PolicyBrief
TENNESSEE CENTER FOR POLICY RESEARCH
P.O. Box 198646 Nashville, Tennessee 37219
p: (615) 383-6431 f: (615) 383-6432 info@tennesseepolicy.org www.tennesseepolicy.org
January 11, 2010
No. 10-01
Evaluating Education Reforms for the Extraordinary Session
Lawmakers address teacher performance evaluations and higher education funding
by Justin Owen, Director of Policy & General Counsel
Governor
Phil
Bredesen
recently
announced
that
he will
call
an
extraordinary session of the Tennessee
General Assembly pursuant to Article III,
Section 9 of the state Constitution.1 The
special session will run simultaneously
with the opening of the regular session
beginning January 12, and will focus
primarily on making certain reforms to
Tennessee’s education system. The move
is designed to open the state up to
millions of dollars in competitive grants
from the U.S. Department of Education’s
“Race to the Top” program.
The governor has requested a special
session because
the Department of
Education has imposed a January 19
deadline for the grant application.2 To
increase the state’s likelihood of receiving
the funding, the state would need to make
certain changes to its education laws.
State
leaders should not await the
enticement of
federal
funds before
reforming Tennessee’s education system.
Unfortunately, the governor has already
made the decision to rest key reform
efforts on the “Race to the Top” deadline.
Nonetheless, since the proposals will be
hurried through the legislature, it is
important that lawmakers address them
adequately. Otherwise, rushed changes
could
have
dismal
long-term
consequences for thousands of children.
Two of the main changes sought by
Bredesen during the special session relate
to performance evaluations for K-12
teachers and tying higher education
funding to graduation rates. Because the
debate will likely emphasize these issues,
the following is an analysis thereof.
Teacher Performance Eva