Tennessee Educators
Tennessee will set a new path for the education profession and be the top state in which to become and remain a teacher and leader for all by providing opportunities to become a teacher for free and build a pathway into the profession. The department is investing more than $20 million to address shortages of credentialed teachers and professional development for our educators to ensure all students can get the supports they need.
The state’s Grow Your Own initiative creates pathways to become a teacher for free— enabling future teachers to earn their degree, serve their home communities, maintain employment, and begin day one of teaching with real-world classroom experience.
Additionally, the department provides supports to educators related to educator licensure and preparation, professional development and additional endorsement opportunities to ensure all Tennessee educators are provided with resources to succeed in the classroom.
Resources for Educators
News
Tennessee Receives Nearly $8 Million for the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program
Nashville, TN — The Tennessee Department of Education has been awarded more than $7.9 million from the U.S. Department of Education and Labor through the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL). Tennessee was among approximately twenty grantees that received this award. To date, the program has supported approximately 160 projects nationwide.
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Tennessee Educator Selected for NIET Teacher Leader Fellows Program
Nashville–The Tennessee Department of Education is pleased to share that Ashley Billingsley, Principal at Oneida Elementary School in Oneida Special School District, has been chosen for the 2027 cohort of The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) Leader Fellows Program. NIET selected 13 educators nationwide to join this distinguished group.
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Middle Tennessee Teacher Receives National Recognition as a Milken Educator
Manchester, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced Middle Tennessee Teacher, Holly Logan of Westwood Elementary School in Manchester City Schools has been named a recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award, one of the highest honors in education that has been dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine.
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