Author Archives

• Sometimes it takes an outside voice

  By TC Weber on May 3, 2016 • ( 0 )

    Tennessee’s Achievement School District (ASD) is one of the most high profile ‘turnaround’ experiments in the country. Launched with the amazing goal to ‘catapult’ schools with test scores in the bottom 5% of the state into schools with test… Read More ›

• When Everybody Loses

  By TC Weber on April 29, 2016 • ( 2 )

  

  Around my house, you will often hear the refrain, “Daddy, you said you were going to do that. It’s important that you do what you say you will. You always say that.” You see, we’ve instilled in the kids from… Read More ›

• Nashville’s English Learners Instructional Blueprint

  By TC Weber on April 20, 2016 • ( 1 )

  

  I moved to Nashville in August of 1989 from northeast Pennsylvania. As the child of an Air Force father and a resident of the Northeast, I was used to being surrounded by people from many nationalities. The Nashville of 1989… Read More ›

• Burning Down the House

  By TC Weber on April 12, 2016 • ( 5 )

  

  Last month, professional educator and blogger Gary Rubenstein wrote a piece about Teach for America’s 25th anniversary. In this piece, he described a panel where Kevin Huffman, the former Commissioner of Education in Tennessee, was asked about his shortcomings in… Read More ›

• MNPS Takes The Literacy Challenge

  By TC Weber on April 3, 2016 • ( 0 )

  

  It’s been a rough couple months around here as of late. Between testing issues, trying to get a new school built, and a battle over vouchers, it seems like I’ve had nothing but negative things to write.  It’s about time… Read More ›

• Insider: Big Trouble Inside TFA

  By TC Weber on March 21, 2016 • ( 1 )

  Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog:
  I received the following article from a current high-level administrative employee at Teach for America. The organization is undergoing a major shake-up. He wanted us to know what was happening behind the scenes.…

• What are TNReady Results Going to Count For?

  By TC Weber on March 15, 2016 • ( 2 )

  

  The TNReady situation really is a complete and utter fiasco. Others have done a much better job than I could do at detailing just how far off the rails it has gone. Still, every day I hear a new story. Momma… Read More ›

• You Got The Wrong Religion

  By TC Weber on March 11, 2016 • ( 1 )

  

  Lately in Tennessee there has been a lot of concern about religious indoctrination of our students. In fact, there is so much fear of Islamic “indoctrination” that the Tennessee State House felt the need to pass HB1905 to protect our students…. Read More ›

• When Is Enough Going To Be Enough?

  By TC Weber on March 8, 2016 • ( 3 )

  

  I’ve got a friend who is starting the process of going through a divorce. Yesterday I asked her how it was going. “Insane,” she replied. “He continues to act as if absolutely nothing is going on. Even tried to cuddle… Read More ›

• TN(not)Ready-What’s Really Changed?

  By TC Weber on February 26, 2016 • ( 3 )

  

  Last week amid great fanfare, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced that due to a crash of the online testing platform, he planned to allow teachers to not have TNReady scores be a part of their evaluations this year. Accolades poured… Read More ›