Education Policy Overview
TICUA Grants Workshop
May 31, 012
Today is a time of major convergence in the education policy landscape with many national and state players all working together in new ways on several key issues.
Education Policy Areas of Focus

K-12 Student Evaluation and Value Added Evaluation Systems

Teacher Evaluation

Teacher Preparation Programs

Alternative Teacher Licensing

STEM Education

Common Core Curriculum

College and Career Readiness

College Access

Increasing Post-Secondary Attainment

College Affordability

Community College

Prior Learning Assessments

On-line learning

Partnerships between the Education and Business Communities

Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)

Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)
National Funders

Lumina Foundation for Education ( www.luminafoundation.org
) : Lumina’s Goal 2025 is to increase the proportion of Americans with high quality degrees and credentials to 60% by 2025.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ( www.gatesfoundation.org
): The Gates Foundation’s
Postsecondary Success Strategy aims to increase dramatically the number of young adults who complete their postsecondary education, setting them up for success in the workplace and in life.

Kresge Foundation ( www.kresge.org
) : The Kresge Foundation aims to increase the number of college graduates in the United States, which can fuel a new, education-led era of national prosperity and help millions of low-income and underserved people change the trajectory of their lives.

Other National Influencers

Achieve ( www.achieve.org
) is proud to be the leading voice for the college- and career-ready agenda, and has helped transform the concept of “college and career readiness for all students” from a radical proposal into a national agenda. o American Diploma Project ( www.achieve.org/adp-network ): Through the American
Diploma Project Network governors, state education officials, postsecondary leaders and business executives work together to improve postsecondary preparation by aligning high school standards, graduation requirements and assessment and accountability systems with the demands of college and careers.

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers ( www.parcconline.org
):
Achieve serves as the project management partner for the Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium of states that was awarded a Race to the Top assessment competition grant. PARCC states have committed to building a K-12 assessment system that:
 Builds a pathway to college and career readiness for all students;
 Creates high-quality assessments that measure the full range of the Common
Core State Standards;
 Supports educators in the classroom;
 Makes better use of technology in assessments; and advances accountability at all levels.
 The first exams will be given in 2014-15.

Common Core State Standards Initiative ( www.corestandards.org
or www.tncore.org
): The
Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. The standards: o Are aligned with college and work expectations; o Are clear, understandable and consistent; o Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills; o Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards; o Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and o Are evidence-based.
The Tennessee standards are available at

Complete College America ( www.completecollege.org
): Complete College America is a national nonprofit with a single mission: to work with states to significantly increase the number of
Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.


National Governors Association ( www.nga.org
): The bipartisan organization of the nation's governors—promotes visionary state leadership, shares best practices and speaks with a collective voice on national policy. o 2010-11 NGA Chair Gov. Chris Gregoire's Initiative: Complete to Compete
( http://www.subnet.nga.org/ci/1011/ ): For the better part of the past century, America has enjoyed the reputation of having the best higher education system in the world—a system that has produced the highest proportion of college-educated citizens. Through a consistent focus on student access, our institutions have provided millions of
Americans the opportunity to attend college. Unfortunately, far too few students are completing their education and not receiving a degree or certificate. The result is that nearly one dozen nations have passed us by in college completion, making our economy increasingly vulnerable to international competition. Note: Tennessee Governor Bill
Haslam is a member of this taskforce.

State Higher Education Executive Officers ( www.sheeo.org
): State Higher Education Executive
Officers (SHEEO) Association’s members are the chief executive officers serving 28 statewide governing boards and 29 statewide coordinating boards of higher education.

Council of Chief State School Officers ( www.ccsso.org
): The Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of
Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions.
CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The
Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities ( www.naicu.org
): The National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education. Since 1976, the association has represented private colleges and universities on policy issues with the federal government.
TN Statewide Initiatives

Race to the Top/First to the Top ( www.tn.gov/firsttothetop/ ): In 2010, the federal government awarded the state of Tennessee $501 Million to improve student achievement. At the heart of improving student achievement is a focus on three main student performance goals: o young students' academic readiness, o high school graduates' readiness for college and careers, and o higher rates of graduates enrolling and succeeding in post-secondary education.
Among these initiatives, Tennessee has a renewed focus on developing and improving great teachers and leaders in Tennessee classrooms. Tennessee's First to the Top plan has given the state unique resources and financial opportunities - placing renewed focus on the classroom teacher and a more dedicated focus on encouraging student achievement.


Complete College Tennessee
( http://www.state.tn.us/thec/complete_college_tn/ccta_main.html
) In January 2010,
Tennessee passed the Complete College Tennessee Act (CCTA), a comprehensive reform agenda that seeks to transform public higher education through changes in academic, fiscal and administrative policies at the state and institutional level. At the center of these reforms, is the need for more Tennesseans to be educated and trained better, while also acknowledging the state's diminished fiscal capacity to support higher education. The overarching goal of the Public agenda is to have Tennessee meet the projected national average in educational attainment by
2025. o TN Transfer Pathways ( www.tntransferpathway.org
) As required by CCTA, all public community colleges and universities (and many private colleges) now offer and accept in transfer a common set of courses in its entirety or by completed general education subject field (such as physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, etc.) o Reverse Articulation Agreements
Tennessee Policy Influencers
 State Collaboration on Reforming Education ( www.tnscore.org
): 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. SCORE inspires leaders by sustaining momentum around a common reform agenda, holds a mirror up to the state to illuminate what is working and identify key challenges, and supports work to innovate and develop creative solutions to educational challenges. We do this through research-based policy advocacy, strategic communications, outreach, progress monitoring, and highlighting and sharing best-practices.
 Tennessee College Access and Success Network ( http://tncollegeaccess.org/ ): The Tennessee
College Access and Success Network is driven by the mission to increase the number of
Tennesseans completing postsecondary opportunities. The Tennessee College Access and
Success Network aims to establish a college-going culture in communities across the state.

The Ayers Foundation ( www.theayersfoundation.org
) was created to sustain and/or significantly improve the quality of life in Tennessee, and it is dedicated to ensuring that its services continue in perpetuity. This is accomplished through financial support for college scholarships, medical services for children, and research into pre-cancer detection and diagnosis.

Hyde Family Foundations (www.hydefoundation.org): The Hyde Family Foundations are committed to building a better Memphis. Through active, engaged philanthropy, our mission is to empower the people and programs that are making measurable differences in the community, and to provide leadership on public policy issues that will help Memphis become a world-class, 21st century city… Our mission when it comes to education is simple: We are about
closing the achievement gap. At the heart of our commitment to this issue is the belief that ALL students deserve access to a high-quality education


Eastman Chemical Company Foundation
( http://www.eastman.com/Company/Sustainability/Social_Responsibility/communities/philant hropy/Pages/Philanthropy.aspx
): The Eastman Foundation's mission is to provide financial support to nonprofit organizations that create sustainable community improvement in the areas of education, health and human services, culture and arts, and civic and community.

Niswonger Foundation ( www.niswongerfoundation.org
): The Niswonger Foundation's goal is to help prepare students in East Tennessee's rural school systems for the increasingly rigorous education necessary to compete for 21st century jobs. The Foundation's mission is "to create opportunities for individual and community growth through education and other sustainable projects."
Tennessee’s Higher Education Entities

Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC)

University of Tennessee System

Tennessee Board of Regents System (TBR)

Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA)