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Tennessee Department of Education Releases Guidebook Highlighting Districts Focused on Teacher Leadership

Tennessee Department of EducationNashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Education released today the 2015-16 Tennessee Teacher Leader Guidebook, which highlights 15 unique and innovative teacher leader models developed by districts across the state that provide clear pathways to leverage the power and potential of teacher leader development.

In 2011, the Tennessee State Board of Education adopted the Teacher Leader Model Standards, which provide a cohesive, transparent set of skills and competencies to guide and encourage the development of teacher leaders.

Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools participated in the program for a second time.
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools participated in the program for a second time.

The Teacher Leader Guidebook contains different models that are grounded in these standards, yet illustrate distinct pathways for schools and districts to consider when creating their own models for teacher leader development.

Creating a strong group of teacher leaders in Tennessee has multiple benefits including increased student achievement and growth, increased teacher collaboration, and stronger and more positive school and district culture.

“The development of teacher leaders can be a powerful tool to continue our positive, upward trajectory of increased educator effectiveness and student growth,“ Commissioner Candice McQueen said. “These 28 districts represent the geographic and demographic diversity in our state and provide a powerful roadmap for all schools and districts to support their teachers as they serve our most important customer in K–12 education: students.”

In the fall of 2015, 14 more districts joined the network as a new cohort, in addition to Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools participating in the program for a second time. All of the district models vary in design, number of roles, and costs, but they share a foundational belief in developing teacher leader capacities, skills, and actions.

The 2015-16 participating districts highlighted in the report are:

  • Bartlett City Schools
  • Blount County Schools
  • Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools
  • Chester County Schools
  • Decatur County Schools
  • Hamblen County Schools
  • Haywood County Schools
  • Jackson-Madison County Schools
  • Knox County Schools
  • Oak Ridge City Schools
  • Obion County Schools
  • Robertson County Schools
  • Stewart County Schools
  • Union County Schools
  • Washington County Schools

The department created the Teacher Leader Network in the fall of 2013 to develop adaptable teacher leadership models by pulling together highly effective district leadership teams representing the geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity of all three grand divisions of the state.

Since this network was established, 28 districts have created unique, innovative teacher leader models aligned to the local goals and professional learning needs that are most closely tied to increasing student achievement and growth in their district.

The complete 2015-16 Teacher Leader Guidebook is available online here. Versions of the guidebook from the two previous years are also available on the site.

For more information, contact Ashley Ball at 615.532.6260 or Ashley.M.Ball@tn.gov.

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