Tennessee Chosen to Participate in College and Career-Ready Policy Institute
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 | 05:32am
NASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen and Education Commissioner Timothy Webb today announced Tennessee has been chosen as one of eight leading states across the country to participate in the College & Career-Ready Policy Institute. The Institute is designed to support the states efforts to improve and strengthen policies and practices to ensure all young people graduate from high school prepared for college and career success.
"Our goal is to provide a quality education for every child in Tennessee and to work to raise academic standards to better prepare them for college or career after high school," Gov. Bredesen said. "Being chosen to participate in the Institute will only further support our efforts."
As part of the institute, education leaders across the selected states will collaborate over the next two years to put in place assessment and accountability systems that fully reflect the goal of all students graduating college- and career-ready. To support these states, several national organizations have joined forces: Achieve, Data Quality Campaign, Education Counsel, Jobs for the Future and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices will work together to provide guidance, advice and support to participating state teams.
"Working with the Institute and other states, were going to make it our number one priority to ensure our policies, practices and leaders provide the support that schools and districts need to make this a reality," Commissioner Webb said.
Tennessee will join Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico and Ohio in Washington, D.C. today to launch the Institute as part of the American Diploma Project leadership meeting. The ADP Network is a coalition of states whose governors and education and business leaders have committed to ensuring that K-12 standards focus on the same knowledge and skills necessary for success in college and work. Governor Bredesen launched Tennessees participation in the American Diploma Project in 2007.
As part of the Tennessee Diploma Project, high school standards have been aligned with college and workplace expectations, teachers will be required to use a work- and college-based curriculum and learning institutes will be held accountable with benchmarks that describe specific math and English skills high school graduate must have to succeed.
For more information, contact Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel.Woods@state.tn.us.