TN Race To The Trough Appendix A

Tennessee Diploma Project: First to the Top
High
Expectations
for Students
Supported
by Rigorous
Standards
and
Assessments
Developing
and
Managing
Teachers &
Leaders
Effectively
Students
Who Are
College
and
Career
Ready
Accelerated
Student
Achievement
Gains
Differentiated Career Paths and
Compensation Based on Performance
Creating Pathways for Talented
People to Teach & Lead
Meaningful Evaluations &
Targeted Professional Development
High Expectations for Teachers and
Leaders with Ongoing Coaching & Support
All of these elements work in concert to create a dynamic education system that increases
student achievement, supports great teaching, and uses data to inform stakeholders and guide policymakers.
Continuous Learning Based on Data-Driven Decision Making
Tennessee Race to the Top Appendix A-1-1
A-1
TennesseeRacetotheTopAppendixA12

A-2

Tennessee Participating Local Education Agency Memorandum of Understanding

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is entered into by and between the State of Tennessee
(State) and _____________________________ (Participating LEA). The purpose of this agreement is
to establish a framework of collaboration, as well as articulate specific roles and responsibilities in support of
the State in its implementation of an approved Race to the Top grant project.
I. SCOPE OF WORK
Exhibit I, the Preliminary Scope of Work, indicates which portions of the States proposed reform plans
(State Plan) the Participating LEA is agreeing to implement. (Note that, in order to participate, the LEA
must agree to implement all of the State Plan.)
II. PROJECT ADMINISTRATION
A. PARTICIPATING LEA RESPONSIBILITIES
In assisting the State in implementing the tasks and activities described in the States Race to the Top
application, the Participating LEA subgrantee will:

1) Implement the LEA plan as identified in Exhibits I and II of this agreement;
2) Actively participate in all relevant convenings, communities of practice, or other practice-sharing events
that are organized or sponsored by the State or by the U.S. Department of Education (ED);
3) Post to any website specified by the State or ED, in a timely manner, all non-proprietary products and
lessons learned developed using funds associated with the Race to the Top grant;
4) Participate, as requested, in any evaluations of this grant conducted by the State or ED;
5) Be responsive to State or ED requests for information including on the status of the project, project
implementation, outcomes, and any problems anticipated or encountered;
6) Participate in meetings and telephone conferences with the State to discuss (a) progress of the project, (b)
potential dissemination of resulting non-proprietary products and lessons learned, (c) plans for subsequent
years of the Race to the Top grant period, and (d) other matters related to the Race to the Top grant and
associated plans.

B. STATE RESPONSIBILITIES
In assisting Participating LEAs in implementing their tasks and activities described in the States Race to the
Top application, the State grantee will:

1) Work collaboratively with, and support the Participating LEA in carrying out the LEA Plan as identified in
Exhibits I and II of this agreement;
2) Timely distribute the LEAs portion of Race to the Top grant funds during the course of the project
period and in accordance with the LEA Plan identified in Exhibit II;
3) Provide feedback on the LEAs status updates, annual reports, any interim reports, and project plans and
products; and
4) Identify sources of technical assistance for the project.

C. JOINT RESPONSIBILITIES
1) The State and the Participating LEA will each appoint a key contact person for the Race to the Top grant.
2) These key contacts from the State and the Participating LEA will maintain frequent communication to
facilitate cooperation under this MOU.
3) State and Participating LEA grant personnel will work together to determine appropriate timelines for
project updates and status reports throughout the whole grant period.
Tennessee, Appendix A-1-2 A-3

4) State and Participating LEA grant personnel will negotiate in good faith to continue to achieve the overall
goals of the States Race to the Top grant, even when the State Plan requires modifications that affect the
Participating LEA, or when the LEA Plan requires modifications.

D. STATE RECOURSE FOR LEA NON-PERFORMANCE
If the State determines that the LEA is not meeting its goals, timelines, budget, or annual targets or is not
fulfilling other applicable requirements, the State grantee will take appropriate enforcement action, which
could include a collaborative process between the State and the LEA, or any of the enforcement measures
that are detailed in 34 CFR section 80.43 including putting the LEA on reimbursement payment status,
temporarily withholding funds, or disallowing costs.

III. ASSURANCES
The Participating LEA hereby certifies and represents that it:
1) Has all requisite power and authority to execute this MOU;
2) Is familiar with the States Race to the Top grant application and is supportive of and committed to
working on all or significant portions of the State Plan;
3) Agrees to be a Participating LEA and will implement those portions of the State Plan indicated in Exhibit
I, if the State application is funded,
4) Will provide a Final Scope of Work to be attached to this MOU as Exhibit II only if the States application
is funded; will do so in a timely fashion but no later than 90 days after a grant is awarded; and will describe in
Exhibit II the LEAs specific goals, activities, timelines, budgets, key personnel, and annual targets for key
performance measures (LEA Plan ) in a manner that is consistent with the Preliminary Scope of Work
(Exhibit I) and with the State Plan; and
5) Will comply with all of the terms of the Grant, the States subgrant, and all applicable Federal and State
laws and regulations, including laws and regulations applicable to the Program, and the applicable provisions
of EDGAR (34 CFR Parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99).

IV. MODIFICATIONS
This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended only by written agreement signed by each of the
parties involved, and in consultation with ED.

V. DURATION/TERMINATION
This Memorandum of Understanding shall be effective, beginning with the date of the last signature hereon
and, if a grant is received, ending upon the expiration of the grant project period, or upon mutual agreement
of the parties, whichever occurs first.

VI. SIGNATURES

LEA Director of Schools:

___________________________________________________________
Signature/Date

___________________________________________________________
Print Name/Title

Chair of Local Board of Education:

___________________________________________________________
Signature/Date

___________________________________________________________
Print Name/Title

President of Local Teachers Association (if applicable):

___________________________________________________________
Signature/Date

___________________________________________________________
Print Name/Title

Tennessee Commissioner of Education:
By its signature below, the State hereby accepts the LEA as a Participating LEA.

___________________________________________________________
Signature/Date

___________________________________________________________
Print Name/Title



A-6

LEA hereby agrees to participate in implementing the State Plan in each of the areas identified below.

Elements of State Reform Plans
LEA
Participation
(Y/N)
Comments from LEA (optional)
B. Standards and Assessments
(B)(3) Supporting the transition to enhanced standards
and high-quality assessments

C. Data Systems to Support Instruction
(C)(3) Using data to improve instruction:
(i) Use of local instructional improvement systems
(ii) Professional development on use of data
(iii) Availability and accessibility of data to
researchers

D. Great Teachers and Leaders
(D)(2) Improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance:
(i) Measure student growth
(ii) Design and implement evaluation systems
(iii) Conduct annual evaluations
(iv)(a) Use evaluations to inform professional
development

(iv)(b) Use evaluations to inform compensation,
promotion, and retention

(iv)(c) Use evaluations to inform tenure and/or full
certification

(iv)(d) Use evaluations to inform removal
(D)(3) Ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals:
(i) High-poverty and/or high-minority schools
(ii) Hard-to-staff subjects and specialty areas
(D)(5) Providing effective support to teachers and principals:
(i) Quality professional development
(ii) Measure effectiveness of professional
development

E. Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools
(E)(2) Turning around the lowest-achieving schools

________________________________ _______________________________
Director of Schools Tennessee Commissioner of Education
________________________________ ________________________________
Print Name Print Name
________________________________ ________________________________
Date Date
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Baseline Estimate Estimate Goal Goal Goal Goal
All 83.2 78.7 78.7 81.5 84.4 87.2 90
African Am. 71.5 69.1 69.1 74.3 79.6 84.8 90
Asian/PI 91.3 84.3 84.3 85.7 87.2 88.6 90
Hispanic 77.3 72.4 72.4 76.8 81.2 85.6 90
Native Am. 83.7 75.5 75.5 79.1 82.8 86.4 90
White 87.9 82.5 82.5 84.4 86.3 88.1 90
Male 80.2 75.1 75.1 78.8 82.6 86.3 90
Female 86.3 82.5 82.5 84.4 86.3 88.1 90
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Baseline Estimate Goal Goal Goal Goal Goal
All 83 70 74 78 82 86 90
Tennessee has the capacity to disaggregate this information for race/ethnicity. For the other three required subgroups
(Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities, and Limited English Proficient), Tennessee will begin to
track first-time 9th graders for school year 2005-06. In 2009-10, Tennessee will be able to calculate a graduation rate
for those three groups.
For the 2009-10 graduating class, Tennessee will use the National Governor's Association (NGA) rate. For 2010-11,
Tennessee will use the US DOE mandated 4-year cohort rate. Tennessee expects, based on test calculations of the
NGA Rate, the Graduation Rate will decrease between 2008-09 and 2009-10. In the following year, Tennessee expects
the rate to remain at a similar rate or possibly decrease slightly when using the US DOE 4-year cohort rate.
Tennessee Department of Education Graduation Rate Goals
CCRPI Graduation Rate Goals for All Students, 2009-2015
Tennessee Goals: Graduation Rate, 2009-2015
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Year
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
i
o
n

R
a
t
e

(
%
)
All
African Am.
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am.
White
Male
Female
A-7
Year All African Am Asian/PI Hispanic Native Am White Econ Dis SWD LEP
2008-09* 89.0 80.0 95.0 86.0 92.0 92.0 83.0 66.0 76.0
2009-10 89.0 83.0 95.0 86.0 92.0 92.0 83.0 83.0 83.0
2010-11 91.0 91.0 95.0 91.0 92.0 92.0 91.0 91.0 91.0
2011-12 91.0 91.0 95.0 91.0 92.0 92.0 91.0 91.0 91.0
2012-13 91.0 91.0 95.0 91.0 92.0 92.0 91.0 91.0 91.0
2013-14 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
* - baseline year
Math AYP Achievement Goals for Grades 9-12, 2009-2014
The following charts represent current targets and performance levels of subgroups. Achievement Gap data will be adjusted
upon the recalibration of new assessments which will determine new AYP benchmark targets. Current projections are based
on the most recent administration of the ESEA required assessment and actual subgroup performance (baseline data).
Targets are set for a three-year cycle, therefore once the target is realized it must be maintained or increased to stay on track
to closing the achievement gap. Tennessee will equate the Tennessee Curriculum Standards and later the Common Core
Standards to the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment results using an Equipercentile based
statistical adjustment for multiyear, averaging, safe harbor, and second indicator calculations.
Tennessee Goals: Math AYP Achievement for Grades 9-12, 2009-2014
60
70
80
90
100
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
School Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
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P
r
o
f
i
c
i
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t

o
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A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-8
Tennessee, Appendix A-1-4
2008-09* 91 84 97 90 92 93 86 66 84
2009-10 91 86 97 90 92 93 86 86 86
2010-11 93 93 97 93 93 93 93 93 93
2011-12 93 93 97 93 93 93 93 93 93
2012-13 93 93 97 93 93 93 93 93 93
2013-14 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
* - baseline year
Math AYP Achievement Goals for Grades 3-8, 2009-2014
The following charts represent current targets and performance levels of subgroups. Achievement Gap data will be
adjusted upon the recalibration of new assessments which will determine new AYP benchmark targets. Current projections
are based on the most recent administration of the ESEA required assessment and actual subgroup performance (baseline
data). Targets are set for a three-year cycle, therefore once the target is realized it must be maintained or increased to stay
on track to closing the achievement gap. Tennessee will equate the Tennessee Curriculum Standards and later the
Common Core Standards to the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment results using an
Equipercentile based statistical adjustment for multiyear, averaging, safe harbor, and second indicator calculations.
Tennessee Goals: Math AYP Achievement for Grades 3-8, for 2009-2014
60
70
80
90
100
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
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P
r
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f
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t

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A
d
v
a
n
c
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d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-9
2008-09* 94 91 96 91 93 95 91 77 78
2009-10 94 93 96 93 93 95 93 93 93
2010-11 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97
2011-12 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97
2012-13 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97
2013-14 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
* - baseline year
Reading/Language Arts/Writing AYP Achievement Goals for Grades 9-12, 2009-2014
The following charts represent current targets and performance levels of subgroups. Achievement Gap data will be
adjusted upon the recalibration of new assessments which will determine new AYP benchmark targets. Current projections
are based on the most recent administration of the ESEA required assessment and actual subgroup performance (baseline
data). Targets are set for a three-year cycle, therefore once the target is realized it must be maintained or increased to stay
on track to closing the achievement gap. Tennessee will equate the Tennessee Curriculum Standards and later the
Common Core Standards to the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment results using an
Equipercentile based statistical adjustment for multiyear, averaging, safe harbor, and second indicator calculations.
Tennessee Goals: Reading/Language Arts/Writing AYP Achievement
for Grades 9-12, 2009-2014
60
70
80
90
100
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
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d
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s

s
c
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P
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f
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t

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A
d
v
a
n
c
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d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-10
2008-09* 91 84 95 86 89 94 86 73 76
2009-10 91 89 95 89 89 94 89 89 89
2010-11 94 94 95 94 94 94 94 94 94
2011-12 94 94 95 94 94 94 94 94 94
2012-13 94 94 95 94 94 94 94 94 94
2013-14 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
* - baseline year
Reading/Language Arts/Writing AYP Achievement Goals for Grades 3-8, 2009-2014
The following charts represent current targets and performance levels of subgroups. Achievement Gap data will be adjusted
upon the recalibration of new assessments which will determine new AYP benchmark targets. Current projections are based
on the most recent administration of the ESEA required assessment and actual subgroup performance (baseline data).
Targets are set for a three-year cycle, therefore once the target is realized it must be maintained or increased to stay on track
to closing the achievement gap. Tennessee will equate the Tennessee Curriculum Standards and later the Common Core
Standards to the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment results using an Equipercentile based
statistical adjustment for multiyear, averaging, safe harbor, and second indicator calculations.
Tennessee Goals: Reading/Language Arts/Writing AYP Achievement
for Grades 3-8, 2009-2014
60
70
80
90
100
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Year
P
e
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(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-11
Overall White Black Hispanic Elig SLP
2007-08* 26 32 8 18 14
2009-10 28 33 12 21 17
2011-12 31 35 21 26 24
2013-14 35 36 30 33 32
* - baseline year
Elig SLP =Eligible for National School Lunch Program
Tennessee Goals: NAEP Reading, Grade 8
Tennessee Goals: NAEP Reading, Grade 8, 2007-2014
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14
Year
P
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c
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n
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o
f

s
t
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d
e
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s
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d
v
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(
%
)
Overall
White
Black
Hispanic
Elig SLP
A-12
Overall White Black Hispanic Elig SLP
2007-08* 23 30 7 13 12
2009-10 25 32 9 17 17
2011-12 30 38 18 28 27
2013-14 37 43 34 39 38
* - baseline year
Elig SLP =Eligible for National School Lunch Program
Tennessee Goals: NAEP Mathematics, Grade 8
Tennessee Goals: NAEP Mathematics, Grade 8, 2007-2014
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
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n
t
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s
c
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A
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v
a
n
c
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d

(
%
)
Overall
White
Black
Hispanic
Elig SLP
A-13
2007-08 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2014-15
Actual
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Target
Universities 19,068 94 94 99 99 100 99 100 100 20,298
Community Colleges 12,376 73 88 94 95 97 96 98 100 16,915
Technology Centers 9,030 81 87 93 93 96 97 99 100 11,116
Total 40,474 84 91 96 96 98 98 99 100 48,329
A. Recent public high school graduates enrolled in public postsecondary education.
70
80
90
100
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
P
e
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c
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o
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T
a
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(
%
)
Universities Community Colleges Technology Centers Total
A-14
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Actual # # # # # # Target
Universities 19,068 20,451 21,613 21,552 21,831 21,636 21,823 21,748
Community Colleges 12,376 13,627 14,548 14,656 14,950 14,921 15,156 15,465
Technology Centers 9,030 9,668 10,319 10,392 10,678 10,735 10,984 11,116
Total 40,474 43,746 46,480 46,600 47,459 47,293 47,963 48,329
Number of Students
A. Recent public high school graduates enrolled in public postsecondary education.
8,000
12,000
16,000
20,000
24,000
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
N
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Universities Community Colleges Technology Centers
A-15
High School Grads 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Public HS Grads 54,041 57,355 60,495 59,296 58,802 57,020 56,334 56,130
Private HS Grads 4,994 5,139 4,970 4,539 4,477 4,399 4,379 4,281
Total HS Grads 59,035 62,494 65,465 63,835 63,279 61,419 60,713 60,411
College-Going Rate 69% 70% 71% 73% 75% 77% 79% 80%
Number of High School Graduates provided by Western Interstate Commission for High
Education (WICHE)
57,000
59,000
61,000
63,000
65,000
67,000
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
T
o
t
a
l

H
i
g
h

S
c
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G
r
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s
Projected College-Going Rates of Tennessee High School Graduates
50
60
70
80
90
100
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
T
o
t
a
l

H
i
g
h

S
c
h
o
o
l

G
r
a
d
u
a
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s
A-16
2007-08 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2014-15
Actual
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target
Pct of
Target Target
Universities 14,621 90 83 89 90 92 94 98 100 16,311
Community Colleges 5,686 49 78 84 86 89 91 95 100 11,599
Total 20,307 73 81 87 88 91 93 97 100 27,910
B. The number of students who complete at least a year's worth of college credit that is
applicable to a degree within two years of enrollment in an institution of higher education
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
P
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T
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(
%
)
Universities Community Colleges Total
A-17
Number of Students 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Actual # # # # # # #
Universities 14,621 13,498 14,481 14,656 15,064 15,362 15,931 16,311
Community Colleges 5,686 8,994 9,747 9,966 10,315 10,594 11,064 11,599
Total 20,307 22,491 24,228 24,621 25,379 25,956 26,995 27,910
B. The number of students who complete at least a year's worth of college credit that is
applicable to a degree within two years of enrollment in an institution of higher education
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
15,000
18,000
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
N
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S
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t
s
Universities Community Colleges
A-18
Page 1 of 1

Accommodations Provided in NAEP and Tennessee State Assessments

NAEP: Accommodations in the testing environment or administration procedures are provided for students with
disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. Examples of accommodations permitted by NAEP are: extra
time, testing in small groups or one-on-one sessions, reading aloud to student and scribing student's responses.

Accommodation NAEP Tennessee
Presentation Format
Explanation of directions Yes No
Oral reading in English Yes
(except for reading)
Yes
(IEP)
Oral reading in native language No No
Person familiar to student administers test Yes Yes
Translation of directions into native language No No
Translation of test into native language No No
Bilingual (Spanish) version of test Yes
(mathematics only)
No
Repeat directions Yes Yes
Large Print Yes Yes
Bilingual dictionary without definitions Yes
Yes
Setting Format
Alone in study carrel Yes Yes
Administer test in separate room Yes Yes
With small groups Yes Yes
Preferential seating Yes Yes
Special lighting Yes Yes
Special furniture Yes Yes
Timing/Scheduling
Extended testing time (same day) Yes Yes
More breaks Yes Yes
Extending sessions over multiple days No No
Response Format
Braille writers Yes Yes
Word processors or similar assistive device Yes Yes
Write directly in test booklet Yes Yes
Tape recorders No Yes
Scribes Yes Yes
Answer orally, point to answer Yes Yes
One-on-one administration Yes Yes
Other Accommodations Provided for State Assessment but not for NAEP
Braille edition of assessment No
(1)
Yes
Audio tape administration of assessment No No
Calculator No Yes
Abacus No Yes (IEP)
Arithmetic tables No Yes
Graph paper No No
Responses in native primary language No No
Thesaurus No No
Spelling and grammar checking software and devices No No
Signing directions or answers No
(1)
Yes

(1) Not provided by NAEP, but school, district, or state may provide after fulfilling NAEP security requirements.
A-19
A-20

ManagingImplementation&DeliveringResults
Byitsnature,theRacetotheTopcompetitionencouragesstatestoboldlypursuethereformsnecessary
todelivereducationalresultsstudentsacrossthecountrydeserve.InTennessee,wetakethis
responsibilityveryseriouslyandwillbegoodstewardsofthisresponsibility,managingresources
effectively,monitoringimplementation,andtrackingresultsthroughouttheprojectperiod.
WehavebuiltFirsttotheTopnotsimplytoprovideopportunityfornewprogramming,buttofullymake
thelongtermsustainableeducationalchangesnecessarytorealizethepromiseoftheTennessee
DiplomaProject:everystudentcollegeandcareerready.TheeffortwillbeledbytheFirsttotheTop
ImplementationLeadershipTeam.ThisteamisresponsibleforensuringthatthefederalRacetotheTop
awardisusedeffectivelyandasintended.Becausetheeffortinvolvesmultipleagencieswithinstate
government,manyexternalpublic,nonprofitandprivatepartnerstheoversighteffortwillbelocatedin
theGovernorsOfficeofStatePlanningandPolicy.
WehavemodeledouroversightapproachontheTennesseeOfficeofRecoveryActManagement,a
multiagencyapproachtomanagement,implementationandaccountability.Applaudedforthe
excellenceofthismanagementworkandweexpecttoreplicatethatexperienceforeducation
specifically.TheFirsttotheTopLeadershipTeamwillberesponsiblefor:
Monitoringimplementation,executionandreportingoftheoverall
FirsttotheTopplan
Facilitatinginteragencyandpartnercommunicationandinteraction
asintendedinthegrant
Servingastheumbrellagroupthatbringstogetherthevarying
effortswithintheplantoassureimplementationfunctionsamonginstitutions,projectsand
initiativesareconnected,eliminatingunnecessaryduplicationofeffortandaligningwork
streamswhenpossible
Assuringtransparentandconsistentcommunicationwiththepublic
aboutprogressontheFirsttotheTopefforts
TheFirsttotheTopTeamwillbeleadbyaseniorlevelexecutivewithexperienceineducation,
managementandstategovernmentwhoservesatthepleasureofthegovernor.TheFirsttotheTop
teamleaderwillleadaninternalstaffteamthatincludesstaffmembersfromtheDepartmentof
Education,TennesseeHigherEducationCommission,Finance&Administration,incooperationwiththe
Comptroller'sOfficeofEducationAccountabilitytoensurethatthelegislature'soversightmechanism
effectivelyprovidesongoing,realtimeinformationtothelegislatureabouttheimplementation.These
professionalswillhavesomeoftheirtimereassignedfromtheirhomeagencytoperformtheseduties.
Inaddition,therewillbetwofulltimeprofessionalsassignedtoassistwithstartupactivitiesduringthe
first1224months.Fundingforthisteamwilllargelybeprovidedthroughexistingstateresources.Any
fundingfromaRacetotheTopawardwillbeusedinafashionthatsupportstheworkoftheteambut
doesnotcreateanongoingobligationforthestate.
TheFirsttotheTopImplementationLeadershipTeamwillincludekeymembersoftheRacetotheTop
LeadershipTeamthatdevelopedtheproposaltoprovideconsistencyfromproposaltoinitial
implementationaswellasfollowthroughduringgubernatorialtransition.Theteamleaderwillbegin
briefingpolicyadvisorsfromthegubernatorialcampaignsuponawardofthegrant.Thiswillcontinue
throughoutthesummerandfall,anduntilanewgovernoriselected.GovernorBredeseniscommitted
toasmoothgubernatorialtransitionthatprovidesthenewadministrationwiththesupport,information
andcontinuedimplementationeffortneededtoassureworkcontinuesforwardonFirsttotheTop.As
theteamleaderwillserveatthepleasureofthegovernor,Tennesseeschiefexecutivemayinstall
anothercandidateatanytime.
TheDepartmentofEducationwillbethemainagencyimplementingFirsttotheTopefforts.Todoso
effectively,thedepartmentwillbereorganizedtoaccomplishthisgoal(seeseparateorganizational
chartinAppendixA22)andhavetheassistanceoftheEducationDeliveryInstituteinshiftingthe
organizationalculturefrombeingcompliancedriventocustomerserviceandreformfocused.
Organizationalchangewillincludecreationof:
EducationalDeliveryUnitresponsiblefordatadrivenperformance
managementofdepartmentprogramsandoperations
AchievementSchoolDistrictOfficeresponsiblefortheoperations
ofthenewschooldistricttotransformTennesseeslowestperformingschools
OfficeofReformandInnovationresponsibleforworkingdirectly
withthestatelevelreforms,aswellassupportfordistrictsandschoolsindevelopment,
approvalandmonitoringoftheirscopesofwork
OfficeofFederalProgramsresponsibleformanagingfederalgrant
funding
However,asstatedpreviously,Tennesseeisnotinterestedinaddingongoingfinancialobligations
beyondthetermofthisgrant,butrathercreatingfundamentaltransformationchangeinthewaythe
agencyfunctionsonadailybasis.
TheLeadershipTeamsworkwillbeinformedbytheTennesseeConsortiumforResearch,Evaluation&
Development(TNCRED)Teamswork.TNCREDiscomprisedofprominentresearchersfromwithinand
beyondTennessee.Theywillbeidentifyinganddeterminingthedrivingresearchquestionsthatwill
informtheworkgoingforward,worktofullyexploitthepowerofthestatesrichdata,andprovide
insightsintooutcomesachieved.
Together,theGovernorsOfficeofPlanningandPolicy,FirsttotheTopLeadershipTeam,Departmentof
EducationandTNCREDwillensurethattheU.S.DepartmentofEducationscanbeconfidentinan
investmentinTennessee.
Tennessee Department of Education

Organizational Structure
Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
Superintendent of
Achievement School
District
Delivery Unit
Director
Legal and
Legislation
Communications
Assistant
Commissioner for
Finance and
Administration
Assistant Commissioner
for Innovation and
Reform
Assistant
Commissioner
for Instruction
See Pg 2 See Pg 3 See Pg 4
1
A-22
Assistant Commissioner Level 1
Assistant Commissioner for
Finance and Administration
Facility Operations Fiscal Services
Office of
Technology
Office of
Teacher
Licensing
Office of
Audit
Office of LEA
Finance
Office of
Finance and
Operations
Human Resources Budget
2
A-23
Innovation and Reform
LDS/Data Warehouse Attendance
Office of
Accountability,
Compliance and Data
Reporting
Non Public Schools
AYP and Report Card
Data
School Approval
Office of School
Reform Programs
Office of Intervention
Strategies
3
A-24
Instruction
Office of
Assessment
Office of High
Schools
Office of Early
Learning and
Elementary
Education
Office of
Federal
Program
Compliance
and
Monitoring
Textbook
Oversight and
Council
Office of
Middle
Grades
State Special
Schools
School
Nutrition
Monitors,
Data
Collectors
and
Compliance
Staff
Director of
Title
Programs
Director for
CTE
Director for
Special
Education
Professional
Development
Special
Education;
and Teaching
and Learning
Staff
Coordinated
School Health
Staff Person
Current Early
Learning
Shop
Tennessee
Early
Intervention
System
Coordinated
School Health
Staff Person
Special
Education;
CTE; and
Teaching and
Learning Staff
Coordinated
School Health
Staff Person
Special
Education;
CTE; and
Teaching and
Learning Staff
School
Counselors
4
Office of
Educator
Development
and
Recruitment
Alternative
Licensure
Paths and
Teacher
Program
Approval
A-25 Tennessee, Appendix A-2-2
Tennessee, Appendix A-2-2 Tennessee, Appendix A-2-2
Superintendent of
Achievement School District
Finance
Director
Curriculum
Director
Deputy
Superintendent
Operations &
Contracts
Manager
Secretary
5
A-26

J anuary 16, 2010

Dr. Timothy Webb
Commissioner of Education
710 J ames Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243

Dear Commissioner Webb:

This letter confirms the Tennessee Education Associations commitment to
continue our work with you to further Tennessees progress in the four
assurance areas of the Race to the Top program. We pledge our support for
Tennessees RTTT application. We are confident that our collaborative efforts
place us among the top contenders for participation. TEA and its 138 local
affiliates have an abiding concern in improving the performance of the boys and
girls in every Tennessee school system.

TEA represents 55,000 teachers, principals and education support
professionals. We are the voice of and advocates for Tennessees teachers.
Though Tennessee is a right-to-work state ninety percent of our members are
covered by negotiated contracts.

We advised all of our local affiliates to sign their LEAs Memorandum of
Understanding in order to support Tennessees RTTT application. Further, we
recommended that they commit themselves to negotiate the appropriate
components outlined in the school systems scope of work.

We will provide assistance to locals as they move through the process of
negotiating RTTT related subjects.

During the recent special session of the legislature we partnered with Governor
Bredesen to make the necessary changes in state law to improve the
competitiveness of Tennessees application.

While we have reservations about the use of student performance data in
teacher and principal evaluations, we have agreed to partner with the state to
develop a new evaluation system that uses such data effectively and fairly.

A-27
During the special session we also supported changes in state law to remove the
prohibition against using Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System data only
after each teacher had accumulated a three year average. This allows the use of
the data in tenure decision making.

Our members participated in the writing of the states new curriculum standards
as well as served on various state boards and State Department of Education
committees, commissions and work groups.

We are excited about our collaboration with the state in developing appropriate
new assessments, benchmark testing and teacher-friendly, easier to use data
systems.

While we have not opposed alternative licensure as a concept we believe we
must work to ensure the rigor of alternative licensure programs.

TEAs seven largest affiliates continue to work with the state to ensure equitable
distribution of effective teachers and principals.

We supported the governors legislation that makes it possible for the state to
create an Achievement School District to help chronically low-performing schools
improve while ensuring teacher rights.

We are pleased to pledge the ongoing support of the leadership, members and
staff of TEA to Tennessees Race to the Top application and the successful
implementation of the related programs.

Sincerely,

Earl Wiman, President
Tennessee Education Association

A-28

Knowledge Is
Power Program

www.kipp.org
KIPP Foundation
135 Main Street, Suite 1700
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel. 415-399-1556
Fax 415-348-0588
January 13, 2009

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen
Governor's Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001

Dear Governor Bredesen:

The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) is pleased to express its support for Tennessees
participation in the Race to the Top application and the reform plan the Tennessee Department of
Education has developed in collaboration with the states education community and groups in and
outside of Tennessee.

In recent years, KIPP has worked closely with educators and communities in Tennessee to open
two of the highest performing open-enrollment public schools. We have benefitted from the
progressive thinking and the belief in putting students first that stems from education leaders in
Tennessee. And we firmly believe that without the states current leadership and vision, our
students would not be on the transformative path that they find themselves on today.

In its Race to the Top application, Tennessee has articulated an aggressive plan to implement a
bold reform agenda, pursuing and expanding upon its current innovative strategies to improve
public education so that more of the states children achieve at high levels, develop competitive
skills, and become productive members of society.

We wholeheartedly support the strategies to meet these goals that Tennessee has outlined in its
application, and are excited about the potential opportunity to expand KIPPs work in Nashville
and Memphis. We hope that others will join us in embracing this opportunity to participate in bold
reforms to dramatically improve the education system in Tennessee.

Sincerely,

Randy Dowell Jamal McCall
School Leader, KIPP Academy Nashville Executive Director, KIPP Memphis

National & New York
Program Office
30 West 26th Street
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 646-792-1070
Fax: 646-792-1071
wwvIf.nlns.org
New Leaders IforJ"'c,.
New Schools
January 15,2010
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen
Governor's Office
Nashville, TN 37243- 0001
New Leaders for New Schools is extending its support for Tennessee's Race to the
Top application and the reform plan that the state has designed to drive student
achievement throughout the state.
New Leaders for New Schools provides intensive instruction, hands-on experience,
and ongoing support to create a pathway for current and former educators to become
outstanding principals who achieve dramatic results in urban public schools. As you
know, New Leaders for New Schools has been working in Memphis, Tennessee since
2004. In partnership with Memphis City Schools, we have recruited 64 candidates, in 6
cohorts of New Leaders, for the principalship and the assistant principalship.
We believe that Race to the Top is Tennessee's opportunity to be on our nation's
leading edge in defining principal effectiveness and aligning state and district policies,
practices and programs to this definition in order to drive principal and teacher
effectiveness, and student achievement throughout the state.
Sincerely,
J:vine,
Chief Officer for Cities and Policy

January 16, 2010

To Whom It May Concern,
The New Teacher Project (TNTP) is a strong supporter of ongoing education reforms in the State of
Tennessee. If the state is awarded a Race to the Top grant, TNTP plans to invest substantial capacity in
assisting the State Education Agency and participating Local Education Agencies in their execution of
well-conceived human capital initiatives, including those detailed below.

Quality teacher pipeline. TNTP will expand its existing alternate route programs to recruit, select, train,
place and certify up to 150 Teaching Fellows per year, clustered in urban districts with appropriate levels
of need, autonomy and commitment to the partnership. TNTP may also provide guidance and support
for developing new teacher pipelines for underserved rural communities in Tennessee.

Rigorous Certification. TNTPs acclaimed Practitioner Teacher Program (PTP) will certify new Teaching
Fellows through intensive coursework that is tied to student outcomes. The PTP will provide new
teachers with an innovative alternative to traditional university-based certification options, which are
often disconnected from the needs of career changers and from the realities of high-need schools. The
PTP revolves around TNTPs Teaching for Results (TfR) content seminars, which are designed specifically
for new teachers making the transition from other backgrounds and working to raise achievement levels
in high-need schools.

Human Capital Policy Analysis. TNTP will conduct an in-depth analysis of the policies and practices
that stand in the way of prioritizing teacher effectiveness in the participating districts. This analysis may
incorporate an examination of collectively bargained contracts, Human Resources records, pipeline
analyses, and surveys of teachers and principals, depending on the most critical interest. The report will
illuminate barriers and point the way toward reforms.

Performance Management Pilots. On the heels of the policy changes being driven by RTT to begin to
differentiate teacher effectiveness, TNTP will work with district leaders to implement teacher
performance management tools in a fair, consistent and rigorous way. We will work with up to 20 school
leaders to help them set expectations with their teaching staff, evaluate and differentiate teacher
performance, and help provide the feedback and support that teachers need to improve.

All of the above initiatives share the common goal of improving teacher effectiveness for Tennessees
highest-need students. TNTP looks forward to working with the state to implement these projects and
provide all students with an excellent education.

Regards,

Tim Daly
President, The New Teacher Project
D e c e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 0 9
G o v e r n o r P h i l B r e d e s e n
O f f i c e o f t h e G o v e r n o r
T e n n e s s e e S t a t e C a p i t o l
N a s h v i l l e , T N 3 7 2 4 3 - 0 0 0 1
D e a r G o v e r n o r B r e d e s e n :
W e a r e w r i t i n g t o e x p r e s s o u r e n t h u s i a s t i c s u p p o r t f o r T e n n e s s e e ' s R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o p o s a l . R a c e t o
t h e T o p p r o v i d e s a n u n p r e c e d e n t e d o p p o r t u n i t y t o c r e a t e a f u t u r e t h a t e n a b l e s a l l T e n n e s s e e s t u d e n t s
t o r e a c h t h e i r p o t e n t i a l a n d h a v e c h o i c e s f o r c o l l e g e a n d c a r e e r s . A s s c h o o l l e a d e r s w o r k i n g
r e l e n t l e s s l y e a c h d a y t o p r o p e l o u r s t u d e n t s t o h i g h a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t l e v e l s ,
w e f u l l y e m b r a c e
a n d a r e c o m m i t t e d t o h e l p i n g t h e s t a t e a c h i e v e t h e b o l d r e f o r m s o u t l i n e d i n i t s p r o p o s a l .
W e a r e t r e m e n d o u s l y e x c i t e d a b o u t t h i s u n i q u e t i m e i n o u r s t a t e ; w e a r e n o t j u s t t a l k i n g a b o u t h i g h
e x p e c t a t i o n s a n d s u c c e s s f o r e v e r y s t u d e n t , b u t p u r s u i n g a m b i t i o u s r e f o r m s t h a t w i l l m a k e r e a c h i n g
t h o s e g o a l s a r e a l i t y .
T e n n e s s e e ' s f o c u s a r e a s ( w h i c h a l i g n w i t h t h e U S D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n ' s
p r i o r i t i e s u n d e r R a c e t o t h e T o p ) i n c l u d e i m p l e m e n t i n g r i g o r o u s a c a d e m i c s t a n d a r d s a n d a s s e s s m e n t s ;
c r e a t i n g d a t a s y s t e m s t o e n a b l e e d u c a t o r s t o d e l i v e r h i g h q u a l i t y i n s t r u c t i o n ; d e v e l o p i n g
a t a l e n t e d
p i p e l i n e o f t e a c h e r s a n d s c h o o l l e a d e r s ; a n d c r a f t i n g m o d e l s t o t u r n a r o u n d o u r l o w e s t - a c h i e v i n g
s c h o o l s , w h i c h , t a k e n t o g e t h e r , p r o v i d e a o n c e i n a l i f e t i m e c h a n c e t o t r a n s f o r m o u r e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m
a t t h e l o c a l a n d s t a t e w i d e l e v e l .
S i n c e s t a r t i n g o u r r e s p e c t i v e s c h o o l s , w e h a v e c o n t i n u e d t o s e r v e s t u d e n t s w h o w e r e s t r u g g l i n g
a c a d e m i c a l l y a n d h a v e e l e v a t e d t h e m t o a c h i e v e m e n t l e v e l s t h a t p l a c e t h e m o n a t r a j e c t o r y f o r f u t u r e
s u c c e s s i n c o l l e g e a n d i n t h e i r c a r e e r s . T h a t w a s t h e i n t e n t o f T e n n e s s e e ' s c h a r t e r s t a t u t e a n d t h e
m i s s i o n o n w h i c h w e a r e s q u a r e l y f o c u s e d .
I n a d d i t i o n t o p l a y i n g a s t r o n g a d v o c a c y r o l e f o r t h e r e f o r m p r i o r i t i e s o u t l i n e d i n T e n n e s s e e ' s R a c e t o
t h e T o p a p p l i c a t i o n , w e s t a n d r e a d y t o m o r e d e e p l y p a r t n e r w i t h d i s t r i c t s a n d t h e s t a t e t o a d d r e s s t h e
n e e d s o f s t u d e n t s c u r r e n t l y i n l o w p e r f o r m i n g s c h o o l s . W e b e l i e v e t h a t w o r k i n c l u d e s s h a r i n g b e s t
p r a c t i c e s a n d i d e a s ; c o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h o t h e r s c h o o l l e a d e r s , d i s t r i c t l e a d e r s , a n d s t a t e o f f i c i a l s t o
d e v e l o p s t r a t e g i e s t o t u r n a r o u n d s t r u g g l i n g s c h o o l s ; a n d c r e a t i n g n e w s c h o o l s t o o f f e r a r i g o r o u s ,
c o l l e g e p r e p a r a t o r y e d u c a t i o n i n n e i g h b o r h o o d s w i t h l o w g r a d u a t i o n a n d c o l l e g e - g o i n g r a t e s .
W e w a n t t o t h a n k y o u f o r y o u r l e a d e r s h i p i n e d u c a t i o n , a n d a g a i n , e x p r e s s o u r e x c i t e m e n t a b o u t t h e
w o r k a h e a d . R a c e t o t h e T o p i s a c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e a l r e a d y c o u r a g e o u s r e f o r m s u n d e r w a y i n t h e
s t a t e a s p a r t o f t h e T e n n e s s e e D i p l o m a P r o j e c t . W e l o o k f o r w a r d t o w o r k i n g w i t h y o u a s w e l l a s
s c h o o l s , d i s t r i c t s , a n d t h e s t a t e t o i m p l e m e n t t h e T e n n e s s e e p l a n o n c e f u n d e d .
S i n c e r e l y ,
S h e r i C a t r o n
P r i n c i p a l , C i r c l e s o f S u c c e s s C h a r t e r S c h o o l
e m o y n e R o b i n s o n
a n c e l l o r , C i t y U n i v e r s i t y S c h o o l s
i ? Y
R o b l W W e b b
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , F r e e d o m P r e p a r a t o r y
A c a d e m y C h a r t e r S c h o o l
J a m a l M c C a l l
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , K I P P M e m p h i s
C u r t i s W e a t h e r s
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , M e m p h i s A c a d e m y o f
H e a l t h S c i e n c e s
. , - a j , t - a t
H a r o l d W i n g . o d
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , M e m p h i s A c a d e m y o f
S c i e n c e a n d E n g i n e e r i n g
L S ' I
A n t h o n y A n d e ' n
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r )
_ _ a
v / a L e w i s
P r i n c i p a l , P o w e r C e n t e r A c a d e m y
u l s b e r r y
P r i n c i p a , P r o m i s e A c a d e m y
t s J a t z D f l 4 -
N e S h a n t e B r o w n
P r i n c i p a l ) T h e S o u l s v i l l e C h a r t e r S c h o o l
E l i s e E v a n s
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , S o u t h e r n A v e n u e C h a r t e r
S c h o o l
l a M e
P r i n c i p a l , S T A R A c a d e m y
p h i s B u s i n e s s A c a d e m y

15 January 2010

The Honorable Arne Duncan
U.S. Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202

Dear Secretary Duncan,

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry and its members have been and continue to
be increasingly engaged in ensuring that our states educational system prepares students for success in
todays world. We realize that our states long-term success and that of our citizens is determined
largely on the success of our educational system and the products of that system.

We are writing to express our complete support for and hope that Tennessee will be awarded
Race to the Top funding. Tennessee is committed to the innovative delivery of a quality education that
allows our students to learn and to grow. With the reforms that are in place some for two decades,
Tennessee is uniquely positioned to take the quality and effectiveness of public education to a higher
level one that meets the needs of todays world and ensures our state and nation will be globally
competitive.

Because more than one-quarter of Tennessees score in its Race to the Top application will be
determined by state education reform measures that promote the development of Great Teachers and
Leaders, Governor Bredesen, with support from key lawmakers, called a Special Session of the 106
th

Tennessee General Assembly. This Special Session is moving quickly to codify a range of education
reform proposals designed to even further improve Tennessees education pipeline specifically,
improving student performance and graduation rates at both the high school and college levels.
Collectively, the proposals are known as the Tennessee Education Innovation Plan.

Tennessee is well positioned to receive Race to the Top funding and to immediately move
further with innovative, accountable, effective and relevant education initiatives that benefit our
students, improve our economy and serve as blueprint for education improvement everywhere.

National education reform groups have long viewed Tennessee as a leader in its commitment to
sustainable education reform, citing key moves in recent years that include the 2008 adoption of
career-ready and college-ready high school standards of the American Diploma Project. The
Tennessee Chamber, as the statewide sponsor of the Tennessee Scholars program, strongly supported
the enactment of the Tennessee Diploma Project.
611 Commerce Street, Sui te 3030
Nashvi l l e, TN 37203-3742
615-256-5141 Tel ephone
615-256-6726 Fax
www. tnchamber. org
Page 2
The Honorable Arne Duncan

Additionally, the Volunteer State is recognized for developing and maintaining one of the
nations oldest and most robust databases for tracking student growth or a childs improvement in
the classroom year to year, both in terms of achievement and in improvement from prior years. The
Volunteer States database for tracking student growth The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment
System (TVAAS) has become the blueprint for similar systems in states across the nation.

To effectively compete in Race to the Top, Tennessee is putting into law key measures including:
9 Establishing an Achievement School District that allows the commissioner of the Tennessee
Department of Education to intervene in consistently failing schools.
9 Requiring annual evaluation of teachers and principals.
9 Creating a 15-member Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee to recommend guidelines and
criteria to the State Board of Education.
9 Allowing local school systems to create local salary schedules for teachers and principals, with
state approval instead of having to utilize a state-mandated schedule.
9 Removing limitation on the use of TVAAS data to permit it to be used in making decisions on
teacher evaluation and tenure.

The Tennessee Chamber, its employers and local chamber members, are actively working to ensure
that the Tennessee General Assembly enact these reforms before January 19. With these reforms in
law, Tennessee is even more qualified to be a recipient of the Race to the Top funding and to set new
standards for education innovation and improvement. We respectfully urge you to consider
Tennessees application for Race to the Top funding and give it strong consideration. We can assure
you that our education commitment is strong and that Tennessee, its educational community, its
students and their parents, its communities and its employers will all do you proud.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance to you or the U.S.
Department of Education.

Best wishes,

Gregg F. Morton, Chairman Deborah K. Woolley
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry President
President, AT&T - Tennessee Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry

A-48
G R E A T E R M E M P H I S C H A M B E R
7 , 2 0 1 0

3 7 2 4 3 - 0 0 0 1

K - 1 2

2 2 N . F r o n t S t r e e t , S u i t e 2 0 0 , M e m p h i s , T N 3 8 1 0 3
R O , B o x 2 2 4 , M e m p h i s , T N 3 8 1 0 1 - 0 2 2 4 G e n e r a l : ( 9 0 ! ) 5 4 3 - 3 5 0 0 F a x : ( 9 0 1 ) 5 4 3 - 3 5 2 0
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Tennessee State Conference of Branches
Gloria J. Sweet-Love, President
December 16,2009
Governor Phil Bredesen
Office of the Governor
Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a future that allows
all Tennessee students to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers.
This has been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component
of a strong and economically vital future for the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top
proposal accelerates the bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of
educational achievement and excellence; builds upon our state's substantial educational
assets, and harnesses the deep impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in
our classrooms.
The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure its
application is both bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to
change our schools and accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines
reforms in four specific areas aligned to the federal guidelines:
Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college
and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform
teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and
principals, especially where they are needed most; and
Turning around our lowest-achieving schools
The Tennessee State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People and all of its units, who work fervently to insure the social, political,
economic and educational equality of rights of all persons, enthusiastically supports the
Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and commit to:
27 Brentshire Square, Suite A Jackson, TN 38305
Phone: (731) 660-5580 Fax (731) 660-5002 Email: tnnaacp3@bellsouth.net
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Tennessee State Conference of Branches
Gloria J. Sweet-Love, President
Publicly advocating for the proposal and its goals
Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform throughout the state
Providing in-kind and contracted services referenced in the proposal and wilt through
our Excellence & Equity in Education and Back-To-School Stay-in-School programs work
to accomplish the following objectives with RTTT.
Increase educational expectations of students and their families
Improve and enhance the academic preparation of students to improve high school
graduation rates, college enrollment, retention and completion by students of color.
Provide mentoring and support by community leaders to challenge and support
students.
Train and enlighten parents about opportunities available to students and how to access
these opportunities.
We have worked in the past to support education practice and reform, specifically on
issues designed to support student achievement. Our Back-To-School Stay-in-School
Program and EXCEL( Excellence and Equity in Education) programs are designed to
support programs such as RTTT. We are committed to our state's future. We will work
closely with the schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee plan once
funded.
Sine
-Love, President
27 Brentshire Square, Suite A Jackson, TN 38305
Phone: (731) 660-5580 Fax (731) 660-5002 Email: tnnaacp3@bellsouth.net
O F F I C E R S
M A R S H R . C A M P B E L L
C h a i r p e r s o n
R . D O U G L A S T A B S
T r e a s u r e r
O D E L L H O R T O N , J R .
S e c r e t a r y
T O M E K A R . H A R T , J D , M B A
P r e s l d e r t / C I O
L J O A I ? L ) O F D I R L . C i O I * ;
C h r i s A n d e r s o n
A n n e t t e A s k e w
T o n i B o l a n d
A n d r e ' C l e v e l a n d , S r .
E . C . F i e l d s
L y n s e y F r e e m a n
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R o n a l d B . R e d w i n g
H o w a r d L . R o b e r t s o n , J r .
H e r m a n S t r i c k l a n d
W i l l i a m L . T a y l o r
J o y c e F . T h o m a s
A l o n z o W e a v e r
R o b l i n W e b b
J o h n A . W i l c h e r
R i c h a r d K . W i l l i a m s
R u f u s W i l s o n
I ; I V I I : / ? i /
S i g m u n d F . H i l l e r
M o l l y P . L o n g
W i l l i e M a e W i l l e t t
A D V I S O U V C O M M I T T E E
J a y n e S . C r e s o n
R o n a l d M . H a r k a v y
S i g m u n d F . H i t l e r
J a m e s B . J a l e n a k
C . D o u g l a s K e l s o , I l l
G . D o u g l a s L i n d g r e n
J o a n n e P . R u s s
M e m p h i s
U r b a n L e a g u e
4 1 3 N O I ? i I I C L L V E L A N L ) S T R E ( 1 M E M P H I S , T E N N E S S E E 3 8 1 0 1 ' ( 9 0 1 ) 2 7 2 - 2 4 9 1 w w w . m p b s u r b a n l e a y u o o : q
D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9
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R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o v i d e s a n u n p r e c e d e n t e d o p p o r t u n i t y t o c r e a t e a f u t u r e t h a t
a l l o w s a l l T e n n e s s e e s t u d e n t s t o r e a c h t h e i r p o t e n t i a l a n d h a v e c h o i c e s f o r
c o l l e g e a n d c a r e e r s . T h i s h a s b e e n t h e v i s i o n o f t h e T e n n e s s e e D i p l o m a P r o j e c t
a n d a n e c e s s a r y c o m p o n e n t o f a s t r o n g a n d e c o n o m i c a l l y v i t a l f u t u r e f o r t h e
s t a t e . T h e T e n n e s s e e R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o p o s a l a c c e l e r a t e s t h e b o l d r e f o r m s
a n d s u p p o r t s n e c e s s a r y t o r e a l i z e a c u l t u r e o f e d u c a t i o n a l a c h i e v e m e n t a n d
e x c e l l e n c e ; b u i l d s u p o n o u r s t a t e ' s s u b s t a n t i a l e d u c a t i o n a l a s s e t s , a n d
h a r n e s s e s t h e d e e p i m p a c t o f l i n k i n g s t r o n g s t a n d a r d s a n d g r e a t t e a c h e r s i n o u r
c l a s s r o o m s .
T h e o n l y w a y T e n n e s s e e c a n t r u l y p o s i t i o n i t s e l f f o r v i c t o r y i s t o m a k e
s u r e i t s
a p p l i c a t i o n i s b o t h b o l d a n d u n i q u e l y T e n n e s s e a n . T h i s i s a o n c e - i n - a - l i f e t i m e
c h a n c e t o c h a n g e o u r s c h o o l s a n d a c c e l e r a t e s t u d e n t a c h i e v e m e n t . T h e
T e n n e s s e e p l a n o u t l i n e s r e f o r m s i n f o u r s p e c i f i c a r e a s a l i g n e d t o t h e f e d e r a l
g u i d e l i n e s :
o
A d o p t i n g s t a n d a r d s a n d a s s e s s m e n t s t h a t p r e p a r e s t u d e n t s t o s u c c e e d
i n c o l l e g e a n d t h e w o r k p l a c e a n d t o c o m p e t e i n t h e g l o b a l e c o n o m y ;
o
B u i l d i n g d a t a s y s t e m s t h a t m e a s u r e s t u d e n t g r o w t h a n d s u c c e s s , a n d
i n f o r m t e a c h e r s a n d p r i n c i p a l s a b o u t h o w t h e y c a n i m p r o v e i n s t r u c t i o n ;
o
R e c r u i t i n g , d e v e l o p i n g , r e w a r d i n g , a n d r e t a i n i n g e f f e c t i v e t e a c h e r s a n d
p r i n c i p a l s , e s p e c i a l l y w h e r e t h e y a r e n e e d e d m o s t ; a n d
o
T u r n i n g a r o u n d o u r l o w e s t - a c h i e v i n g s c h o o l s
T h e M e m p h i s U r b a n L e a g u e i s a n a f f i l i a t e o f t h e N a t i o n a l U r b a n L e a g u e . W e
h a v e p r o v i d e d w o r k f o r c e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d s u p p l e m e n t a l e d u c a t i o n s e r v i c e s t o
t h e M e m p h i s c o m m u n i t y s i n c e 1 9 4 3 . A s a n o r g a n i z a t i o n d e d i c a t e d t o e n s u r i n g
o u r s t u d e n t s a r e c o l l e g e a n d c a r e e r r e a d y , w e e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y s u p p o r t t h e
T e n n e s s e e R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o p o s a l a n d c o m m i t t o :
E m p o w e r i n g C o m m u n i t i e s .
C h a n g i n g l i v e s .
M e n i p l u s V r b a i i L e a g u e ( w w s v . i t i s t I r I u i i i 4 g e . o g ) - E s t a b l i s h e d i n 1 9 4 3 , T h e M e m p h i s U r b a n L e a g u e i s a n a f f i l i a t e o f t h e N a t i o n a l U r b a n L e a g u e , t h i s
n a t i o n s o l d e s t a n d l a r g e s t c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d m o v e m e n t d e v o t e d t o e m p o w e f i n g A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s a n d o t h e r d i s a d v a n t a g e d g r o u p s t o c u t e r t h e e c o n o m i c a n d
s o c i a l m a i n s t r e a m . T h e M e m p h i s U r b a n L e a g u e f u l f i l l s i t s m i s s i o n t h r o u g h i t s w o r k f o r c e d e v e l o p m e n t , j o b p l a c e m e n t a n d s u p p l e m e n t a l e d u c a t i o n a l s e r v i c e s
p r o g r a m s .
U n i t e d
W a y
U , i C . d W y
o I t h . M J d S o t h
M e m p h i s
U r b a n L e a c i u e
( J F E ! C I R S
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T r e a s u r e r
O D E L L H O R T O N , J R .
S e c r e t a r y
T O M E K A R . H A R T , J D , M B A
P r e s ! d e n t ' C E O
B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S
C h r i s A n d e r s o n
A n n e t t o A s k e w
T o n i B o l a n d
A n d r e ' C l e v e l a n d , S r .
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L y n s e y F r e e m a n
T a r r i n M c G h o e
R o n a l d B . R e d w i n g
H o w a r d L . R o b e r t s o n , J r .
H e r m a n S t r i c k l a n d
W i l l i a m L . T a y l o r
J o y c e F . T h o m a s
A l o n z o W e a v e r
R o b l i n W e b b
J o h n A . W i t c h e r
R i c h a r d K . W i l l i a m s
R u f u s W i l s o n
I . M L i H
W i l l i e M a e W i l l e t t
A P V I O R Y C O W J M I T T F I
J a y n e S . C r e s o n
R o n a l d M . H a r k a v y
J a m e s B . J a l e n a k
C . D o u g l a s K o l s o , I l l
G . D o u g l a s L i n d g r e n
J o a n n e P . R u s s
E m p o w e r i n g C o m m u n i t i e s .
C h a n g i n g L i v e s .
U e I t . 4 W . y
e 4 t h e M d . S o o t h
4 1 3 N O 1 1 T H C L E V E I A N ! ) S U R E E T M E M P H I S , T E N N E S S E E 3 8 1 0 4 - ( 9 0 1 ) 2 7 2 - 2 4 0 1 w w w . m p h s u i h a n l e a y u e . o r g
o P u b l i c i t y a d v o c a t i n g f o r t h e p r o p o s a l a r i d i t s g o a l s
o A s s i s t i n g i n p r o v i d i n g p o s i t i v e c o n d i t i o n s f o r r e f o r m i n t h e M e m p h i s
c o m m u n i t y
o A l i g n i n g o u r y o u t h p r o g r a m s w i t h t h e g u i d e l i n e s , s t a n d a r d s a n d g o a l s
e s t a b l i s h e d b y t h e S t a t e o f T e n n e s s e e
W e h a v e w o r k e d i n t h e p a s t t o s u p p o r t e d u c a t i o n p r a c t i c e a n d r e f o r m ,
s p e c i f i c a l l y o n i s s u e s d e s i g n e d t o s u p p o r t s t u d e n t a c h i e v e m e n t . O u r e d u c a t i o n
p r o g r a m s a r e d e s i g n e d t o e n s u r e s t u d e n t s a r e c o l l e g e a n d c a r e e r r e a d y . W e
a r e c o m m i t t e d t o o u r s t a t e ' s f u t u r e . W e w i l l w o r k c l o s e l y w i t h t h e s c h o o l s ,
d i s t r i c t s a n d s t a t e t o i m p l e m e n t t h e T e n n e s s e e p l a n o n c e f u n d e d .
S i n c e r e l y ,
T o m e k a H a r t
P r e s i d e n t & C E O
M e m p h i s U r b a n L e a g u e ( w s w . m p h s u r b a u l e a g u c . u r g ) - E s t a b l i s h e d i n 1 9 4 3 , T h e M e m p h i s U r b a n L e a g u e i s a n a f f i l i a t e o f t h e N a t i o n a l U r b a n L e a g u e , t h i s
n a t i o n ' s o l d e s t a n d l a r g e s t c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d m o v e m e n t d e v o t e d t o e m p o w e r i n g A r r i c a n A m e r i c a n s a n d o t h e r d i s a d v a n t a g e d g r o u p s t o e n t e r t h e e c o n o m i c a n d
s o c i a l m a i n s t r c a n l . I l i e M e m p h i s U r b a n L e a g u e f u l f i l l s i t s m i s s i o n t h r o u g h i t s w o r k f o r c e d e v e l o p m e n t , j o b p l a c e m e n t a n d s u p p l e m e n t a l e d u c a t i o n a l s e r v i c e s
p r o g r a m s .
December2009
GovernorPhilBredesen
OfficeoftheGovernor
TennesseeStateCapitol
Nashville,TN372430001
DearGovernorBredesen:
RacetotheTopprovidesanunprecedentedopportunitytocreateafuturethatallowsallTennesseestudentstoreach
theirpotentialandhavechoicesforcollegeandcareers.ThishasbeenthevisionoftheTennesseeDiplomaProjectanda
necessarycomponentofastrongandeconomicallyvitalfutureforthestate.TheTennesseeRacetotheTopproposal
acceleratestheboldreformsandsupportsnecessarytorealizeacultureofeducationalachievementandexcellence;
buildsuponourstatessubstantialeducationalassets,andharnessesthedeepimpactoflinkingstrongstandardsand
greatteachersinourclassrooms.
TheonlywayTennesseecantrulypositionitselfforvictoryistomakesureitsapplicationisbothboldanduniquely
Tennessean.Thisisanonceinalifetimechancetochangeourschoolsandacceleratestudentachievement.The
Tennesseeplanoutlinesreformsinfourspecificareasalignedtothefederalguidelines:
Adoptingstandardsandassessmentsthatpreparestudentstosucceedincollegeandtheworkplaceandto
competeintheglobaleconomy;
Buildingdatasystemsthatmeasurestudentgrowthandsuccess,andinformteachersandprincipalsabouthow
theycanimproveinstruction;
Recruiting,developing,rewarding,andretainingeffectiveteachersandprincipals,especiallywheretheyare
neededmost;and
Turningaroundourlowestachievingschools
Organizedin1911,theTennesseePTAisanallvolunteerassociationwhosemissionistoadvocateforthechildrenand
theirfamiliesofTennessee.WeenthusiasticallysupporttheTennesseeRacetotheTopproposaland:
Wewillpubliclyadvocatefortheproposalanditsgoals
Assistinprovidingpositiveconditionsforreformthroughoutthestate
ProvideinformationandcommunicationtoallPTAmembersandotherparentgroupsacrossthestate
Wehaveworkedinthepasttosupporteducationpracticeandreform,specificallyonissuesdesignedtosupportstudent
achievement.Wearecommittedtoourstatesfuture.Wewillworkcloselywiththeschools,districtsandstateto
implementtheTennesseeplanoncefunded.

Sincerely,
Kathy Patty
Kathy Patty, President
Tennessee PTA

1905 Acklen Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 383-9740
www.tnpta.org

December 21, 2009



Amidst an environment of intense focus on education reform nationally and in Tennessee, Stand for
Children stands ready to be the leading advocate for Tennessees Race to the Top proposal. As an
innovative, grassroots child advocacy organization, our mission is to use the power of grassroots action to
help all children get the excellent public education and strong support they need to thrive.

The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure its application is both bold
and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change our schools and accelerate
student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines reforms in four specific areas aligned to the federal
guidelines:

Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the
workplace and to compete in the global economy;
Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and
principals about how they can improve instruction;
Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially
where they are needed most; and
Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

You have very accurately pinpointed teacher effectiveness as the single most important factor in creating
successful schools. Stand for Children embraces that position and will be centering its advocacy work in
Tennessee on that principle. Specifically, our Teacher Task Force decided on the following principals this
past summer for policy actions that can provide a strong framework to boost teacher effectiveness:

Provide a stronger teacher evaluation tool and process to help identify teacher strength and
weaknesses. This can guide professional development, be an essential ingredient in strategic teacher
assignment, and guide innovative compensation systems that reward teachers for performance and/or
working in hard to staff schools and subject areas.

Make the tenure decision more meaningful. Teachers in Tennessee are typically considered for tenure
at the end of their third year of employment. However, our state law bars the use of student academic
growth until three years of complete data are available. As a practical matter, that means this data is
unavailable to be used in the evaluation that immediately precedes and informs the tenure
recommendation. State law should be changed to remove this obstacle.

1
Open the door for new, modern teacher salary structures that are not grounded solely on teacher
experience and training. While Tennessee law authorizes local boards of education to establish
differentiated pay scales, these must be overlaid on the traditional training and experience based salary
system. A project like the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative that is being developed in the Memphis City
Schools is hamstrung by this requirement. A change is state statute is required to allow implementation of
professional tiered compensation systems where teachers are rewarded for performance, skills, and
responsibilities irrespective of their years of service.

Develop a protocol for assessing teacher working conditions and teacher satisfaction. All teachers
want to feel valued and have their voices heard. Establishing a mechanism to do this on a statewide basis
is not costly and can actually help drive increases in student achievement.

Stand for Children was honored to have worked with your administration in 2005, as a leading advocate
and legislative ally for the Voluntary Pre-k for Tennessee Act. We continue to support and advocate for
the high quality pre-k programs that currently exist and will continue to be a voice in expanding
meaningful early education opportunities across the state. This nationally recognized landmark program
for Tennessee has provided thousands of children the skills to begin school ready to learn.

Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a future that allows all Tennessee
students to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers. This has been the vision of the
Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component of a strong and economically vital future for the
state. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal accelerates the bold reforms and supports necessary to
realize a culture of educational achievement and excellence; builds upon our states substantial
educational assets, and harnesses the deep impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in our
classrooms.

Stand for Children enthusiastically supports the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and commits to
publically advocating for the proposal and its goals as well as assisting in providing positive conditions
for reform throughout the state and in local communities. We are committed to our states future. We will
work closely with the schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee plan once funded.

Sincerely,

J onah Edelman Meg Ansara
Chief Executive Officer Chief Operating Officer

CC: Francie Hunt - Nashville Co-Director
Emily Ogden - Nashville Co-Director
Kenya Bradshaw- Memphis Director

2

Volunteer Tennessee
December 9, 2009



First, I would like to thank you for your support in developing our State Plan, which sets out the
strategic direction for Volunteer Tennessee over the next three years. A key component of this
State Plan involves improving the lives of young people in Tennessee through the expansion of
service-learning in both school- and community-based settings. Rigorous evaluations of service-
learning here in Tennessee and nationally show that this methodology achieves many outcomes that
align perfectly with the goals of Race to the Top, such as reduced truancy, improved academic
performance and increased connectedness of students to their schools.

Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a future that allows all Tennessee
students to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers. This has been the vision
of the Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component of a strong and economically vital
future for the state. It was also the goal of the 2009 Moving Forward Graduation Summit that
Volunteer Tennessee hosted in partnership with corporate partners AT&T and State Farm; your
Office of State Planning and Policy; the Tennessee Department of Education, Department of Labor
and Work Force Development, and Higher Education Commission; and local non-profits. This
Summit was a result of a funding request from your office to Americas Promise Alliance, which is
a leading voice nationally for dropout prevention. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal
accelerates the bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of educational achievement
and excellence; builds upon our states substantial educational assets, and harnesses the deep impact
of linking strong standards and great teachers in our classrooms.

The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure its application is both
bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change our schools and
accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines reforms in four specific areas aligned
to the federal guidelines:
WILLIAM R. SNODGRASS TENNESSEE TOWER 312 ROSA L. PARKS AVENUE, 12
TH
FLOOR NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37243-1102
PHONE: VOICE/TDD (615) 532-9250 TOLL FREE (800) 404-8183 FAX (615) 532-6950
WWW.VOLUNTEER.TENNESSEE.NET
THE MISSION OF VOLUNTEER TENNESSEE IS TO ENCOURAGE VOLUNTEERISM AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

THE STATE OF TENNESSEE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, EQUAL ACCESS, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER RECYCLED PAPER

Page 2

As Tennessees commission on service and volunteerism, Volunteer Tennessee enthusiastically
supports the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and commits to:
Publicly advocating for the proposal and its goals;
Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform throughout the state;
Exploring ways to align Tennessees approximately $4 million in annual AmeriCorps and
Learn and Serve America funding with the goals of Race to the Top;
Providing support for teacher training in service-learning; and
Encouraging local volunteers to support the efforts of Race to the Top.

We have worked in the past to support education practice and reform, specifically on issues
designed to support student achievement through service-learning and dropout prevention. We
are committed to our states future. We will work closely with the schools, districts and state to
implement the Tennessee plan once funded.

Sincerely,

J im Snell
Executive Director

Member Districts:
Hamilton County
Knox County
Memphis City
Metropolitan Nashville
Shelby County
CLASS
Coalition of Large
School Systems
Chair:
Public Schools
2601 Bransford Avenue
Nashville, TN 37204
615.259-8444

November 20, 2009

The Honorable Governor Phil Bredesen
Governors Office


We are writing on behalf of the Coalition of Large School Systems, or CLASS.
We are an organization comprised of the five largest school systems in the state
(Metro Nashville Public Schools, Hamilton County Schools, Knox County Schools,
Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools), and aggregately we educate
more than one-third of the states K-12 student population.

We believe that the five school systems represented by the Coalition share similar
challenges, unique opportunities and fundamental characteristics that allow us to
serve as a powerful proof point and platform for our bold and transformational initia-
tives and ideas for reform. Originally we organized around pursuing improvements in
the Basic Education Program (BEP) funding formula, but our directors and school
board leadership have broadened the mission to include collective pursuit of educa-
tion reform efforts that we believe can significantly impact statewide education per-
formance.

Because of your administrations work around pre-kindergarten, implementation of
higher standards, expansion of the traditional teacher pipeline, funding improvements
and other factors such as Tennessees wealth of student academic progress data, we
believe Tennessee is now well positioned to be a winner in the Race to the Top fed-
eral education funding competition. We think in this time of unprecedented opportu-
nities that our school systems offer a platform to bring to life state strategies reflec-
tive of the four assurances required in the Race to the Top proposals: teacher effec-
tiveness and leadership, standards and assessments, use of longitudinal data, and turn-
ing around low performing schools as well as unique and systemic initiatives focused
around STEM development and high quality pre-kindergarten expansion.

Our individual districts are already engaged in this progressive Race to the Top
agenda through work such as the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative in Memphis City
Schools, which is a project to strengthen teacher evaluations and implement innova-
tive compensation systems; an unprecedented partnership with Bill Sanders in Metro
Nashville to develop a predictive analysis of every student using Tennessee Value
Added Assessment System (TVAAS) data to help drive more effective instruction;
the continuation and expansion of the Benwood Initiative; and the TAP project in
Knox County.

A-68
To that end, we would respectfully request an opportunity to meet with the
administrations team that is crafting the Race to the Top application and explore ways
the state could leverage our collective strength to improve Tennessees position in the
competition. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

_________________________________
For Metro Nashville Public Schools

cc: J ohn Morgan, Deputy to the Governor
Tim Webb, Commissioner of Education
Will Pinkston, Senior Advisor to the Governor
Margaret Horn, Senior Management Consultant to the Governor

Member Districts:
Hamilton County
Knox County
Memphis City
Shelby County
CLASS
Coalition of Large
School Systems
Chair:
Public Schools
2601 Bransford Avenue
Nashville, TN 37204
615.259-8444

December 28, 2009

The Honorable Governor Phil Bredesen
Governors Office


I have the distinct honor and privilege, as chairman of the Coalition of Large School Systems (CLASS),
to express our support for the State of Tennessees application for Race to the Top. We commit to you
our collective experiences, insights, relationships and resources in this pursuit. We also assure you that
we would like to serve as a platform for your bold vision and transformational initiatives.

As a coalition of the five largest school districts in Tennessee, we are writing to follow on our letter of
November 20, 2009 (a copy of which is attached). In that letter, we expressed our deep and unified
support for the transformational policies and practices that we know will be highlighted in Tennessees
Race to the Top proposal. More important than our stated support is our commitment to put into prac-
tice the reforms necessary to build a culture of educational achievement and excellence. In view of the
number of students we educate, our collective strengths can leverage the opportunity to make a signifi-
cant impact on the state as a whole.

Each of our school districts is committed to embracing the reform agenda highlighted in our earlier let-
ter and now being embodied in the Race to the Top proposal focusing on teacher effectiveness and
school leadership; implementing higher standards and improved assessments; using our unique data
system to drive specific professional development strategies; and working to find effective turnaround
models. We also believe that our school systems can play a leadership role in the STEM partnership
with Battelle. The Race to the Top process is providing the opportunity for all of us to determine how
we can collectively make a much more significant, systemic impact on student achievement.

We are committed to doing whatever is necessary to improve the future for Tennessees children. We
will work closely with the State to continue implementation of these policies and practices contained in
the Tennessee plan.

Sincerely,

Mark North
Chairman, Coalition of Large School Systems

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Gordon Fee, Chairman
Retired President,
Lockheed-Martin Energy Systems

Oliver S. Thomas,
Vice Chairman
Executive Director,
Niswonger Foundation

Pearl Coffey, Secretary
Union County Schools

Dr. Lynn Cagle
Associate Dean
College of Education,
Health and Human Sciences,
University of Tennessee

Daniel D. Challener
President
Public Education Foundation

Hardy DeYoung
Alcoa City Schools

David Dotson
Executive Director
Dollywood Foundation

Mike Edwards
CEO
Knoxville Area
Chamber Partnership

James A. Haslam II
Chairman
Pilot Corporation

Paul Montgomery
Vice President,
Talent Management
Eastman Chemical Company

Richard E. Ray
State Board of Education

Billy Stair
Director of Communications and
Community Outreach
UT-Battelle

Laurens Tullock
President
Cornerstone Foundation
of Knoxville

625 Market Street, Suite 1400
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
865-862-5255 phone
865-862-5254 fax

www.publicschoolforum.org

Governor Phil Bredesen December 16, 2009


Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a future that allows all
Tennessee students to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers.
This has been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component
of a strong and economically vital future for the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top
proposal accelerates the bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of
educational achievement and excellence; builds upon our states substantial educational
assets, and harnesses the deep impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in
our classrooms.

The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure its application
is both bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change our
schools and accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines reforms in
four specific areas aligned to the federal guidelines:
Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in
college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;

The Public School Forum of East Tennessee, whose mission is to be a catalyst, facilitator
and advocate for helping our region achieve an educated public that is second to none,
enthusiastically supports the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and:
We will publicly advocate for the proposal and its goals
Assist in providing positive conditions for reform throughout the state
Provide financial and other support to the various aspects of the reform efforts

issues designed to support student achievement. We are committed to our states future.
We will work closely with the schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee
plan once funded.

Sincerely,

Gordon Fee Oliver S. Thomas
Chairman Vice-Chairman

First Amendment Center
1207 18th Avenue South, Suite 326
Nashville, TN 37212

January 14, 2010

Secretary Arne Duncan
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202

Dear Secretary Duncan,

In my 12 years of experience in politics, particularly while serving as U.S. Senate Majority Leader, I
learned that success is often about taking advantage of the moments when the stars align around a
certain goal. The stars are aligned for making significant improvements to Tennessees education
system, and I write with the strongest support for Tennessees Race to the Top application, as I
believe the success of this application is critical to seizing this unique moment in Tennessees
history.

For the past year, I have chaired the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education
(SCORE) with the goal of making Tennessee schools #1 in the Southeast within five years. Led by
a steering committee of top education, political, and business leaders from across Tennessee,
SCORE has held 72 town hall meetings across the state, hosted eight statewide meetings with
leading education reformers from around the country, and conducted hundreds of one-on-one
interviews.

Last July, SCORE released a report entitled The State of Education in Tennessee laying out the
strengths and weaknesses of Tennessees education system, and last October we released our final
report entitled A Roadmap to Success: A Plan to Make Tennessee Schools #1 in the Southeast
Within Five Years. Over 300 key education stakeholders offered feedback on this final report,
which represents a bold consensus among the states key education stakeholders about a detailed
plan for improving Tennessees education system. This plan is perfectly aligned with Tennessees
Race to the Top application, as I will discuss in more detail below.

In addition to Tennessee SCORE, several other factors are aligning to create a truly unique moment
for education reform in Tennessee:

Governor Bredesens Tennessee Diploma Project, which fully went into effect this school year,
has raised the states standards to nationally competitive levels
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested $90 million in Memphis City Schools to
improve teacher effectiveness
Nationally renowned non-profits such as Teach For America, The New Teacher Project, and
KIPP are expanding their presence in the state, and a locally-grown charter school incubator has
recently been launched
The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) provides Tennessee with some of
the oldest and most reliable value-added data in the nation
The Tennessee Education Association has a very progressive leadership team that recently
approved a proposal to base teacher evaluations 50% on student growth, including 35% on
TVAAS scores

Tennessees Race to the Top application fully leverages each of these advantages. For example,
Tennessees application builds on SCOREs final report, which is a consensus that was built between
all the key education stakeholders in the state over the course of an entire year about how to
improve the states education system. Specifically, seven of the eight provisions in the legislative
package currently being considered by the Tennessee General Assembly to further the states Race
to the Top application represent recommendations from SCOREs final report.

Tennessees Race to the Top application also leverages existing national non-profits who have a
strong presence in the state (e.g., TFA, TNTP, KIPP) by proposing these non-profits help
turnaround the states lowest performing schools through the creation of a recovery school district.
The application also takes advantage of our states rich TVAAS data by connecting this data to
principal and teacher evaluations and implementing professional development to ensure this data is
used to improve classroom instruction. Finally, the application takes the Tennessee Diploma
Project to the logical next step by committing Tennessee to adopting the Common Core Standards.

Perhaps most importantly, Tennessee has on-the-ground capacity to successfully implement its Race
to the Top application. In addition to the presence of the national non-profits mentioned above,
SCORE is in the process of launching a five-year, $20 million privately funded effort to implement
its final report. This effort includes a statewide advocacy campaign, statewide teacher effectiveness
and leadership initiatives that are well aligned with the states Race to the Top application, and
several quick win projects. We believe this on-the-ground capacity will be critical to helping the
state successfully implement its Race to the Top application.

The stars have clearly aligned in Tennessee to create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve our
schools. Receiving Race to the Top funds would put this effort over the edge, and it is for this
reason I hope the Department will give Tennessees application the most favorable consideration.

With warmest regards,

William H. Frist, M.D.
Chairman, Tennessee SCORE

December 17, 2009


Board of Directors

Orrin Ingram
President and CEO
Ingram Industries

Tom Cigarran
Chairman
Healthways, Inc.

Christine Bradley
Assistant Vice Chancellor
Vanderbilt University

Colleen Conway-Welch
Dean of Nursing
Vanderbilt University

Beth Curley
President
Nashville Public Television

The Honorable Karl Dean
Mayor

Eric Dewey
President and CEO
United Way of Metropolitan Nashville

Rodger Dinwiddie
Executive Director
Center for Youth Issues Nashville/STARS

Rev. Sonnye Dixon
Hobson United Methodist Church

Margaret Dolan
Assistant Vice President
Ingram Industries

Robert Fisher
President
Belmont University

David Fox
Chair
Metro Nashville Board of Education

Howard Gentry
CEO
Nashville Chamber
Public Benefit Foundation

Paul Haynes
Executive Director
Nashville Career Advancement Center

Melvin Johnson
President
Tennessee State University

Judy McConkey
State Farm Insurance
America's Promise Alliance

The Honorable Diane Neighbors
Vice Mayor

Kathy Nevill
CFO
EFT Source

William Paul, MD
Director
Metropolitan Public Health Department

Joanne Pulles
President
HCA Foundation

Jesse Register
Director of Schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools

Ron Samuels
Chairman of the Board
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

Ralph Schulz
President
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

Brian Shipp
Regional CEO
Amerigroup Corporation

George Van Allen
President
Nashville State Community College


All across the state of Tennessee, community members and students are mobilizing to
achieve the goals you have established through the Tennessee Diploma Project. The Race to
the Top funds will provide an opportunity to accomplish this vision and to channel the work
of Tennessees substantial educational assets toward a common goal. The Tennessee Race to
the Top proposal has been crafted to take full advantage of the current momentum in our
state.

Alignment Nashville is a system and structure that aligns community organizations to
support public education, targeting the lowest-performing schools. More than 18
collaborative initiatives, involving over 300 organizations, have been developed since the
organization began five years ago. Most of the initiatives are already starting to show
positive and dramatic results. By partnering with the school district and other community
organizations, we are working together to solve the dropout crisis. Alignment recently
hosted two local Americas Promise Summits in conjunction with the state Americas
Promise Summits convened by the Governors office.

Alignment is scalable; instead of creating new programs, we strive to increase the capacity
of existing organizations so they can achieve their mission more effectively. Alignment
Nashville has been recognized by other cities as a successful model of collaboration. In fact,
we are currently helping to establish alignment networks in other communities.

One important initiative, Art to STEM, aims to increase the pipeline of students who will
enter STEM career academies in the newly re-designed high schools in Nashville. Art to
STEM targets girls in under-performing middle schools. By capturing the girls attention
through their interest in creative pursuits, community organizations such as the Girl Scouts,
the Adventure Science Center, PENCIL Foundation, and Tennessee Technological
University partner with teachers and local businesses to help the girls discover STEM
careers of the future, filled with opportunities for creative innovation. Art to STEM is funded
by the National Science Foundation (NSF). As required by the NSF grant, significant data
and analysis as well as promising practices will be available within the next two years. The
leadership team of Art to STEM will support the development of the STEM asset map
through the Race to the Top initiative and will work closely with the state to ensure the
projects resources are utilized as needed.

Alignment Nashville strongly supports the states proposal for Race to the Top and is ready
to commit to:

Providing resources and services as outlined in the proposal

We will work closely with the school district in Nashville and with the state to ensure that
Tennessee Reaches the Top in education.

Sincerely,

Sydney Rogers
Executive Director

December 16, 2009



Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a future that
allows all Tennessee students to reach their potential and have choices for
college and careers. This has been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project
and a necessary component of a strong and economically vital future for the
state. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal accelerates the bold reforms
and supports necessary to realize a culture of educational achievement and
excellence; builds upon our states substantial educational assets, and
harnesses the deep impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in
our classrooms.

application is both bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime
chance to change our schools and accelerate student achievement. The
Tennessee plan outlines reforms in four specific areas aligned to the federal
guidelines:
Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed
in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and
inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
RICHARD G. RHODA
Executive Director
PHIL BREDESEN
Governor
STATE OF TENNESSEE
HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION
PARKWAY TOWERS, SUITE 1900
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37243-0830
(615) 741-3605
FAX: (615) 741-6230
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the coordinating agency for all
public higher education in Tennessee, enthusiastically supports the Tennessee
Race to the Top proposal and commits to:
Strengthening teacher and school leader preparation programs in the states
universities

We have worked in the past to support education practice and reform,
specifically on issues designed to support student achievement. Tennessees
universities and teacher preparation programs will work collaboratively with
the Tennessee Department of Education in providing professional development
for K-12 teachers and school leaders that will focus on student achievement
and the measurement of it. We are committed to our states future. We will
work closely with the schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee
plan once funded.

Sincerely,

Richard G. Rhoda
Executive Director

A-88
lU\.,J,J\.,",
L)ecember 16. 2009
of the Governor
State Capitol
Governor Bredescn:
Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to a future that allows all
students to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers. This has
been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component of a strong and
economically vital futlln: j{)r the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal accelerates the
bold ref<:mns and supports necessary to realize a eulture of educational achievement and
excellence; builds upon our state's substantial educational assets, and harnesscs the deep impact
of linking strong standards and great teachers in our classrooms.
The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure its application is
both bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change our schools
and accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines in four speeitlc areas
aligned to the federal guidelines:
Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to in college and the
,. Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and
Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals,
especially where are needed most and
Dyersburg State is a community college that enthusiastically supports the
Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and commits to:
Publicly advocate for the proposal and its goals
@ Assist in providing positive conditions for reform throughout the state and in the
northwest 'Tennessee community
IlII Provide restricted funds and grant funds to accomplish the goal or strengthening
persistenec and retention by implementing research-based strategies along with
assessment of student learning. Dyersburg State is currently in the process of redesigning
all remedial and developmental courses to help students move through the pipeline in a
timely manner, restructuring student services around a "one stop" support concept and
utilizing new technologies that advance learning.
Dyersburg State has worked in the past to support edueation practice and reiorm, specifically on
issues designed to support student achievement. As mentioned in each of the areas of reform, we
have been working to help students "turn the corner" and we look forward 10 progressing in a
manner that will enhance student success. Dyersburg State is committed to our state's future and
we are confident that the opportunity to employ these new reforms will be a testament to what
can be accomplished within the paradigm of educational transformation. We will work closely
with the schools, districts, service areas and the state to implement the Tennessee plan once
funded.
Sincerely,
Karen A. Bowyer
President
December17,2009
GovernorPhilBredesen
OfficeoftheGovernor
TennesseeStateCapitol
Nashville,TN372430001
DearGovernorBredesen:
RacetotheTopprovidesanunprecedentedopportunitytocreateafuturethatallowsallTennesseestudentsto
reachtheirpotentialandhavechoicesforcollegeandcareers.ThishasbeenthevisionoftheTennesseeDiploma
Projectandanecessarycomponentofastrongandeconomicallyvitalfutureforthestate.TheTennesseeRaceto
theTopproposalacceleratestheboldreformsandsupportsnecessarytocreateacultureofeducational
achievementandexcellence,buildsuponourstatessubstantialeducationalassets,andharnessesthedeepimpact
oflinkingstrongstandardsandgreatteachersinourclassrooms.
TheonlywayTennesseecantrulypositionitselfforvictoryistomakesureitsapplicationisbothboldanduniquely
Tennessean.Thisisaonceinalifetimechancetochangeourschoolsandacceleratestudentachievement.The
Tennesseeplanoutlinesreformsinfourspecificareasalignedtothefederalguidelines:
Adoptingstandardsandassessmentsthatpreparestudentstosucceedincollegeandtheworkplaceandto
competeintheglobaleconomy;
Buildingdatasystemsthatmeasurestudentgrowthandsuccess,andinformteachersandprincipalsabout
howtheycanimproveinstruction;
Recruiting,developing,rewarding,andretainingeffectiveteachersandprincipals,especiallywheretheyare
neededmost;and
Turningaroundourlowestachievingschools
MotlowStateCommunityCollegeenthusiasticallysupportstheTennesseeRacetotheTopproposalandcommits
to:
Publiclyadvocatingfortheproposalanditsgoals
Assistinginprovidingpositiveconditionsforreformthroughoutourcommunity
Reviewourpotentialtosupportthroughserviceorfunding.
Wehaveworkedinthepasttosupporteducationpracticeandreform,specificallyonissuesdesignedtosupport
studentachievement.Wearecommittedtoourstatesfuture.Wewillworkcloselywiththeschools,districtsand
statetoimplementtheTennesseeplanoncefunded.
Sincerely,
MaryLouApple
President

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
December 17, 2009

Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0001


Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a future that allows all
Tennessee students to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers. This has
been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component of a strong and
economically vital future for the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal accelerates the
bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of educational achievement and
excellence; builds upon our states substantial educational assets, and harnesses the deep
impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in our classrooms.

application is both bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to
change our schools and accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines reforms
in four specific areas aligned to the federal guidelines:

Adopting standards assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the
especially where they are needed most; and

As a provider of an Associate of Science in Teaching, Walters State remains committed
to the preparation of potential candidates for quality teaching preparation programs at colleges
and universities. We enthusiastically support the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and
commit to:

Publicly advocating for the proposal and its goals;
Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform throughout the state and in our
community through the Mid-East Tennessee Regional P-16 Council; and
Providing professional P-16 teacher and college faculty development based on ACT
data and Standards for Transition referenced in the proposal.

500 SOUTH DAVY CROCKETT PARKWAY MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE 37813-6899 423-585-6770
A Tennessee Board of Regents College

December 17, 2009
Page 2

issues designed to support student achievement for the preparation of:

Students to successfully graduate from high school and succeed in college and be
prepared to be productive citizens;
A system to track progress for improved ACT college scores in our region; and
Partnerships with K-12 school systems in distressed counties to provide
opportunities for their students to achieve the goals of the Tennessee Diploma
Project.

We are committed to our states future. We will work closely with the schools, districts
and state to implement the Tennessee plan once funded.

Sincerely,

Wade B. McCamey
President

:bls

500 SOUTH DAVY CROCKETT PARKWAY MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE 37813-6899 423-585-6770
A Tennessee Board of Regents College
"The HIghway to ueee s"
Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson
740 Highway 46
Dickson, Tennes 'ee 37055
Phone: 441-6220 Fax: 441-6223
December 16, 2009
Race to the Top provides a unique opportunity for Tennesseans to realize their potential and prepare for
a successful career. The Tennessee Diploma Project supports this concept and is designed to better
prepare our students for post secondary and career readiness. The Tennessee Race to the Top
proposal provides bold reforms and a support system that will create a stronger educational system
designed to meet these goals.
The Tennessee plan is both bold and unique. This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to introduce
significant change and result in accelerated student achievement. The plan outlines reforms in fo r
specific areas aligned to the federal guidelines:
~ Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in post secondary
schools and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
~ BUilding data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and
~ Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially
where they are needed the most; and
~ Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.
Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson fully supports the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and
commits to:
~ Publicly advocating for the proposal and its goals
~ Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform throughout our service delivery area
~ Providing dual enrollment opportunities to help reach higher attainment rates and to better
prepare our students for their chosen career
We continue to work toward and support education reform, specifically on issues designed to support
student achievement. We are committed to our state's future and will continue to work closely with local
schools, districts, and the state to implement the Tennessee plan once funded.
i C ( a . , L ~
Mark E. Powers
Director
n EEO/f\AJADNlnstitution A Board of Regents In titution
A-108
BRIDGING INNOVATIONS
ORIGINATING IN TENNESSEE
December 2009
I am writing to inform you of my full support for Tennessee's Race to the Top proposal. The
Race to the Top funding provides an unprecedented opportunity in our state to create a future
that allows all Tennessee students to reach their potential, with comprehensive educational
experiences that prepare them for college and career pathways integral to the 21st century
knowledge economy. This has been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project (TDP) and is a
necessary component of a strong and economically vital future for the state. The proposal
accelerates the bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of educational
achievement and excellence; builds upon our state's substantial educational and business
assets, and harnesses the deep impact of linking strong curriculum and standards, great
classroom instruction and, finally, the application of learned principles taught in the classroom,
providing our students with the comprehensive education that leads to increased critical
thinking skills and greater depth of knowledge.
The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure it's application is
both bold and uniquely Tennessean. Through alignment of key stakeholders (P12-, higher-
education and businesses), we are strategically positioned to take advantage of this once-in-a-
lifetime chance to change our schools and accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan
outlines reforms in four specific areas aligned to federal guidelines:
Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and
the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers
and principals about how they can improve instruction;
As executive director of the BioTN Foundation, a collaborative of P20 education and
science/technology business, whose mission is to advance science and technology knowledge
and enterprise within Tennessee, and as an individual with rigorous scientificjsurgical training
and expertise in dental regenerative therapeutics, I am keenly aware ofthe need for, and
BioTN Foundation, Inc. 389 Nichol Mill Lane Franklin, TN 37067 616-521-1483
www.biotn.org
benefit of, high performing educational systems with relevant industry/business connections.
Within a global marketplace of competition, it is essential that key stakeholders align for
maximum effectiveness and efficiency in education. Through the work of the Tennessee
diploma project, and with the current Race to the Top proposal, Tennessee is uniquely
positioned to address existing educational challenges as never before. With existing alignment
of key stakeholders and the commitment of new partners, such as Battelle of Ohio, Tennessee is
able to take advantage of the opportunity to implement "best [new] practices" to assist in
meeting the requirements of rigorous educational standards that have been shown to yield the
highly qualified educators/workers required to compete in a global economy. Therefore, on
behalf of the BioTN Foundation collaborative, I enthusiastically support the proposal and
commit to:
Continue to provide connection to experiential, or hands on, training, referenced in the
proposal, and designed to enhance student/faculty depth of understanding required for
higher level learning andpPerformance
The BioTN Foundation has worked to support education practice and reform, specifically on
issues designed to support student achievement, including 1) participation on the small
leadership team for the Tennessee Diploma Project, 2) support for STEM focused initiatives
including student/faculty int,ernships, workshops, summer programs, as well as other
secondary/higher education outreach initiatives connecting students/fellows with STEM
professionals, and, 3) the co-development/implementation of a Biomedical Technology program
designed to provide greater local access to the highly qualified workforce required to support
current and future biomedical/life science businesses in Tennessee. We remain confident in the
future of our state and the BioTN Foundation is committed to work closely with the schools,
districts and state to implement the Tennessee Race to the Top plan, once funded. Thank you
for your continued commitment to excellence in education and for your vision for what is
possible for our students, graduates and leading businesses in the Great State of Tennessee.
Sincerely, ~ 'I) fi-a .
;1~iv / /17;
Leslie A. Wisner-Lynch, DDS, DMSc
Executive Director
BioTN Foundation, Inc. 389 Nichol Mill Lane Franklin, TN 37067 616-521-1483
www.biotn.org

December 29, 2009



The Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach (CSO) enthusiastically supports the
Tennessee Race to the Top proposal, specifically in its commitment to improve and
expand STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) educational capacity in the
state.

Currently, the CSO has a number of partnerships with Metropolitan Nashville Public
Schools (MNPS) including the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV), the
Science Teacher Institute (STI) at the MNPS Martin Professional Development Center,
and the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership (SCP) program. The SSMV, currently in
its third year, offers high school students a four-year, interdisciplinary, research-centered
learning experience at one of the nation's most prestigious universities, where students
learn in a research environment alongside internationally recognized faculty leading the
way in diverse fields of scientific study. The STI provides cutting-edge professional
development experiences for middle and high school teachers coupling workshops,
mentoring, and in-classroom programs with scientific research experiences to increase
teachers conceptual understanding of STEM fields. The ten-year long SCP program
places science graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in middle school classrooms to
team-teach with MNPS teachers.

Vanderbilt and MNPS are eager to collaborate in the Race to the Top proposal to extend
the reach of these innovative programs to additional Nashville public schools. If the
proposal is successful, it would enable students to pursue a curriculum that connects
STEM disciplines through meaningful and engaging exploration with increasing depth
and independence. With the assistance of Battelle, which is leading a major ramp-up of
STEM education in Ohio, we expect to make a similarly large impact in Middle
Tennessee.

The Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach, therefore commits to:

Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform in Nashville
Providing instructional support for enhanced STEM curricula in Nashville
public schools.

The Vanderbilt CSO is pleased to support education practice and reform, especially in the
areas of science, technology, engineering and math instruction, and we are highly
committed to the future of education in Tennessee. We will work closely with the
schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee plan once funded.

Sincerely,

Virginia L. Shepherd, Ph.D.
Director, Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach
Professor of Pathology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Page 1/2

December 16, 2009



The Millard Oakley STEM Center was established in 2004 as a Tennessee Technological University
campus-wide initiative to improve teaching and learning across the STEM disciplines, pre-school
through the university. The Center has established a solid foundation of quality professional
development for STEM educators, cutting-edge enrichment opportunities for students, and
scientifically-based research on STEM teaching and learning. With its upcoming move in spring 2010
into its new home, Ray Morris Hall, the Center will become a highly visible focal point of campus,
regional, and state efforts to meet high expectations in STEM education.

TTUs Millard Oakley STEM Center is pleased to be a collaborating partner in the Tennessee application
to Race to the Top. This is an unprecedented opportunity to provide all Tennessee students with
opportunities to reach their potential and have choices for college and careers. The Tennessee Diploma
Project and the recent approval of new, more rigorous, curriculum standards are necessary
components of a strong and economically vital future for the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top
proposal accelerates the bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of educational
achievement and excellence; builds upon our states substantial educational assets, and harnesses the
deep impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in our classrooms.

As the Oakley STEM Center director, I support the proposed reforms in four specific areas aligned to
the federal guidelines. We have numerous Center activities congruent with each of the reforms
already in place and we look forward to opportunities to expand our services and to further address
the following targeted initiatives:
Page 2/2
I enthusiastically support the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and commit to:
Publicly advocating for the proposal and its goals through the Oakley STEM Centers web site
and other public venues;
Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform throughout the state and particularly in the
Upper Cumberland, one of the most under-educated and economically disadvantaged regions
of Tennessee;
Continuing and expanding existing professional development such as Math Science
Partnerships, THEC Improving Teacher Quality projects, Research Experiences for Teachers, and
self-supporting activities based on the assessed needs of area educators and expertise of the
TTU faculty;
Continuing and expanding enrichment opportunities for youth including Governors Schools,
STEM Camps, Engineering-A-Future, and other activities targeted at bridging the gap between
the services available in local communities and the needs of youth for immersion in the
emerging STEM technologies;
Fostering interdisciplinary collaborations among the STEM discipline faculty and the education
faculty at TTU and with other Tennessee community colleges and universities to advance new
research in STEM learning; and
Seeking resources to support rigorous research on the effectiveness of various STEM
instructional strategies and curriculum resources.

We have worked in the past to support education practice and reform, specifically on issues designed
to support student achievement. We are committed to our states future. We will continue to work
closely with the schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee plan once funded.

Sincerely,

Sally J. Pardue
Director of Oakley STEM Center

Monday, December 14, 2009



At no other time in the educational history of Tennessee have we experienced the
unparalleled opportunities provided through the Race to the Top. This program will promote a
culture in which all Tennessee students are able to flourish and reach their full potential as they
prepare for college and careers. This vision originates and has been embedded in Tennessees
many strong, on-going efforts, such as the Tennessee Diploma Project, to build excellence in
education. We believe this vision of excellence is critical to the states short- and long-term
economic vitality and prosperity. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal builds on current and
new courageous initiatives and provides the supports necessary to realize a culture of
educational achievement and excellence by building upon our states substantial educational
assets, such as our strong standards and great teachers.

The Race to the Top offers our state an opportunity that, in all probability, will never to
be repeated. We now have the chance to design a course of action that is bold and uniquely
Tennessean. This is an opportunity to break the educational mold and position our schools to
embark upon a course of accelerated student achievement. With these challenges and
opportunities in mind, the Tennessee plan outlines reforms in four specific areas aligned to
federal guidelines:
Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in
college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;




The East Tennessee State Universitys Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science
Education has a long history of advocating and building support to advance K-16 math and
science education throughout our community and state. We are enthusiastically supportive of
the Tennessee Race to the Top proposal and commit to:

Assisting in providing positive conditions for reform throughout our
community and the state

Providing contracted services to accomplish a well-developed infrastructure
network of cooperation and mutual respect between ETSU and local school
districts. Our professional development model and evaluation design
document our ability to scale up and build capacity and credibility with our
partner school districts through designing, evaluating, revising, and expanding
activities. For example, we have demonstrated through a rigorous evaluation
protocol an increase in teacher content knowledge, increase in student
learning, enhanced pedagogical/classroom management strategies, enhanced
professional development networks, enhanced vision of effective math and
science instruction, methods of retaining effective teachers in the classroom,
and adapting assessments to better prepare students for success in college
and the workplace.

Our work has been extensive over the past two decades, specifically on issues designed
to support student achievement and teacher development. For example, we have organized,
publicized, and joined in public events that bring together students, parents, and teachers with
STEM professionals and industry partners. These events celebrate the importance of STEM
within our community and inspire our students to higher achievement levels. We have a record
of more than twenty years of providing quality, sustained professional development to our
regions math and science teachers. These efforts have assisted us in building an infrastructure
and data systems for documenting student achievement as well as developing and retaining
effective teachers in the classroom.

We are prepared to assist the state in meeting the goals of the Race to the Top. We are
committed to undertake this challenge knowing that Tennessee will be working alongside us to
advance our common goals. We are strongly committed to our states future, and, once this
bold and ambitious plan is funded, we will eagerly redouble our efforts to work closely with the
schools, districts and state of Tennessee.

Sincerely,

Jack Rhoton, Executive Director
Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education
r3IQMIMETIC
January 4, 2010
T H RAP U T
I write this letter to express my full and unequivocal support for the Race to the Top application. As
someone who grew up on a small family farm well below the poverty level and went on to receive a
doctorate from Harvard Medical School, patent several new therapies for debilitating injuries and
eventually start a publically traded biotechnology company, I know first-hand the value that can only
come from a great education.
Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity in our state to create a future that allows all
Tennessee students to reach their full potential, with comprehensive educational experiences that
prepare them for college and career pathways integral to the 21st century knowledge economy. This
vision, currently embodied in the Tennessee Diploma Project (TDP), is a necessary component of a
strong and economically vital future for the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal accelerates
the bold reforms of the TDP and provides for a culture of educational achievement and excellence; it
builds upon our state's substantial educational and business assets, and harnesses the deep impact of
linking strong curriculum and standards, great classroom instruction and, finally, the application of
learned principles taught in the classroom, providing our students with the full continuum of education
that leads to increased critical thinking and greater understanding.
This initiative is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change our schools and accelerate student
achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines reforms in four specific areas aligned to the federal
guidelines:
As President and CEOof BioMimetic Therapeutics Inc [Nasdaq: BMTI], a leading edge
biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant
810MIMETIC THERAPEUTICS. INC . 38S-A NICHOL MILL LANE FRANKLIN. TENNESSEE 37067
MAIN: (615) 844.1280 FAX: (615) 844.1281 WWW.810MIMETICS.COM
protein therapeutics for the treatment of orthopedic injuries, I am keenly aware of the need for high
performing educational systems. Companies like BMTI, who seek to lead in the development of "next
generation" technologies, depend upon a highly qualified workforce to support their long-term
success. Tennessee's Race to the Top proposal is a clear indication ofthe state's commitment to
providing that workforce, through an enhanced continuum of education, and, on behalf of BioMimetic
Therapeutics Inc., I enthusiastically support the proposal and commit to:
Continue to provide relevant experiential training, referenced in the proposal, for qualified high
school students/faculty, in order to enhance their understanding for the application of
knowledge gained through classroom instruction, thereby resulting in enhanced critical
thinking/problem solving skills that are essential for leading science and technology businesses.
Moreover, as co-founder and Chairman of the BioTN Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation whose
mission is to catalyze science and technology education (hence the word play on biotin, a Bvitamin
required for growth), we have an established, successful track record of working with the state's public
and private educational institutions to provide new, more meaningful, dimensions to the students'
educational experience, especially in providing experiential learning opportunities. Additionally,
through its executive director, BioTN has also provided leadership to the core team responsible for
developing the Tennessee Diploma Project, and has co-developed a Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)
approved, one-year Biomedical Technology program.
Finally, through the work of the BioTN Foundation, we have supported student internships, summer-
camp programs with higher-education/science museum partners, informal science education
community outreach programs to the public (such as BioTN Foundation's "Life Sciences: Solutions for
Life" much sought-after hands on learning exhibit), as well as science faculty professional
development.
I remain strongly committed to supporting these programs, and those additional needed programs
which will be made possible only through successful Raceto the Top funding. I are committed to our
state's future and, through BioTN, will work closely with the schools, districts and state to implement
the Tennessee plan for Raceto the Top. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence in
education, and through it, the betterment of all Tennesseans.
A-128 Tennessee, Appendix A-2-3

December 16, 2009



Race to the Top provides an unprecedented opportunity in our state to create a future that allows
all Tennessee students to reach their potential, with comprehensive educational experiences that
prepare them for college and career pathways integral to the 21
st
century knowledge economy.
This has been the vision of the Tennessee Diploma Project and a necessary component of a strong
and economically vital future for the state. The Tennessee Race to the Top proposal accelerates
the bold reforms and supports necessary to realize a culture of educational achievement and
excellence; builds upon our states substantial educational and business assets, and harnesses the
deep impact of linking strong standards and great teachers in our classrooms.

The only way Tennessee can truly position itself for victory is to make sure its application is both
bold and uniquely Tennessean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change our schools and
accelerate student achievement. The Tennessee plan outlines reforms in four specific areas
aligned to the federal guidelines:
The Tennessee Biotechnology Association representing the biotechnology and life science
industries across the State, underscore our enthusiastic support for the Tennessee Race to the Top
proposal and commit to:
Providing the TBA membership as a resource-referenced in the proposal to accomplish
its goals by providing recommendations and serving as a sounding board for those
involved in developing and implementing the plan.

We have worked in the past to support education practice and reform, specifically on initiatives
designed to support student achievement by providing a forum for biotech and life sciences

including experiential training, support of high level, high quality scientific
presentations/competitions by high school students in, and outside, of Tennessee as well as
supporting and fostering the growth of young entrepreneurs in the life sciences through serving as
host to a business plan competition for graduate students from across the state. We have also
worked to establish greater connection between industry members and the state colleges and
universities, both at the peer and pre-professional/professional scientist level through our board of
directors and committee structure. Successful funding of Tennessees Race To The Top proposal
would provide the foundation to long-term success that the life science/biotechnology businesses
are looking for as they seek to grow and develop into leading companies, whos success depends
upon ready access to a highly qualified workforce. We are committed to our states future. We
will work closely with the schools, districts and state to implement the Tennessee plan once
funded and look forward to the opportunity to participate.

Sincerely,

Robert V. Acuff, Ph.D.
Chair of the Board

STATE OF TENNESSEE
Governors Office of Childrens Care Coordination
2700 Tennessee Tower
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Phil Bredesen Nashville, Tennessee 37243-1102 Bob Duncan
Governor Phone: 6157415192 Director
Fax: 6157415719

December 14, 2010

Commissioner Tim Webb
Andrew J ohnson Tower, 6
th
Floor
710 J ames Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243

Dear Commissioner Webb,

As Director for the Governors Office of Childrens Care Coordination, I appreciate the significance of
and fully support the Department of Educations proposal to strengthen Tennessees educational system
through its Race to the Top application.

A fundamental responsibility of this office is the translation of science into public policy. Our office
works with the child serving departments to identify and implement best practices in all manner of
programs and services. DOEs proposal to incorporate the earlier application for support of an enhanced
Longitudinal Data System which will link data elements from the other departments with the LDS will
give the state a vehicle to build evidence of best practice not only for the education system but also for
related systems such as health, human services, childrens services, mental health and workforce
development. Going forward there will be increasing pressure to fund the programs and services that
demonstrate most favorable outcomes. DOEs proposal to complete and extend the LDS to P20,
surrounded by complementary data sets, will support that agenda.

As a supporter of DOEs application, the GOCCC commits resources of this office to implementation of
the Race to the Top project when it is awarded. The Governors priority on education has been clear and
consistent. Implementation of this project will mark a turning point for Tennessee and be an outstanding
legacy of the Administration.

Cordially,

Bob Duncan, Director
Governors Office of Childrens Care Coordination

L i n d a I r w i n
D i r e c t o r o f S c h o o l P a r t n e r s h i p s
1 6 G i t l a n d S U e e t T u s c u t u m C o l l e g e P . O . B o x 5 1 1 2 G r e e n e v i t t e , T e n n e s s e e 3 7 7 4 3
( 4 2 3 ) 7 9 8 - 7 8 3 7 f a x ( 4 2 3 ) 6 3 6 - 3 5 2 3 e - m a i l o t h o r n a s @ t u s c u l u m . e d o
N I S W O N G E R
F O U N D t I I I O N
J a n u a r y 6 , 2 0 1 0
N a s h v i l l e , T N , 3 7 2 4 3 - 0 0 0 1
T h e T e n n e s s e e R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o p o s a l w i l l a c c e l e r a t e t h e r e f o r m s a n d s u p p o r t s n e c e s s a r y t o i n s u r e a f u t u r e o f
q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r s t u d e n t s t h r o u g h o u t T e n n e s s e e . D u r i n g r e c e n t y e a r s , m u c h e m p h a s i s h a s
b e e n p l a c e d o n r a i s i n g t h e s t a n d a r d s t o w h i c h o u r s t u d e n t s a n d e d u c a t o r s a r e h e l d . T h e T e n n e s s e e D i p l o m a
P r o j e c t i s o n e e x a m p l e o f t h e s t a t e ' s d e s i r e t o i n s u r e t h a t T e n n e s s e e s t u d e n t s a r e a f f o r d e d a r i g o r o u s a n d r e l e v a n t
c u r r i c u l u m . R a c e t o t h e T o p w i l l p r o v i d e a n u n p r e c e d e n t e d o p p o r t u n i t y t o b u i l d u p o n o u r s t a t e ' s s u b s t a n t i a l
e d u c a t i o n a l a s s e t s , a n d i n s u r e a s t r o n g a n d e c o n o m i c a l l y v i t a l f u t u r e f o r o u r s t a t e .
T h e T e n n e s s e e p l a n o u t l i n e s r e f o r m s i n f o u r s p e c i f i c a r e a s a l i g n e d t o t h e f e d e r a l g u i d e l i n e s :
A d o p t i n g s t a n d a r d s a n d a s s e s s m e n t s t h a t p r e p a r e s t u d e n t s t o s u c c e e d i n c o l l e g e a n d t h e w o r k p l a c e a n d
t o c o m p e t e i n t h e g l o b a l e c o n o m y ;
B u i l d i n g d a t a s y s t e m s t h a t m e a s u r e s t u d e n t g r o w t h a n d s u c c e s s , a n d i n f o r m t e a c h e r s a n d p r i n c i p a l s
a b o u t h o w t h e y c a n i m p r o v e i n s t r u c t i o n ;
R e c r u i t i n g , d e v e l o p i n g , r e w a r d i n g , a n d r e t a i n i n g e f f e c t i v e t e a c h e r s a n d p r i n c i p a l s , e s p e c i a l l y w h e r e t h e y
a r e n e e d e d m o s t ; a n d
T u r n i n g a r o u n d o u r l o w e s t - a c h i e v i n g s c h o o l s
T h e m i s s i o n o f t h e N i s w o n g e r F o u n d a t i o n i s t o c r e a t e o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r i n d i v i d u a l a n d c o m m u n i t y g r o w t h t h r o u g h
e d u c a t i o n . T h e f o u n d a t i o n i s a n o p e r a t i n g f o u n d a t i o n d e s i g n e d t o p a r t n e r w i t h s c h o o l s t o p r o v i d e n o t o n l y
f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t b u t a l s o o n - g o i n g s u p p o r t f r o m e x p e r t s i n e d u c a t i o n a l r e f o r m . D u r i n g t h e p a s t e i g h t
y e a r s , w e
h a v e s u c c e s s f u l l y w o r k e d w i t h s c h o o l s t h r o u g h o u t N o r t h e a s t T e n n e s s e e t o i n c r e a s e s t u d e n t a c h i e v e m e n t .
B e c a u s e t h e R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o p o s a l m i r r o r s t h e m i s s i o n o f t h e N i s w o n g e r F o u n d a t i o n , w e e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y
s u p p o r t t h e T e n n e s s e e R a c e t o t h e T o p p r o p o s a l a n d c o m m i t t o :
P u b l i c l y a d v o c a t i n g f o r t h e p r o p o s a l a n d I t s g o a l s
A s s i s t i n g i n p r o v i d i n g p o s i t i v e c o n d i t i o n s f o r r e f o r m t h r o u g h o u t t h e s t a t e
W e a r e c o m m i t t e d t o p r o v i d i n g q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r a l l T e n n e s s e a n s a n d w i l l w o r k c l o s e l y w i t h a l l
i n v o l v e d t o i m p l e m e n t t h e T e n n e s s e e ' s R a c e t o t h e T o p p l a n .
S i n c e r e l y ,
A-148

I

, /
' 1

A-149
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
All Students (%) 75.7 77.9 80.7 81.8 82.2 83.2
Note:
Tennessee Graduation Rate for All Students, 2004-2009
The graduation rate numerator only includes students who receive a regular diploma in the standard number of years. The
numerator does not include students who obtain a GED, a special education diploma, or certificate of attendance. The
number of regular on-time graduates is divided by the sum of all graduates, completers, and dropouts over the previous 4
years.
Tennessee Graduation Rate for All Students, 2004-2009
77.9
80.7
81.8
82.2
83.2
75.7
50
60
70
80
90
100
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
i
o
n

R
a
t
e

(
%
)
A-150
2007 2008 2009
All 81.8 82.2 83.2
African Am. 71.6 72.1 71.5
Asian/PI 90.4 89.9 91.3
Hispanic 73.1 76.1 77.3
Native Am. 76.7 77.3 83.7
White 85.6 86 87.9
Male 78.2 78.9 80.2
Female 85.5 85.6 86.3
Note:
The graduation rate numerator only includes students who receive a regular diploma in the standard number of years. The
numerator does not include students who obtain a GED, a special education diploma, or certificate of attendance. The
number of regular on-time graduates is divided by the sum of all graduates, completers, and dropouts over the previous 4
years.
Tennessee has the capacity to disaggregate this information for race/ethnicity. For the other three required subgroups
(Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities, and Limited English Proficient), Tennessee will begin to track
first-time 9th graders for school year 2005-06. In 2009-10, Tennessee will be able to calculate a graduation rate for those
three groups.
Graduation Rate by subgroup
Tennessee Graduation Rate by subgroup, 2007-2009
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2007 2008 2009
Year
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
i
o
n

R
a
t
e

(
%
)
All
African Am.
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am.
White
Male
Female
A-151
% Tested Composite English Math Reading Science
2003 74 20.4 * * * *
2004 87 20.5 20.6 19.7 21 20.3
2005 92 20.5 20.6 19.7 20.8 20.2
2006 93 20.7 20.8 19.9 21.1 20.3
2007 96 20.7 20.8 19.9 21.1 20.4
2008 88 20.7 20.8 19.9 21.1 20.3
2009 92 20.6 20.7 19.8 21 20.4
* denotes subject level data not available
Note:
Data for 2004-2009 are as reported nationally by ACT as single year aggregate data.
These data are State level data and have been used for single year reporting in the format
of: Composite, English, Math, Reading and Science since 2004. 2003 data were
reported differently nationally.
Tennessee ACT Scores, 2003-2009
Tennessee ACT Scores, 2003-2009
19
19.5
20
20.5
21
21.5
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
S
c
o
r
e
Composite
English
Math
Read
Science
A-152
2004 95.7 90.8 98.0 93.2 93.8 97.4 92.0 79.3 85.4
2005 95.2 89.3 96.8 94.1 92.0 97.3 91.4 77.4 86.2
2006 94.3 86.8 97.0 92.5 92.6 97.1 90.0 76.5 83.8
2007 94.6 87.8 96.5 91.5 95.9 97.2 90.9 78.5 77.0
2008 95.7 90.9 98.0 93.2 96.4 97.7 93.0 83.1 80.6
2009 95.7 90.9 97.8 94.2 94.9 97.7 93.3 82.5 81.6
Note: The 2003 data did not have matching subgroup data as the 2004 to 2009.
Science Achievement (Biology) for Grades 9-12: Percent of Students scoring Proficient or Advanced
Tennessee: Science Achievement (Biology) for Grades 9-12, 2004-2009
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
i
n
g

P
r
o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-153
Year All African Am. API Hispanic Native Am. White Econ Dis SWD LEP
2004 72.0 50.1 82.4 59.1 74.1 80.4 58.9 40.0 40.3
2005 77.8 57.6 89.6 74.1 80.6 85.2 66.6 48.6 52.1
2006 79.1 59.0 90.6 72.7 83.2 86.6 68.4 49.8 48.3
2007 80.6 61.9 90.9 74.9 84.2 87.5 70.9 55.6 43.4
2008 81.2 62.3 88.7 71.8 85.7 88.5 71.5 57.6 49.0
2009 80.7 61.2 88.6 73.1 84.1 88.0 71.1 57.1 52.5
Note: Tennessee Criterion Referenced Test began in 2004, prior to that assessments were Norm Referenced Tests.
Science Achievement for Grades 3-8: Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced
Tennessee: Science Achievement for Grades 3-8, 2004-2009
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
i
n
g

P
r
o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-154
2003 76.4 52.0 86.6 71.2 75.8 85.4 61.5 41.0 59.9
2004 76.7 55.3 89.1 71.2 77.1 85.7 62.6 37.0 57.6
2005 74.4 54.8 83.5 73.1 69.2 83.8 63.5 40.1 59.6
2006 74.2 55.8 84.4 71.9 71.7 83.5 65.2 55.1 58.0
2007 76.7 58.8 91.0 73.6 74.2 85.5 67.6 45.9 55.2
2008 77.8 61.9 92.1 77.5 82.1 85.3 69.7 47.8 62.1
2009 79.1 64.5 92.3 78.3 82.9 85.7 72.8 50.6 64.6
Math for Grades 9-12: Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced
Tennessee: Math Achievement (Algebra 1) for Grades 9-12, 2003-2009
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
i
n
g

P
r
o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-155
2003 79.9 62.5 90.8 71.2 79.0 86.2 68.9 37.8 62.0
2004 83.0 69.0 93.0 77.0 85.0 89.0 75.0 45.0 66.0
2005 88.0 77.0 96.0 81.0 88.0 92.0 81.0 55.0 74.0
2006 89.0 79.0 97.0 83.0 89.0 92.0 82.0 58.0 75.0
2007 89.3 80.9 96.2 84.3 91.1 92.6 83.7 60.6 68.1
2008 90.8 83.5 96.3 87.8 92.7 93.6 86.1 67.5 76.2
2009 90.6 84.0 96 88.7 92.1 92.9 86.2 67.9 79.3
Math Grades 3-8: Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced
Tennessee: Math Achievement for Grades 3-8, 2003-2009
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
i
n
g

P
r
o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-156
2003 87.2 77.6 90.0 83.3 82.8 90.3 76.6 42.8 55.3
2004 87.3 77.6 89.5 80.8 81.0 91.0 77.8 50.3 56.6
2005 90.8 83.5 93.5 85.3 82.8 93.7 84.5 63.8 69.5
2006 92.7 86.7 93.0 87.4 88.9 95.4 88.2 75.3 70.2
2007 93.3 86.9 95.3 89.7 92.7 95.8 88.9 70.2 73.2
2008 94.7 90 96.4 90.5 95.1 96.6 91.4 76.8 71.9
2009 95.7 91.9 97.6 93.4 95 97.3 93.1 80.6 80.6
Reading/Lan. Arts for Grades 9-12: Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced
Tennessee: Reading/Language Arts Achievement (English II) for Grades 9-12, 2003-
2009
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
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g

P
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o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-157
2003 86.3 73.0 89.5 70.6 82.2 87.4 74.1 42.1 54.5
2004 86.0 77.0 92.0 76.0 88.0 90.0 78.0 54.0 59.0
2005 91.0 86.0 94.0 79.0 91.0 94.0 86.0 69.0 66.0
2006 88.0 81.0 94.0 78.0 88.0 92.0 82.0 64.0 66.0
2007 91.5 85.5 95.8 83.2 93.6 94.2 86.8 73.2 59.1
2008 93 87.9 95.8 86.4 93.4 95.2 89.1 78.4 68.5
2009 91.8 84.7 95 86.9 91 94.6 87.4 77.3 70.4
Reading/Language Arts for Grades 3-8: Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced
Tennessee: Reading/Language Arts for Grades 3-8, 2003-2009
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
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n
t
s

s
c
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g

P
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o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
All
African Am
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Native Am
White
Econ Dis
SWD
LEP
A-158
Overall Male Female White Black Hispanic Elig SLP SWD ELL
2003 26 23 30 32 9 27 15 14
2005 27 24 30 32 11 12 14 7
2007 27 25 29 33 8 20 14 25
%
Identified
%
Excluded
%
Assessed Total
Students with Disabilities (SD) Exclusion Rate 2003 14 4 10 28.57%
2005 11 7 4 63.63%
2007 16 10 6 62.50%
English Language Learners (ELL) Exclusion Rate 2003 2 1 1 50%
2005 2 1 2 50%
2007 2 1 1 50%
NAEP Reading: Tennessee, Grade 4: Percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced
Reporting standards not met
Note: Reporting standards for Asian/Pacific Islander and American
Indian students in TN were not met the sample size of students was
too small.
NAEP Reading: Tennessee, Grade 4, 2003-2007
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2003 2005 2007
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
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n
t
s

s
c
o
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g

P
r
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f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
Overall
Male
Female
White
Black
Hispanic
Elig SLP
SWD
A-159
2003 26 21 31 31 8 14 15
2005 26 22 30 31 9 14 4
2007 26 21 30 32 8 18 14 15
%
Identified
%
Excluded
%
Assessed Total
2005 12 7 5 58.33%
2007 12 7 5 58.33%
English Language Learners (ELL) Exclusion Rate 2003 2 # 2 #
2005 2 1 1 50%
2007 1 # 1 #
# Rounds to Zero
Indian students in TN were not met the sample size of students
was too small.
NAEP Reading: Tennessee, Grade 8: Percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced
NAEP Reading: Tennessee, Grade 8, 2003-2007
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2003 2005 2007
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
i
n
g

P
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o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
Overall
Male
Female
White
Black
Hispanic
Elig SLP
SWD
A-160
2003 23 25 22 30 6 14 11 12
2005 28 31 25 35 8 27 14 5
2007 29 32 26 37 9 15 17 19 4
2009 29 29 27 36 7 20 16 11 13
%
Identified
%
Excluded
%
Assessed Total
2005 11 3 8 27.27%
2007 14 6 8 42.86%
2009 14 3 10 21.42%
English Language Learners (ELL) Exclusion Rate 2003 1 # 1 #
2005 2 1 2 50%
2007 2 # 2 #
2009 2 # 2 #
# Rounds to Zero
too small.
NAEP Mathematics: Tennessee, Grade 4: Percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced
NAEP Mathematics: Tennessee, Grade 4, 2003-2009
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2003 2005 2007 2009
Year
P
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c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
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d
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n
t
s

s
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g

P
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f
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c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
Overall
Male
Female
White
Black
Hispanic
Elig SLP
SWD
ELL
A-161
2003 21 22 19 26 5 9 17
2005 21 21 20 26 3 9 3
2007 23 24 20 30 7 13 12 15
2009 25 25 24 31 10 19 12 6
%
Identified
%
Excluded % Assessed Total
2005 14 5 10 35.71%
2007 12 6 5 50%
2009 11 4 7 36.36%
English Language Learners (ELL) Exclusion Rate 2003 3 1 2 33.33%
2005 1 # 1 #
2007 2 # 2 #
2009 1 # 1 #
# Rounds to Zero
NAEP Mathematics: Tennessee, Grade 8: Percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced
too small.
NAEP Mathematics: Tennessee, Grade 8, 2003-2009
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2003 2005 2007 2009
Year
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
o
r
i
n
g

P
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o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
Overall
Male
Female
White
Black
Hispanic
Elig SLP
SWD
A-162
% Below Basic % Basic % Proficient % Advanced
Overall 33 41 24 2
Male 32 39 26 3
Female 34 42 22 2
White 22 44 31 3
Black 58 34 8 #
Hispanic 51 34 15 #
Eligible for National School Lunch Program 49 38 12 #
Students with Disabilities (SD) 61 31 8 #
English Language Learners (ELL)
#Rounds to Zero
% Identified % Excluded % Assessed Total
Students with Disabilities (SD) Exclusion Rate 12 3 9 25%
English Language Learners (ELL) Exclusion Rate 2 1 2 50%
Note: Reporting standards for Asian/Pacific Islander and
American Indian students in TN were not met the
sample size of students was too small.
NAEP Science 2005: Tennessee Grade 4
26
29
24
34
8
15
12
8
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Overall Male Female White Black Hispanic Elig for
Sch. Lunch
SD
Subgroup
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
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g

P
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f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
A-163
% Below Basic % Basic % Proficient % Advanced
Overall 45 30 22 3
Male 44 28 24 4
Female 46 31 21 1
White 35 34 27 3
Black 75 18 7 #
Hispanic
Eligible for National School Lunch Program 62 26 12 1
Students with Disabilities (SD) 83 12 5 #
English Language Learners (ELL)
#Rounds to Zero
% Identified % Excluded % Assessed Total
Students with Disabilities (SD) Exclusion Rate 12 3 10 25%
English Language Learners (ELL) Exclusion Rate 1 # 1 #
Note: Reporting standards for Asian/Pacific Islander and
American Indian students in TN were not met the
sample size of students was too small.
25
28
22
30
7
13
5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Overall Male Female White Black Elig for Sch.
Lunch
SD
Subgroup
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

s
c
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r
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n
g

P
r
o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t

o
r

A
d
v
a
n
c
e
d

(
%
)
A-164

The Everyone Graduates Center
Raising Graduation Rates:
A Series of Data Briefs

Progress Toward Increasing
National and State
Graduation Rates

Robert Balfanz
Thomas C. West
A-165

The Everyone Graduates Center is located at the Center for Social Organization of Schools,
Johns Hopkins University.

Robert Balfanz is a Principal Research Scientist at CSOS and Co-Director of the Everyone Graduates Center.

Thomas C. West is a Senior Research Analyst at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
A-166

Raising Graduation Rates:
A Series of Data Briefs

This is the first in a series of briefs examining the progress in raising high school
graduation rates over the past decade. During this period, the prevailing view on high
school graduation rates has moved from the belief that essentially everyone who wanted
to, or needed to, graduate from high school was doing so to the recognition that in every
state there were too many communities and schools where high school graduation was not
the norm. Moreover, a widespread national consensus developed that state and national
graduation rates were far from where they needed to be to insure success in the 21
st

century. As awareness of the magnitude, scope and consequences of the nations
graduation challenge grew in the past decade, many states and communities responded
with a call to action and a diversity of attempts to increase graduation rates. Has this made
a difference? How far do we still have to go to graduate all students from high school
prepared for college, career, and civic life?

Our first data brief looks at progress in raising graduation rates in the nation and its 50
states. Future briefs will look at progress in the nations 50 largest cities, and among the
high schools with the lowest graduation rates -- those schools we identified in prior work
as dropout factories.

In addition, in partnership with Jobs for the Future, we are working on a report that will
take an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities in 17 make-or-break states
those where continued and increased progress is necessary if the nation is to reach its
graduation rate goals. Taken together, these briefs and reports and their related data
profiles and data sets will provide a road map to where progress has been made, and begin
to illuminate the actions behind the success, and clarify the scale, location, and
characteristics of the challenges that remain. Individual data profiles on the graduation
challenge and recent progress in each of the 50 states can be found at the Everyone
Graduates Centers web site, www.every1graduates.org.

A-167

A-168

Executive Summary

How great is the nations graduation challenge? To meet President Obamas call to
graduate all students from high schools prepared for college, career, and civic life how
much progress is needed, in which states, school districts and communities? This is the
first in a series of data briefs aimed at answering these fundamental questions. It
examines national and statewide progress in raising the high school graduation rate
between 2002 and 2006. This is the most recent period for which comparable data across
states is available. The period also saw growing awareness of low graduation rates and
high dropout rates in many communities across the country, coupled with a marked
increase in philanthropic investment and activity among states and school districts, as well
as advocacy and social change organizations seeking effective responses to these
challenges. What progress have we made?

National Findings

The overall national graduation rate remained essentially flat between 2002 and 2006, at
approximately 74 percent.

This period did see a 3 percentage point improvement in promoting power (i.e., the timely
progress of students from 9
th
to 12
th
grade). Those gains in promoting power were offset,
however, by a 3 percentage point decline in the ratio of seniors to diplomas awarded (i.e.,
the extent to which 12
th
graders obtain diplomas).

There also was a near 10 percent decline in the number of high schools with weak
promoting power, that is, the nations dropout factories.

Overall, 300,000 fewer students attended weak promoting power high schools at the end
of 2006 than in 2002. Gains were greatest among minority students.

State Level Findings

The mixed national picture is explained by state level trends. Some states and
communities made substantial progress; others lost ground; most others mirrored the
overall national trend of essentially flat rates.

Eighteen states posted gains in their graduation rates between 2002 and 2006 and in
twelve states, which can serve as models for the nation, the gains were substantial.
A-169

Gains in these states ranged from an 11.2 percentage point gain in Tennessee to a 3.0
percentage point gain in New Hampshire. The 12 states (listed from largest to smallest
gains) are: Tennessee, Delaware, Kentucky, South Dakota, Arkansas, Alabama, North
Carolina, New York, Hawaii, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Hampshire.

Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, New York and North Carolina stand out as states that
made good gains, produced significantly more graduates in 2006 than 2002 and saw a
decline in the number of high schools with weak promoting power (the nations dropout
factories) and a gain in the number of high schools with high promoting power. This
progress, however, must be tempered with the acknowledgement that except for Kentucky
all of these states still have overall graduation rates below the national average.

There is wide variation across the states in the implementation of many key policy reforms
advocated over the past decade. States that made improvements do not appear to share
one common set of policies or practices, but all are implementing some key reforms.

Results from 2002 to 2006 indicate that in order to meet its graduation challenge the
nation will need a more comprehensive approach involving federal, state, community and
school projects along with the active support of parents, teachers, and students.
A-170

Page 1
National and State Progress Toward Raising Graduation
Rates 2002-2006

This data brief focuses on national and statewide progress in raising the high school
graduation rate between 2002 and 2006. This time period is both the most recent for
which comparable data is available across all states and important in the nations efforts to
raise graduation rates. In the late 1990s raising graduation rates was not at the forefront
of the nations educational reform agenda. Census data seemed to indicate that graduation
rates were high and that minority/majority gaps were closing, putting the nation on a
trajectory to meet the Goals 2000 objective of a 90 percent graduation rate. In reality,
however, graduation rates began to decline during the late 1990s and the number of high
schools in which graduation was not the norm actually increased. By 2001, 20 percent of
all students and nearly 40 percent of minority students attended schools that could be
described as dropout factories (Balfanz and Legters, 2004).

Beginning in about 2001, the nation started to recognize that graduation rates were not as
high as believed and to understand that at least some communities in every state faced
what could fairly be called a dropout crisis. Over the next few years this knowledge
became widespread. As a result, 2002 to 2006 saw a growing response at multiple levels
to the need to increase the number of high school graduates.

Led by then-Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, the National Governors Association declared
2005 the Year of the High School, with numerous states launching reform efforts. The
governors also signed a graduation compact and agreed to implement a common method
for measuring the graduation rate. During this time, a number of states implemented
accurate measures of cohort graduation rates. In many cases this increased the urgency
for action, as states and school districts realized, often for the first time, the extent of their
graduation challenge.

The philanthropic community also turned its attention and resources to the graduation
rate challenge during these years. Most notable in their contributions were the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and the Open Society. These and
other organizations invested more than $2 billion in state, district, and school reform
strategies and new school creation aimed at increasing high school achievement and
graduation rates. Growing awareness of the extent and significance of the dropout crisis
also led to a marked increase in activity among advocacy and social change organizations
seeking effective policy responses to the dropout crisis and graduation rate challenge.
A-171

Page 2
During this time, the federal government included graduation rates as a key accountability
measure for high schools in the No Child Left Behind legislation, though effectively
neutralized much of its impact by leaving it to the states to establish their own measures,
goals, and rates of progress. The federal government, partly in response to criticism that
the existing graduation rate measures greatly under-estimated the scope and scale of the
graduation challenge, also developed an estimated graduation rate calculation that could
be applied uniformly to all states. This action, combined with continued external analysis
by a growing body of academics and researchers, played a key role in establishing that the
nations overall graduation rate was closer to 75 percent than to 90 percent and was
considerably lower for poor and minority students. Lastly, the federal government, through
the Department of Educations Small Learning Communities grant program, funneled
between $100 and $300 million a year to school districts to help implement high school
reforms aimed at increasing graduation rates, among other goals.

National Graduation Rate Trends 2002- 2006
Despite this growing awareness of the graduation rate challenge and initial efforts to stem
the dropout crisis, the national graduation rate appears to have remained essentially flat
between 2002 and 2006, rising only from 73.6 percent in 2002 to 74.0 percent in 2006.
This period, however, saw a three percentage point improvement in promoting power, the
ratio of 12
th-
graders to 9
th-
graders three years prior, which provides an estimate of the
extent to which students are being promoted grade to grade in high school on time. At the
national level, this gain in promoting power, though, was off-set by a three percentage
point decline in the ratio of seniors to diplomas awarded. One possible interpretation of this
is that increased attention to the importance of on-time grade promotion led the nation to
move its students from the ninth to twelfth grades in a timely fashion. Support for this can
be found in a four percentage point decline in the percent of students attending high
schools with weak promoting power (60% or less) and an almost ten percentage point
increase in the number of students attending high schools with high promoting power
(90% or more). In addition, there was about a 10 percent decline in the number of high
schools with weak promoting power, that is, the nations dropout factories.

This improvement in promoting power, however, did not at the national level translate into
rising graduation rates, because of counter-trends that led to fewer 12
th
-graders earning
diplomas. What calls for further investigation are the causes of these two off-setting
trends. Did increased knowledge of 9
th
grade success lead to more students earning
on-time promotion to 10
th
grade? Did higher graduation requirements lead more students
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Page 3
to stumble and not complete all requirements in their senior year? Or did states or school
districts with fewer grade-to-grade promotion requirements -- states and districts in which
years in school equal grade in school regardless of credits earn -- experience overall
declines in their graduation rates?

The other critical trend in raising graduation rates between 2002 and 2006 was its uneven
nature. Some states and communities made substantial progress; others lost ground; most
others mirrored the overall national trend with rates remaining the same.

Progress, however, had a meaningful impact in the states and communities that
experienced it. Collectively in these locales, tens of thousands of additional students,
controlling for population change, graduated in 2006 compared to 2002. These
improvements occurred in large cites as well as suburban and rural communities. Overall,
300,000 fewer students attended weak promoting power high schools at the end of this
period than at its beginning, and the gains were greatest among minority students. It is to
this progress that we now turn our attention. It has much to teach us. As the nation moves
toward more comprehensive approaches to meeting its graduation rate challenge, it is
important to take stock of where improvements have occurred, their magnitude, and what
they have to say about the challenge that remains. Methodological details on how we
measure progress in raising graduation rates can be found in the boxes on pages 4 and 5.

States That Made the Most Progress in Raising Graduation Rates:
2002- 2006

For this analysis, the focus is on the 25 percent of states (the top 12) that had the greatest
overall gain in graduation rates, as measured by the average freshmen graduation rate,
between 2002 and 2006.

An alternative grouping could have been the 25 percent that saw the greatest net increase
(controlling for population change) in the number of graduates. This grouping would have
replaced four smaller states that saw larger overall gains in graduation rates (DE, SD, HI,
and NE) with four larger states that saw smaller gains (IL, SC, MN, and OR). These states
essentially saw a two percentage point increase in graduation rates during this period.
These gains are statistically significant, as are the two percentage point gains of Wisconsin
and West Virginia. This means those 18 states, or a little more than one out of three,
experienced gains in their graduation rates between 2002 and 2006.
A-173

Page 4
Data and Methods Used to Analyze Progress in
Raising Graduation Rates

Four years after the nations governors signed a graduation compact and pledged to use a
common measure of the graduation rate measure across all 50 states, less than 20 states
have achieved this end (though a number more will soon be able to). As a result it is still not
possible to compare all states, using a cohort graduation rate, which follows an entering class
of first-time ninth-graders and establishes how many ultimately graduate within four years or
with extra time. It is possible, however, to use estimates of both overall graduation rates and
progression toward graduation to compare and analyze state progress toward raising
graduation rates through 2006. The following methods and measures are used here.

Average Freshmen Graduation Rate-This measure was found by the U.S. Department of
Education to be the graduation rate estimate that most closely approximates a cohort
graduation rate, in the widest range of circumstances. It is found by dividing the total number
of regular diplomas awarded in the cohort's on-time graduation year by an average of the 8th
grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade enrollments of that cohort. Hence, for the Class of 2006 the
number of diplomas awarded in that year is compared to the total number of students enrolled
in 8
th
grade in 2001-02, 9
th
grade in 2002-03, and 10
th
grade in 2003-04. This method helps to
control for the impact of students repeating 9th grade but ultimately graduating. Because it
uses all diplomas awarded in a given year, it will capture students who are graduating on time,
as well as students who are graduating early or with extra time. This means that in states
where significant numbers of students graduate in five or six or more years, this measure can
more closely approximate a total, rather than on-time graduation rate. The estimate is not
adjusted for net in-or-out migration. Thus, it can under-estimate graduation rates in states
that are losing population and over-estimate them in states that are gaining population.

Promoting Power-This measure compares 9
th-
grade enrollment to 12
th-
grade enrollment
three years later. As such, it estimates the extent to which students are progressing from 9
th

grade to 12
th
grade on time. It is the only common estimate of progress toward high school
graduation that is available at the school, as well as at the state, level. It is not possible to
calculate the average freshman graduation rate for schools because data on the number of
diplomas awarded is collected only at the district level. Research has shown that grade
retention is a strong predictor of not graduating. Hence, states and schools with large
numbers of students not progressing in a timely fashion from 9
th
to 12
th
grades, have a high
probability of significant graduation rate challenges. Progress on this measure likely indicates
that high schools have been able to increase the number of students who are meeting
promotion requirements, and hence, have fewer students repeating grades. At both the state
and school levels, the difference between 9
th-
grade enrollment and 12
th-
grade enrollment
three years later also provides a decent estimate of the number of students who could need
extra help to graduate. As with the average freshmen graduation rate, promoting power does
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Page 5
not control for net in-or-out migration.

Ratio of 12
th-
grade Enrollment to Diplomas Awarded-This measure compares 12
th-
grade
enrollment in the fall to the number of diplomas awarded through the summer of the following
year. This measure captures two distinct populations of non-graduates: Students who are
close to meeting their graduation requirements but still do not graduate, and students who are
seniors only by virtue of being enrolled in high school for four years, but still many credits shy
of earning a diploma. The relative mix of these two populations in a given state largely
depends on the extent of promotion requirements throughout the states high schools. In
many states, most or all students have to earn a certain number of credits, often in specific
courses, to obtain 10
th
, 11
th
, or 12
th
grade status. In other states, these requirements are very
modest or non-existent and students official grade status is based on years in school. Some of
these students become 12
th-
graders with the credits of a 9
th
, 10
th
, or 11
th
grader and hence do
not graduate with their class. Progress on this measure then can indicate that the high schools
have gotten better at making sure more of their seniors reach the senior year close to
graduation. Alternatively, it can indicate that high schools are seeing fewer students only a
few credits shy of meeting graduation requirements fail to graduate, have instituted rapid
summer recovery programs for seniors who are a few credits short of being able to graduate at
the end of the school year, and/or are enabling more second year seniors to graduate.

Weak Promoting Power High Schools -In our prior research, we identified high schools
where there are 60% or fewer seniors than freshmen three years earlier, as schools with weak
promoting power, and high odds of graduation not being the norm. We have also shown that in
most states, these high schools account for half or more of a states non-graduates. Promoting
power does not control for net in-or-out transfer at the school. So it will be less accurate in
schools that experience many more students transferring out than in, or in than out. Extensive
analysis, however, has shown that few schools have net in-or-out transfer rates of more than
10 percent. Thus, except for rare cases, estimated promoting power rates are typically within
5 to 10 percentage points of actual rates. Progress on this measure likely indicates that there
are fewer high schools where graduation is not the norm.

High Promoting Power High Schools-This measure uses a promoting power rate of 90% or
more to estimate the number of high schools in a state where nearly all students progress in a
timely fashion from 9
th-
to-12
th
grades. They are likely to have high graduation rates. This
measure can be biased upward if large numbers of high schools in a state do not have
significant grade progression requirements, that is, if years enrolled in school determines
grade status. Examining changes in the number of high schools with promoting power of at
least 90 percent, however, should be less biased, as these schools would trend upward only
where grade promotion requirements have been substantially eased between 2002 and 2006.

Because each of these measures has strengths and weaknesses, the most complete picture
can be assembled by using and cross-referencing all of them.
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Ultimately, however, the most straightforward measure the states that saw their
graduation rates rise the most between 2002 and 2006 -- provides the most information.
As seen in Table 1, 11 of the top 12 states experienced graduation rate increases from 3 to
almost 7 points between 2002 and 2006. Tennessee stands out as the exception, having
witnessed an 11-point increase, double the gains achieved in all but two states.

Overall, there is considerable diversity among the top states. Four of them had graduation
rates in the 60s, among the lowest in the nation, in 2002 (TN, AL, NC, and NY). Five had
rates among the highest, and by 2006 achieved graduation rates of 80 percent or higher
(NH, NE, MO, SD, and AK). The remaining three states (DE, KY, and HI) began in the
middle of the pack, somewhat below the national average, but by 2006 had climbed above
it. Five of the states are among the nations smallest in population, four are larger states,
and three are in the middle. They are also geographically diverse, though it is possible to
define half of them as southern or border states (TN, NC, AL, AK, MO, and KY).

Comparing gains in average freshmen graduation rates to improvement in promoting
power and the ratio of 12
th
-graders to diplomas provides several insights. Tennessee and
Delaware witnessed substantial gains in both promoting power and the percent of seniors
obtaining diplomas. Hawaii, at more modest levels, also saw balanced gains across both
measures. In the main, however, state improvements in raising graduation rates appear to
be driven primarily by either substantial gains in promoting power (i.e., the timely
progress of students from 9
th
to 12
th
grade) or in the ratio of seniors to diplomas (i.e., the
extent to which 12
th-
graders obtain diplomas).

Graduation rate gains in Kentucky, North Carolina, New York, Missouri, and New
Hampshire appear to be driven by improvement in promoting power. Whereas, the gains in
Arkansas, South Dakota, and Alabama, as well as the preponderance of the gain in
Tennessee, appear to be driven by the percent of 12
th-
graders obtaining diplomas. Some of
these gains may reflect the fact that more students are arriving in 12th grade closer to
meeting graduation requirements than in the past. In other words, if the states or school
districts that witnessed large gains in the percent of 12
th-
graders obtaining diplomas did
not have strong grade-to-grade promotion rates then promoting power could have
witnessed limited growth, even while more students were showing up in 12th grade closer
to meeting graduation requirements.

In three states (NC, MO, and NH), the impact of gains in promoting power on raising
graduation rates appears to have been partially off-set by declines in the percent of
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seniors receiving diplomas. In New York considerably smaller gains in the percent of
seniors receiving diplomas than in promoting power may have slowed the rate of progress.

When population growth is controlled for, it becomes apparent that improvements in
Tennessee and New York produced the greatest number of additional graduates, roughly
8,000 more students earning diplomas in 2006 than in 2002 in each state. Improvements
in North Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama, and Arkansas also produced consequential
increases at the national level, leading to an additional 1,900 to 3,900 graduates in these
states. Collectively, the less populous states of Delaware, South Dakota, Hawaii, Nebraska
and New Hampshire produced an additional 2,800 graduates.
Table 1 State Progress Toward Raising Graduates Rates from (2002 to 2006): Top 25%
State
Graduation
Rate Gain
(Percentage
Points)
Promoting
Power Gain
(Percentage
Points)
12
th
Grade to
Diplomas Ratio
(Percentage
Points)
Net Gain in
Graduates*
Graduation
Rate 2002**
Graduation
Rate 2006**
Tennessee 11.2 3.8 9.6 8,000 61% 72%
Delaware 6.8 5.3 4.1 600 70% 76%
Kentucky 6.8 6.8 0.4 3,400 71% 78%
South Dakota 5.3 1.8 3.7 500 79% 85%
Arkansas 5.2 1.3 4.6 1,900 75% 80%
Alabama 4.1 2.1 3.6 2,300 62% 66%
North Carolina 3.6 5.9 -1.5 3,900 68% 72%
New York 3.5 7.3 1.8 8,400 64% 67%
Hawaii 3.4 1.6 1.9 500 72% 76%
Missouri 3.4 4.7 -1.0 2,500 78% 81%
Nebraska 3.1 2.1 0.7 700 84% 87%
New Hampshire 3.0 4.0 -0.3 500 78% 81%

United States 0.4 0.4 -3.1 40,400 74% 74%
* Net gain in graduates was calculated by applying the Graduation Rate for 2002 to the estimated number of first-time ninth-graders in 2002-2003, and then subtracting the result
from the total number of graduates in 2005-2006.
** Rates for 2002 and 2006 are rounded for ease of comparison; source: Common Core of Data
A-177

State
Change in
Number of
Weak
Promoting
Power High
Schools
Change in
Number of High
Schools with a
Promoting
Power Ratio of
90% or More
Percentage
Point Change:
Students at
Weak
Promoting
Power High
Schools
Percentage
Point Change:
Minority
Students at
Weak Promoting
Power High
Schools
Percentage
Point Change:
Students at
High Schools
with 90%+
Promoting
Power Ratio
Percentage
Point Change:
Minority
Students at
High Schools
with 90%+
Promoting
Power Ratio
Tennessee -22 38 -6 11
Delaware 2 4 -3 -5 12 12
Kentucky -26 12 -11 -17 4 2
South Dakota 4 -2 6 5 5 6
Arkansas 0 50 0 0 17 16
Alabama -30 15 -10 -12 3 3
North Carolina -26 25 -12 -11 6 4
New York -37 71 -6 -14 11 10
Hawaii 2 5 -6 -4 4 3
Missouri 7 64 -1 -5 17 12
Nebraska 1 39 8 22 7 5
New Hampshire -1 10 0 1 15 14

United States -184 2,008 -4 -9 10 9
Page 8
Changes in the Number and Percent of Students Attending High
Schools with Weak and High Promoting Power

Looking at changes in the number of high schools with weak (below 60%) and high
(above 90%) promoting power in the states with the greatest graduation rate gains
provides a more nuanced understanding of these gains. Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama,
New York and North Carolina stand out as states that made good gains, produced
significantly more graduates in 2006 than 2002 and saw a decline in the number of high
schools with weak promoting power (the nations dropout factories) and a gain in the
number of high schools with high promoting power. This is important because high schools
with weak promoting power are the sources of half or more of all dropouts in many states.
Thus, these states appear to have made broad-based improvements resulting in fewer high
schools with low graduation rates and more high schools with high graduation rates. They
Table 2 Changes in the number of and percent of students attending Weak and
High Promoting Power High Schools 2001-2006*
Tennessee did not report enrollment information by race/ethnicity for the 2001-2002 school year.
SOURCE: Common Core of Data. Figures based on comparing 3 year averages for 2000-2002 to 2005-2007.
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Page 9
also saw at least a 10 percentage point drop in minority students attending weak
promoting power high schools. This progress, however, must be tempered with the
acknowledgement that except for Kentucky all of these states still have overall graduation
rates below the national average.

Five of the states that saw overall improvement in their graduation rates also saw an
increase in the number of weak promoting power high schools. South Dakota and
Nebraska saw an increase in the percent of minority students attending weak promoting
power schools.

Did the States with the Greatest Gains in Graduation Rates
I mplement a Common Set of Polices and Programs?

An in-depth examination of why these states improved is important but beyond the scope
of this brief. It is possible, however, to begin to examine if these states implemented a
common set of policies or programs. The overall answer appears to be no.

As seen in Table 3, there is wide variation across these states in their implementation of
many of the key policy reforms advocated during the past decade. The legal age for
dropping out of school varies from 16 to 18 across the 12 states. The number of credits
required for graduation ranges from 20 to 24. Only four of the states have implemented
cohort graduation rate measures, following the guidelines of the NGA Graduation Rate
compact. Just four have graduation exams. In terms of programs, districts within these
states differed widely in applying for, and winning, Small Learning Community grants (the
major federal program that supported high school reform during this period). It is
noteworthy, however, that three of the states with the most significant gains -- Kentucky,
North Carolina, and New York -- had the greatest number of schools winning SLC grants
and Hawaii had a high concentration of its high schools involved. On the other hand, only
two of the 12 states won NGA Honor Grants designed to support high school redesign.

Among the subset of states that produced the greatest number of additional graduates,
there is evidence that it is possible to raise standards, increase accountability and have
more students graduate. Tennessee, Alabama and New York have graduation exams,
and Tennessee increased the challenge of its exams while it was experiencing significant
gains in its graduation rates. Alabama has among the most stringent graduation credit
requirements in the nation -- four credits in each of the major subjects and 24 credits
overall.
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Page 10
The Case of Tennessee

Among the states that saw the largest graduation rate gains and the greatest increase in
graduates, North Carolina, New York and Kentucky will perhaps come as no surprise. All
three have had well-known and active high school reform agendas at state and/or local
levels. Tennessee, however, which had the largest overall graduation rate increase, and
produced the second greatest number of additional graduates, has not been on the
national reform radar screen to the same extent. This brings up the obvious question of
what did Tennessee do to bring about such a significant increase in its graduation rate and
number of graduates. At this point, the best that we can do is raise questions, and
highlight some potential areas for further exploration.
State
NGA
Grant
Recipient
Number of
Districts/School
Awards Under
SLC Grant,
2006
Uses NGA
Compact
Graduation
Rate, 2006
Uses High
School
Graduation
Exams, 2006
Legal
Dropout
Age
Math Credits
Needed for
Graduation
Total Credits
Needed for
Graduation
Tennessee No
5 Districts/
18 Schools
No Yes 17 3 20
Delaware Yes
1 District/
3 Schools
Yes No 16 3 22
Kentucky No
9 Districts/
35 Schools
No No 16 3 22
South Dakota No
1 District/
3 Schools
No No 16 3 22
Arkansas Yes
6 Districts/
9 Schools
Yes No 17 4 22
Alabama
2 Districts/
2 Schools
No Yes 16 4 24
North Carolina No
26 Districts/
64 Schools
Yes No* 16 4 20
New York No
32 Districts/
77 Schools
Yes Yes 16 3 22
Hawaii No
5 Districts/
20 Schools
No No 18 3 22
Missouri No
7 Districts/
11 Schools
No No 16 2 22
Nebraska No
7 Districts/
13 Schools
No No 18
New Hampshire No
2 Districts/
3 Schools
No No 16 3 20
Local Decision
Table 3 Educational Reforms as of 2006 in the Top 25% of States Making Progress
toward Raising Graduation Rates
In NC in 2006 students had to pass 8th grade competency tests to graduate, and took end of course exams in core subjects, but passing the end of course exams was not a
requirement for graduation.

SOURCE for SLC Awards: Smaller Learning Communities Awards Database on the Department of Education Website. http://slcprogram.ed.gov/cgi-bin/mysql/slcawards.cgi?
l=summary-locale and http://slcprogram.ed.gov/cgi-bin/mysql/slcawards.cgi?l=summary-state. It appears that each grant (even if given to a particular district more than once)
counted as a new district receiving that money. Although the total may list a higher number of districts, this is because each district is listed once, even if it received multiple
awards. All of the awards and years are separated under the district name.

SOURCE for Graduation Requirements: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/res_tab3.asp

SOURCE for Legal Dropout Age: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_157.asp?referrer=listSOURCE: Common Core of Data. Figures based on comparing 3 year
averages for 2000-2002 to 2005-2007.
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Page 11
Tennessee witnessed gains in both promoting power and the ratio of 12
th-
graders to
diplomas with the biggest increase in the latter measure. Inspection of more detailed
information from the states education department shows a marked decline in the number
of students earning special education diplomas and certificates of attendance during this
period. This suggests that some of the increase in 12
th-
graders earning regular diplomas
was the result of more special education students receiving regular rather than special
education diplomas, and fewer students overall earning certificates of attendance. At most,
however, this movement from special education to regular diplomas could explain about 2
to 3 points of the overall 11-point growth. The more detailed state level data, moreover,
shows that the graduation rate increase experienced between 2002 and 2006 continues
through 2008.

About a third of the overall increase in diplomas awarded appears to have occurred in
Memphis. Among the issues worthy of exploration is that in the late 1990s Memphis was
one of several cities that embraced the notion of using externally developed school reform
models district-wide. Although the effort was ultimately discontinued and evaluations
demonstrated mixed impacts on raising standardized achievement, it is notable that
students who experienced elementary and middle grade reforms in the late 1990s reached
the age of high school graduation between 2002 and 2006.

Hamilton County also experienced substantial improvements in its graduation rate,
coinciding with a notable district-wide high school reform effort. The overall impact on
increases in the states graduation rate, however, is somewhat muted by the districts
relatively small size.

Given that the states gains appear to be driven by substantial gains in the number of 12-
graders receiving diplomas, efforts aimed at students who are close to meeting graduation
requirements but not convinced of the value of a diploma deserve deeper examination.
These include the Jobs for Tennessees Graduates program, which works to connect
students to employment and further education, by providing supports to 12
th
-graders to
insure graduation and post-secondary schooling or employment. During this era, the
program was recognized by its national parent organization, for its high success rate, with
the 2,000 12
th-
graders enrolled each year posting a 90 percent-plus graduation rate. Other
examples were model efforts in Kingsport and Sullivan counties in which local government
paid high school graduates tuition at the local community college.

At the policy level, the Tennessee legislature passed a drivers license law in 2001, which
revoked the licenses of 16- and 17-year-olds for at least one semester if they did not pass
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Page 12
four courses or dropped out. In 2000 the state department of education was required to
establish and implement a comprehensive statewide strategy to assist districts and schools
in addressing the dropout problem, include stakeholders in the development of the
strategy, and build upon existing programs and initiatives that worked. In 2006 the
governor committed the state to raising its graduation rate to 90 percent by 2012.

It is essential to note that no evidence links any of these programs or policy changes to
improvements in Tennessees graduation rate. Similar programs and policies can be found
in states that did not see equivalent improvements in graduation rates. The factors that
ultimately led to improvements in Tennessee may be significantly tied to the particular
context of the state. But what even a cursory examination of Tennessee points out is that
the answer will not be found in a single program or policy change, but in the combination
of multiple local and state efforts. That the 12 states that made the most progress do not
appear to have used a common set of practices and policies further points out that context
matters and graduation rates are not improved through a single program or policy but
through a multiplicity of efforts at multiple levels within a state. At the same time, the fact
that a dozen states did witness significant improvements signals that even when
comprehensive efforts to improve graduation rates were not the norm, progress was
possible.

The Challenge Ahead

Finally, examining progress in raising graduation rates through 2006, as well as the levels
achieved, can provide a baseline for the current period and its ambitions for more
comprehensive efforts to improve the nations graduation rate. As such, outcomes in 2006
enable us to paint a picture of the scope, magnitude, and location of the challenge states
and the nation face in meeting the call to graduate all students from high school prepared
for college, career, and civic life. As noted before, a profile of the graduation challenge, as
well as data on the level of recent progress, for each of the nations 50 states can be found
at the Everyone Graduates Centers web site at www.every1graduates.org.
Looking collectively across these profiles, as well as the national profile, we can see the
following:

Each year there are approximately 1.2 million ninth-graders who likely need
additional supports to graduate. Recent progress in on-track indicators shows
that many of these students can be identified before they enter, or soon after
they begin, high school, enabling a shift from reactive to active support
systems and school reforms.
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Page 13
About 250,000 students enrolled as seniors annually do not receive diplomas
by the following summer. Some are only a few credits shy of graduation and
represent both a tragic loss and the potential for quick gains. Others likely
need alternative and multiple pathways to graduation.
In the 12 least populous states, only 2,000 to 4,000 9
th
-graders need additional
supports each year and only 1,000 to 2,000 12
th
-graders do not receive
diplomas that year. This suggests that even at the state level it should be
possible to monitor the progress of these students and continually evaluate the
success of the supports provided, ultimately targeting the needed level of
support to each student. It also suggests that while these states are
geographically dispersed, establishing a learning network between them may
hasten both their individual and collective ability to succeed. For example,
current efforts in New Hampshire may have much to offer states with similar
numbers of students in need of support or alternatives pathways to graduation.
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin are within striking distance of
achieving 90 percent graduation rates, though no state has yet to achieve this
rate. Improvements from 2002 to 2006 though did lead to at least 19 states
having graduation rates of approximately 80 percent or higher.
Some of the states, with relatively higher graduation rates, however, have seen
essentially no progress since 1998.
For the nation to meet its graduation rate challenge, significant improvements
will need to continue or begin in 17 to 20 states with the greatest number of
dropouts, the most intense concentration of weak promoting power high
schools, and/or fewer graduates than their share of high school students. These
make-or-break states are the focus of a forthcoming report by Jobs for the
Future and the Everyone Graduates Center.
As whole the nation made more progress in increasing the number of high
schools with high promoting power (90% or more) than in decreasing the
number of high schools with weak promoting power (60% or less).
Some states, however, made notable progress in decreasing their number of
weak promoting power high schools. Learning more about how this occurred is
essential.
There were also significant improvements (10 percentage points) in both the
percent of minority students attending high promoting power schools and not
attending weak promoting power schools.
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Page 14
Conclusion: The Need to Move from Sporadic Effort to
Comprehensive and Sustained Action.

What the analysis of national and state level progress between 2002 and 2006 shows is
that the nations initial response to its recognition of a graduation rate challenge was not
sufficient. The nation as a whole did not move forward, and only one out of three states
made measurable progress. The states that did progress show that improvement, indeed
substantial improvement, is possible. They challenge other states to match or exceed their
efforts.

The good news is the nation is responding. The last few years have seen both an
acceleration of efforts and the beginning of more comprehensive approaches. It has also
become clear that the federal government needs to play a more active role. At the close of
2008 the U.S. Department of Education issued regulations aimed at greatly increasing
graduation rate accountability. All states must employ accurate graduation rate measures
by 2012, establish ambitious graduation rate goals, and require substantial and continuous
progress toward those goals for all students as well as subgroups. President Obama has
made it a national mission to insure that all students graduate from high school prepared
for, and then enroll in, post-secondary schooling or advanced career training. Federal
legislation is pending to transform or replace the 15 percent of high schools that produce
half the nations dropouts, as well as the middle schools that feed them. There are also
bills that call for supportive national service, integrated student support, and educational
innovations.

A much broader spectrum of the nation is getting involved in insuring that all students
graduate from high school. The dropout crisis is no longer seen as simply a school
problem. The national service movement has identified the dropout crisis as one of the key
areas where national service can be employed to help solve an urgent national priority.
Growing numbers of social change organizations, including the United Way, City Year,
Communities In Schools and the Boys and Girls clubs, have made the nations graduation
rate one of their core missions. The Americas Promise Alliance has launched an ambitious
national effort to galvanize community efforts to end the dropout crisis by sponsoring
dropout prevention summits in all 50 states and 55 cities. The Department of Labor has
launched several initiatives aimed at increasing graduation rates in medium and large cities
and public health professionals have recognized dropout prevention as a key to community
well-being.

Both the National Council of State Legislators and the National League of Cities are seeking
solutions to the nations graduation challenge. The National Governors Associations Best
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Page 15
Practices Center has launched fresh initiatives in Dropout Prevention and School
Improvement. These growing community efforts are driven by the twin realization that the
nations graduation rate crisis must and can be solved. Emerging evidence-based and
innovative practices in school reform, multiple pathways to graduation, and new schools,
as well as dropout prevention and early warning and intervention systems, provide an
increased repertoire of tools to drive improvement.

Lastly, there is consensus that simply increasing high school graduation rates is not
enough. For the nation to prosper and for all citizens to partake in the prosperity, all
students need to graduate prepared for college or challenging career training. The nations
governors are responding. More states are joining efforts like the American Diploma
Project aimed at establishing accountability and assessment systems linked to
internationally benchmarked college and career readiness standards. With federal
assistance they are also making major investments in new and improved data systems
that will enable better monitoring of student progress, as well as continuous improvements
in reform efforts.

What this brief demonstrates is that a subset of states can also provide important insights
into what it will take for the nation to overcome its graduation rate crisis. We need to learn
more about how New York, North Carolina, and Kentucky combined accountability, support
and intervention to push their rates forward; how Alabama combined progress with higher
standards, and how Arkansas pushed it graduation rate to 80 percent. We also need to
learn much more in particular about Tennessee, as well as the other states that moved
forward, when the nation as whole did not.

Reference
Balfanz, R., & Legters, N. (2004). Locating the dropout crisis: Which high schools produce the
nation's dropouts? In G. Orfield (Ed.), Dropouts in America (pp. 5784). Cambridge, MA:
Harvard Education Press.
A-185

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TN Race To The Trough Appendix A

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Tennessee Diploma Project: First to the Top

Tennessee, Appendix A-2-1 A-21

Tennessee Department of Education

December 14, 2010

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