan.
Dr. Roberts is a native of Knoxville, and received her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She began her career in education in 1981 as a special education teacher in the Grainger County School System. She also worked for more than 21 years in the Knox County School System where she served as a special education teacher, middle school science and reading teacher, instructional coach, principal, Assistant Superintendent for Supplementary Student Services, and Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services. Roberts was appointed Director of Schools for the Lebanon Special School District in 2005 and is President of the Association of Independent and Municipal Schools (AIMS) Evaluation System of Tennessee, where she has overseen the implementation of one of the state’s three alternative teacher evaluation models. Dr. Roberts currently serves as a member of the Tennessee State Board of Education’s Advisory Council on Teacher Education and Certification, and the Tennessee Board of Regents Teacher Education Redesign Director of Schools Advisory Board.
“SCORE has a clear goal – for Tennessee to become the fastest improving state in the nation in terms of student achievement,” Roberts said. “I am thrilled about the opportunity to work with educators, administrators, parents, and community members throughout the state to make that goal a reality. I will certainly miss the Lebanon Special School District community, but look forward to working with Lebanon and many other school districts across Tennessee in this new role.”
Dr. Roberts will leave her role as Director of the Lebanon Special School District on January 1, 2012.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
November 17th, 2011
Site Highlights Data on 2011 SCORE Prize Winners and Finalists
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) today launched a website to highlight best practices in public education in Tennessee. The site, which can be accessed at www.tnscore.org/scoreprize, highlights the work of the eight finalists and four winners of the 2011 SCORE Prize, which was awarded to the elementary, middle, and high school in Tennessee, along with one school district, that most dramatically improved student achievement in spite of the many challenges they face. The site also features a highlight video of the 2011 SCORE Prize event, held in late September, which includes remarks from SCORE Chairman Bill Frist and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, as well as a musical performance by country music star Josh Turner.
“Our aim is to identify and share the steps that have been taken to improve student achievement,” SCORE President and CEO Jamie Woodson said. “This website showcases the incredible work being done by teachers, principals, and district leaders across Tennessee.”
The website provides detailed data, including attendance rates and progress in narrowing achievement gaps, on the SCORE Prize winners and finalists, and video interviews that document the path the schools and districts have taken to improve student achievement. Information on the annual SCORE Prize selection process is also included.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
October 3rd, 2011
Three Schools and One School District Recognized For Dramatically Improving Student Achievement
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) tonight announced the four winners of the first annual SCORE Prize Award at an event at the historic Ryman Auditorium. The winners, three schools and one school district, were recognized for dramatically improving student achievement in spite of the challenges they face. The awards show featured remarks from Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, SCORE Chairman and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman, and SCORE CEO Jamie Woodson. The evening concluded with a performance by Grammy-nominated country music artist Josh Turner.
The 2011 SCORE Prize winners are:
- Elementary
Fairview Elementary, Anderson County
- Middle
Power Center Academy, Memphis
- High
Mt. Juliet High School, Wilson County
- District
Maryville City Schools
“Tonight is a celebration of excellence in public education,” said SCORE Chairman Bill Frist. “The SCORE Prize winners are truly examples of success, and prove that even in the face of challenges it is possible to improve learning outcomes for all students. We recognize and commend their accomplishments in preparing more and more students for college and the workforce.”
The SCORE Prize school winners received $10,000, and the district winner received $25,000. Winners were chosen in a two-step process; the first stage identified finalists through a multi-staged criteria selection process that set benchmarks for attendance rate, TVAAS growth, and TCAP improvement, and awarded bonus points for ACT college-readiness benchmark rates and college-going rates, among others; the second stage consisted of site visits of the finalists to document the policies and practices that have enabled schools and districts to make significant gains in student achievement.
About the Winners
- Fairview Elementary serves 278 students in Anderson County. 60.6 percent of the school’s students are economically disadvantaged. In the last year, the school has increased its number of students who are proficient or advanced on the math TCAP from the 30th decile to the 50th decile. Fairview’s three-year TVAAS growth average is 14.01 in math and 8.99 in reading.
- Power Center Academy serves 191 students in Memphis. The school is a charter school, and 85 percent of the school’s students are economically disadvantaged. In the last year, the school has increased its number of students who are proficient or advanced on the math TCAP from the 20th to the 30th decile. Power Center Academy’s three-year TVAAS growth average is 9.72 in math and 6.93 in reading. Over the last year, the school has narrowed the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students by 9.82 points in reading and 18.66 points in math.
- Mt. Juliet High School serves 1,775 students in Wilson County. The school’s three-year TVAAS growth average is 8.38 in Algebra I and 5.72 in English II. Over the last year, the school has narrowed the achievement gap between Hispanic and white students by 16.41 points in math. The school’s three-year ACT average is 21.
- Maryville City Schools serves 4,890 students in East Tennessee. 33.1 percent of the district’s students are economically disadvantaged. The district’s three-year TVAAS growth average is 14.3 in math, 3.8 in reading, 5.0 in Algebra I, and 4.0 in English II. The district’s three-year ACT average is 23.8. Over the last year, the district has narrowed the achievement gap between Hispanic and white students by 29.33 points in math.
In the coming weeks, SCORE will release videos and case studies of all 12 SCORE Prize finalists. This work will be used to highlight best practices in improving public education in Tennessee.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
August 9th, 2011
Report Outlines Specific Recommendations to “Transform the Rural South”
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) today released a report outlining specific recommendations to improve public education in rural communities in the South. The recommendations in Transforming the Rural South: A Roadmap to Improving Rural Education are based on research, best practices, and voices from rural communities across Tennessee and throughout the Southeast. The report, released jointly with the Ayers Foundation, Niswonger Foundation, Rural School and Community Trust, and the Tennessee School Boards Association, follows the Southeast Regional Rural Education Summit, which was held in Nashville on July 19-20, 2011.
“In Tennessee and across the South, the success and economic vibrancy of our rural communities are critically tied to quality public education,” SCORE President and CEO Jamie Woodson said. “The priorities and action items detailed in this report serve to highlight not only what must happen inside the classroom and the school house, but also what needs to happen in the community to improve rural education.”
The report outlines six priorities, with action items for each priority. The priorities include:
- Highlighting the connection between education and economic development
- Offering schools and districts more flexibility
- Forming a pipeline of effective teachers
- Using technology to meet instructional needs
- Creating professional learning communities for administrators
- Forming partnerships to enhance educational opportunities
The 34 action items in the report are targeted specifically to various education stakeholders. For example, school districts are encouraged to partner with nearby districts to recruit and retain highly effective teaching candidates who can serve as content specialists in critical subjects like reading and math across district lines. Local elected officials should make investing in public education the top priority to improve local economic development. The postsecondary community should enhance its teacher preparation programs to expose candidates to actual teaching settings in rural communities as a dual strategy to improve teacher effectiveness and recruitment to rural schools. Most importantly, business and community leaders should continue to stress the individual and community importance of obtaining a high school diploma and pursuing postsecondary training and education.
“Rural communities face unique challenges in improving public education,” said Linda Irwin, Director of School Partnerships at the Niswonger Foundation. “This plan of action serves as a guiding document to give all stakeholders, from parents to school districts, a clear roadmap that is tailored to the unique rural environment.”
The full report can be viewed here: http://www.tnscore.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/SCORE-Rural-Education-Roadmap.pdf
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
July 29th, 2011
(Nashville) – Jamie Woodson, President and CEO of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, released the following statement today on the 2010-11 statewide AYP results and waiver request:
In the last few years, Tennessee has committed to bold education reform through an ambitious and aggressive plan to transform our public schools and improve student achievement. Reform is critical to ensuring students graduate from high school prepared for college or the workforce.
This is hard work. While we have a long way to go to reach our goals, significant progress is being made in Tennessee. Because we have set higher standards and are expecting more of students, they are achieving more.
A challenge that Tennessee faces is fitting this bold reform plan within a meaningful federal accountability framework. Tennessee has set a high bar for improving student achievement, and I applaud Governor Haslam and Commissioner Huffman for being innovative about aligning Tennessee’s transformational roadmap with an accountability framework that is focused on student achievement.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
July 13th, 2011
Focus on Improving Rural Economic Development Through Education Strategies
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is hosting the Southeast Regional Rural Education Summit, which will be held on July 19-20, 2011 at Lipscomb University in Nashville. The summit will bring together rural educators, administrators, policymakers, and other education stakeholders to highlight best practices in rural public education, influence regional and national education policy, and improve rural economic development in the Southeast through education strategies. The summit will inform a Roadmap to Improving Rural Education, which SCORE and its summit partners will release following the event, that outlines the needed steps to significantly improve rural education throughout the Southeast.
The entire summit is open to the press, but members of the media are encouraged to attend during the morning sessions on Tuesday, July 19 when the speakers will include former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Chairman, SCORE; Kevin Huffman, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education; John White, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach, U.S. Department of Education; Bill Hagerty, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development; Jamie Woodson, President and CEO, SCORE; and Michael Marshall, Alternate Federal Co-Chairman, Delta Regional Authority.
Other featured speakers include Crissy Haslam, First Lady of Tennessee; Dave Spence, President, Southern Regional Education Board; and John Morgan, Chancellor, Tennessee Board of Regents.
- WHO: The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), in collaboration with the Rural School and Community Trust, the Niswonger Foundation, the Ayers Foundation, and the Tennessee School Boards Association
- WHAT: The Southeast Regional Rural Education Summit
- WHEN: Tuesday, July 19 and Wednesday, July 20, 2011
- WHERE: Collins Auditorium, Lipscomb University, 1 University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204
A full summit agenda is available here. For more information contact David Mansouri, Director of Communications at SCORE, at david@tennesseescore.org or 615.727.1545.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
April 14th, 2011
Education Leader and Senate Speaker Pro Tempore to Lead Tennessee-Based Reform Organization
(Nashville) – The Chairman of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced today that Jamie Woodson will lead the organization as President and Chief Executive Officer, following a national search for the position. Woodson, an attorney who currently serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Tennessee State Senate, will resign from the General Assembly at the end of the current legislative session to begin her new role at SCORE.
“Improving public education has been the hallmark of Jamie Woodson’s career in public service and her commitment to student achievement and growth has been remarkable,” Frist said. “As SCORE’s President and CEO, Jamie will not only lead one of the nation’s most innovative education reform organizations, but will have the unique opportunity to continue bringing about meaningful change for Tennessee’s children by working with educators, policymakers, philanthropists, business leaders, and parents.”
During her 12 years in the General Assembly, Woodson has helped spearhead Tennessee’s education reform efforts. She chaired the Senate Education Committee from 2005 until 2009, and during that time led successful efforts to overhaul the Basic Education Program (BEP), the mechanism for funding K-12 public education in Tennessee. In 2009, she sponsored key revisions to the Tennessee Public Charter School Act, resulting in more charter schools, expanded student eligibility, and increased statewide public and philanthropic support.
In 2010, Woodson served on Tennessee’s five-member Race to the Top pitch team, which helped secure the more than $500 million grant by demonstrating Tennessee’s commitment to reforming K-12 public schools to the U.S. Department of Education. Since then, she has chaired Tennessee’s First to the Top Advisory Council, a panel of national and state education experts that provides strategic guidance on implementation of the state’s landmark Race to the Top reforms.
“I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to lead SCORE at such a critical time for Tennessee,” Woodson said. “As a legislator, supporting and improving public education in Tennessee has truly been my passion. There is no higher priority for parents, school systems, and our state. While I will miss my work in the legislature, this new opportunity is a natural continuation of the work in which I have already been engaged, and gives me the opportunity to dedicate 100 percent of my efforts to improving public education in our state.”
Woodson’s first task at SCORE will be leading a strategic planning process to chart the organization’s future. This planning work, which will be supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will help define and expand SCORE’s ongoing activities in areas such as advocacy, policy, research, and technical assistance.
“Since launching in 2009, SCORE has done an excellent job of building and maintaining the case for meaningful education reform,” Frist said. “Looking ahead, we want to make sure the organization is properly positioned to support the work of state government and our local school systems. No one is better suited for this role than Jamie Woodson.”
Woodson will resign from the State Senate effective July 1, 2011, or at the close of business on the last day of the current legislative session, whichever comes first. Woodson will begin her work at SCORE at that time.
Woodson’s photo, for media use, is available here.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
March 24th, 2011
Frist: Tremendous Progress Has Been Made – Important Work Still Remains
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) today released its annual State of Education in Tennessee report. SCORE Chairman and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist presented the report during SCORE’s quarterly Steering Committee meeting of major education stakeholders from across Tennessee.
“To be economically competitive and increase job growth, Tennessee must improve its public education system,” said SCORE Chairman Bill Frist. “This annual report gives a comprehensive look at education reform in Tennessee, highlights innovative successes across the state, and gives clear recommendations and direction for improvement in public K-12 education. Tremendous progress has been made in the Volunteer State in the last year. But this report clearly shows that important work remains to ensure that every Tennessee child graduates high school prepared for college or the workforce.”
The report includes a Year In Review, outlining the significant progress that Tennessee made in education in 2010, and highlights four “Promising Practices” of innovative reform efforts in different regions of the state.
In addition, the report outlines four priorities that SCORE believes will be crucial to continued progress in 2011. These priorities include:
- Sustained policy leadership in education reform from state leaders, including legislators, educators, and business and community leaders. These leaders must ensure that recent reforms are successfully implemented and push forward with other reforms, especially those related to more directly connecting the state’s new teacher evaluations system to hiring, tenure, and compensation decisions.
- A comprehensive strategy for improving the pipeline of district and school leaders through the launching of a statewide initiative to create a network of high quality school leadership programs. These programs would recruit, train, and support highly effective school leaders.
- A relentless focus on instructional quality by ensuring that there is an effective teacher at the front of every classroom. This requires connecting the state’s new teacher evaluation system to high-quality feedback and professional development opportunities, and by creating and expanding mentoring programs for new and low-performing teachers.
- Increasing the capacity of the Tennessee Department of Education by aggressively recruiting high-quality staff to the Department, and strengthening the Department’s regional offices so they can support individual local districts in implementing reforms
“These four priorities are crucial to maintaining the historic momentum in education that Tennessee has experienced,” said Senator Frist. “They are based in the belief that successful implementation, and not just policy change, is critical to seeing real improvement in student achievement.”
The full report can be viewed here: http://www.tnscore.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Score-2010-Annual-Report-Full.pdf
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
March 21st, 2011
(Nashville) – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) will release its annual State of Education in Tennessee report on Thursday, March 24. SCORE Chairman and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will present the report at a press conference during SCORE’s quarterly Steering Committee meeting. Committee members include major education stakeholders from across Tennessee.
- WHO: Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and SCORE Chairman Bill Frist
- WHAT: SCORE releases its annual State of Education in Tennessee report, highlighting innovative successes in education reform, recommendations for improvement in public K-12 education, and public education data
- WHEN: Thursday, March 24, 2PM Central (media setup at 1:45PM)
- WHERE: First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, First Floor, 1207 18th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212
- DIRECTIONS: The First Amendment Center is located on the edge of Vanderbilt’s campus, near the intersection of 18th Avenue South and Edgehill Avenue. Parking is across the street.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education and advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.
