Nashville Area Chamber announces support for statewide teacher evaluation process
October 31, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 31, 2011) – The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors has adopted a resolution supporting the implementation of the new statewide teacher evaluation process during the current school year, as an important component of creating academic success for Tennessee's K-12 students.
Tennessee continues to rank near the bottom of the 50 states on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The new teacher evaluation system is the product of legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly during a 2009 special session on education. The new evaluation was a key component of Tennessee’s successful Race to the Top grant application to the U.S. Department of Education, bringing $500 million to the state over a four-year period.
"The Nashville Area Chamber has made improvement of public education its top priority because we recognize that strong public schools are the foundation of an outstanding quality of life," said Chamber President and CEO Ralph Schulz. "The new teacher evaluation system creates an honest, meaningful and ongoing conversation about performance and how to improve instruction for our students. Given that this is a new process, we appreciate the Tennessee Department of Education’s willingness to make revisions as needed. Now is the time to stay the course."
In the 10-county Middle Tennessee region, the Nashville Area Chamber projects a shortage of 22,000 qualified workers for the high-skilled, high-wage jobs that will be created over the next decade.
"Despite high unemployment, hundreds of science and technology jobs in Middle Tennessee are currently unfilled because the region lacks candidates with the necessary skills and knowledge. The Chamber fully supports the efforts of Governor Haslam, the Tennessee Department of Education, members of the Tennessee General Assembly and educators across Middle Tennessee to honor Tennessee’s commitment to charting a brighter future for our schools," said Schulz.