TSBA: Your Education Source Podcast

In today's episode, Dr. Jon Rysewyk, Deputy Superintendent of Knox County Schools and Mayor Glenn Jacobs of Knox County, discuss how the students of Knox County Schools and the local government collaborate to raise money in an effort to meet the needs of military veterans in this local community by constructing a tiny home community. Learn how this collective effort of hard-work and fund-raising are changing lives in Knox County. Listen today to learn how to create a similar program in your district.

In today's episode, Wright Cox, Collierville Board Chairman; Leigh Anne Rainey, Chief Academic Officer; and Jana Church, Intervention and Special Populations Supervisor, discuss their English Learners program and how they are using this program to empower students from diverse backgrounds to overcome language barriers and succeed academically. Listen today to hear insights on how they have structured this program as well as the resources they have adopted to support these students. Whether you are a board member, educator, parent, or community member, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the impact and future of English Learner programs across Tennessee.

In today's episode, Dr. Tammy Grissom, TSBA Executive Director, Ben Torres, TSBA Assistant Executive Director/General Counsel, and Nolan Combs, TSBA Director of Government Relations, discuss the importance of data and why it is such an important tool for school boards to utilize when making decisions for their school districts. Listen today to learn how to access the different types of data available to school boards across Tennessee. Show Notes Please see below the links to access the data mentioned during today's podcast episode. TSBA District Data Dashboard (Tennessee School Boards Association) Provides district and regional labor market statistics, along with district demographics, academic, and financial data. Academic Supply for Occupational Demand Report (Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation) Provides districts with information on in-demand occupations and aligned academic programs in Tennessee. County Profiles (Tennessee Higher Education Commission) Provides an overview of higher education data by county, including college-going rate, socioeconomic profile, FAFSA filing rate, top colleges by attendance for high school graduates, etc. Tennessee Educator Survey (Tennessee Education Research Alliance, Tennessee Department of Education) Serves as the largest-scale data collection on Tennessee teacher perspectives on a range of topics, including school climate and leadership, instructional practice, teacher evaluation and instructional improvement, and standards and assessment. Includes district- and school-level data where the response rate is at least 45 percent. Tennessee State Report Card (Tennessee Department of Education) Features extensive information about the growth and achievement of Tennessee schools and districts. The report card also includes financial, enrollment, and demographic information. Data Downloads (Tennessee Department of Education) Serves as a landing page for multiple sources of raw data from the Tennessee Department of Education, including data on such topics as achievement, growth, discipline, chronic absenteeism. For the first time last year, the department released Educator Race and Ethnicity Data on this page. Tennessee Educator Preparation Report Card (Tennessee State Board of Education, Tennessee Department of Education) Provides data on the effectiveness of educator preparation providers.

In today's episode, Dr. Steve Barnett, Director of Schools for Johnson City Schools, Kathy Hall, Chair of the Johnson City Board of Education, and Dr. Greg Wallace, Supervisor of Safety and Mental Health discuss Johnson City Schools' Heroes Program – a comprehensive set of services designed to meet a wide range of student mental health and safety needs – and how it has benefitted their students. Listen today to learn how to create a similar program in your school district. https://www.jcschools.org/school-safety

In today's episode, the TSBA Staff Attorneys are back and answering the most asked legal questions received from board members across the state. This version of "Ask the Attorney" focuses solely on questions regarding the law around board policy. Questions from "what is the function of the policy committee" to "how can a board member propose a policy change" are tackled during today's episode.

The Tennessee School Boards Association maintains an awards program that, each year, recognizes school board members who have gone above and beyond for their school district. In today's episode, Brittany Massey, Director of Finance and Member Services, and Sandy Jones, Board of Directors Services Coordinator, cover the different types of awards and recognitions available for school board members to achieve throughout the year. Visit www.tsba.net for additional award details and applications.

In today's episode, Patty Thomas, Director of Career & Technical Education, Federal Programs, & Nursing Services for Alcoa City Schools, discusses Careers in Motion, a program that encourages students to participate in CTE opportunities. Careers in Motion is a grant-funded project awarded by Pathways TN and the Tennessee Department of Education to Alcoa City Schools, Blount County Schools, and Maryville City Schools in order to promote high-wage, high-demand, high-skill career and technical education-related programs to students. Visit the Careers in Motion website by clicking here.

In today's episode, Dr. Ricky Catlett, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, and Greg Hammond, Chief Public Information Officer, discuss why communication is key at Jackson-Madison County Schools. Listen in as they cover the different methods of communication that they have implemented to foster relationships with their employees, students, parents, and the community. To learn more about their district, visit them at www.jmcss.org.