Common Core Leadership Council Begins Second Year of Work

Following the success of Tennessee’s first Common Core Leadership Council, the department of education today announces a new group of principals, supervisors and superintendents who will give districts a voice in the statewide transition to the Common Core State Standards. The new Leadership Council will advise the department on the Common Core transition plan and directly lead and manage all aspects of the work, including a summer statewide training of more than 30,000 teachers.

“The success of our implementation of the Common Core State Standards will be directly related to our ability to engage a diverse group of Tennessee educators and stakeholders,” said Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman. “We’ve got one chance to get this right, and I’m grateful to our new Leadership Council for helping us make sure that we do.”

The 22 members of the Leadership Council come from all regions of the state, and will advise department officials on formal and informal assessments and professional development resources; shape the framework for all Common Core pilot programs; and become regional experts and leaders in the importance and concrete expectations of the standards. They also will inform training of more than 600 Core Coaches to provide statewide professional development for more than 30,000 teachers in grades K-12 math and literacy this summer.

Last year’s council successfully implemented the training of more than 10,000 educators on 3-8 math standards, and also created the template for the state’s Common Core Leadership Course for principals and assistant principals.

Lexington City Schools Superintendent Susie Bunch served on the first council, and will continue her work in 2013. She said the common thread between all council members is a profound belief in the Common Core State Standards and in the ability of Tennessee’s students and teachers to make a successful transition to them.

“Our council sessions yield rich discussions about teaching and learning and how both will shift as the state moves toward full implementation of the Common Core,” she said. “From these rich discussions, decisions leading to the next steps of this transition journey are made.”

For more information, contact Kelli Gauthier at (615) 532-7817 or Kelli.Gauthier@tn.gov.