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Frist Begins Effort to Reform Education - John Dunn
FOX 17 News – By: John Dunn
It’s a transformation that could re-shape your child’s classroom, and make every student in Tennessee smarter.
They are big goals that start with some major reforms.
Former U.S. Senator Bill Frist is kicking off his new effort to improve K-12 education in Tennessee.
He’s bringing in some big names to get the ball rolling.
To put it bluntly, former Sen. Bill Frist says Tennessee’s current education system is not making the grade.
"We are unfortunately starting at the bottom of the barrel," says Frist.
And Frist says it’s time to rethink what goes on in the classroom.
That’s where a new group called “SCORE” comes in. It stands for the State Collaborative on Reforming Education.
"And after looking at education and job creation, and all the many challenges we have, it comes back to education," says Frist.
This is Frist’s new passion in life, joining politicians, educators, advocates, and businessmen to come up with the future of your child’s education.
"Have high expectations and then figure out where you're going...going forward," says former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
At this meeting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says his state reformed education with higher expectation for students who then rose to meet them.
"Myths are shattered when you have higher expectations with kids, it's the adults we worry about," says Bush.
Former North Carolina Gov. Michael Easley is also credited with improving education in his state.
"So it's important that everybody comes together, and that's why you see the group he has in there today, not only to come with a good policy but to implement it," says Easley.
A range of ideas is being discussed, including giving bonuses to teachers based on student achievement.
Education leaders appreciate SCORE’s new grassroots effort.
"These same expectations we set for ourselves we need to set for students, and set for our state. So I think it's exciting to hear us talk about setting the bar even higher, as a collective unit," says Tennessee Education Commissioner Tim Webb.
Some say the stakes are high, especially in today’s economy.
"The entire future of our state really depends on getting education right," says Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.
Right now, they’re only ideas but some believe it could result in a whole new approach for Tennessee.
"Still got a long way to go, but we're very pleased with what's happening right now,” says Commissioner Webb.
Sen. Frist and his SCORE group will spend the next year coming up with a plan to reform Tennessee’s education system.
They will be holding meetings across the state.
Frist Begins Effort to Reform Education - John Dunn
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