FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 17, 2019 Contact: Mike CarpenterTQEE (901) 331-0153 Unworkable child care system has annual $1.34B adverse impact on TN Business orgs across the state advocate priority action to address system dysfunction MEMPHIS, Tenn. – When Tennessee’s working families cannot access the child care services they need, there are significant economic consequences for parents,…
» Read MoreYearly Archives: 2019
TQEE Reacts to TNReady Release
The following statement is issued today by Mike Carpenter, executive director, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education, in response to release of TNReady 2018-19 data: “Improvement of student performance is good news for Tennessee – it demonstrates that the tireless efforts of teachers, leaders, and students is moving the needle in the right direction. We applaud…
» Read MoreReport Confirms: PreK Advantage Carries Through 3rd Grade Given Effective K-2
Vanderbilt researchers, together with the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, have released a new working paper with major implications for early education in Tennessee. The paper confirms Tennessee PreK students who subsequently experienced “sustaining environments” – meaning they attended high performing K-3 schools and were taught by highly effective teachers – significantly outpaced their peers…
» Read MorePreventing The Summer Slide
Summertime provides children a welcome break from the classroom. Summer vacations means fun – playtime with friends, family gatherings, adventure and lazy days. But when children spend two or more months away from the regular exercise of learning they are at risk of the “summer slide.” Kids not exposed to ongoing summer learning, such as…
» Read MoreChildren’s Mental Health #1 Concern of Teachers
“Without question, it’s the No. 1 piece of feedback I heard from every single group,” [Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner] Penny Schwinn told Chalkbeat this week. “There is a growing concern about how we can support our children, not only academically but also behaviorally.” What Commissioner Schwinn heard most on her statewide listening tour, which…
» Read MoreEvidence of High-Quality Pre-k Value Grows
The evidence of the value of high-quality pre-k has always far exceeded reports that pre-k is not effective. That trend continues with the release of a study by Nobel Prize-winning economist, James Heckman, detailing the benefits of high-quality pre-k that extend into adulthood. And because high-quality is essential to sustained pre-k benefits, Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-k…
» Read MoreTQEE Statement on Voluntary Pre-k Funding Awards
“High quality pre-k works – students who are enrolled in quality programs have a measurable advantage over their peers who do not attend pre-k. The 2016 reforms approved by the Tennessee General Assembly, including the introduction of competitive grants for VPK funding, elevated quality standards across the state for truer consistency of quality. Tennessee should…
» Read MoreTN Voluntary Pre-k Makes Quality Strides
With recent news that the State of Tennessee Department of Education (TNDOE) has granted funding for Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) classrooms in 138 school districts, it’s important to underscore that investment in high quality Pre-K is vital if Tennessee is going to improve our public schools. The immediate priority is to improve the percentage of third…
» Read MoreLegislative Support Signals Commitment to Improve Tennessee early education
Media Release: Early education advocates across Tennessee are cheering results of the 2019 Tennessee legislative session that include a slate of approved policy proposals aimed at boosting learning prior to third grade as a strategy to improve Tennessee’s public education system. Highlights include a new pilot to create a network of early grades literacy and…
» Read MoreThe Art of Appreciating Special Teachers
High quality teachers impact lives. We see it everywhere from the most advanced academic studies all the way down to the look on a child’s face when that child begins to learn. May 6-10 is Teacher Appreciation Week and something we always need to remember is that teachers should feel valued for all of the…
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