Tennesseans Lead the Campaign for Education Equity at the Local Level

By Tara Yarlagadda, Field Associate

A strong campaign for education equity has been steadily building in Jackson, Nashville, and all across the state of Tennessee over the past few months. An ever-growing group of committed Tennesseans has been leading the charge to advocate on behalf of the Common Core State Standards – known in Tennessee as the Tennessee Academic Standards – and defend against any attempts to alter the standards. The Leadership Conference Education Fund has been steadfastly working to support the work of local affiliates in the state, such as the Tennessee State Conference NAACP, headed by President Gloria Sweet-Love, and the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, led by President and CEO Patricia Stokes.

In March of this year, 100 individuals joined the Tennessee State Conference NAACP in the state capital of Nashville to announce the state chapter’s legislative priorities of the year. One of the key priorities was the need to preserve and advocate against any attacks on the Tennessee Academic Standards. The Education Fund was fortunate to be part of the dialogue that took place that day and provided guidance to advocates on messaging for the Tennessee Academic Standards.

The Tennessee Academic Standards were created through a bipartisan, state-led initiative made up of governors and state superintendents dedicated to supporting standards-based education reform efforts across the states. These are clear, consistent standards that spell out what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level in English and math, thereby ensuring that all students meet the same expectations. Parents across Tennessee also echo the need for consistent, statewide standards that allow for higher expectations for students.

One of the key goals of these joint efforts between The Education Fund, the Tennessee State Conference NAACP, and others is to advocate for equity in the implementation of the Tennessee Academic Standards, in particular by creating a space to elevate the voices of low-income and communities of color. This includes training advocates to effectively communicate with media and key stakeholders across the state and providing research on the lay of the land in Tennessee. State leaders such as President Sweet-Love have been instrumental in bringing together far-flung advocates from across Tennessee to work together to ensure that each and every child receives an education that matches the rigors of our globalized world.

In a global economy, students from Tennessee must be adequately prepared so that they can compete with children from Hong Kong, Massachusetts, and all around the world. Parents and community leaders in Tennessee recognize that high, consistent, and achievable standards are needed in order to accomplish that goal.

However, the work does not end merely by developing and implementing the standards. A bridge must be built to the standards connecting what students currently know with what they should know in order to meet the higher standards, in part by ensuring that all students have the resources – great teaching, high-quality afterschool programs, tutoring, technology, etc. – so they can be ready for college, career, and the world.  Little by little, Tennesseans are working to do just that.