Edwards Appointed to Teacher Evaluation Committee
Mike Edwards, Knoxville Chamber president & CEO, has been appointed to serve on the Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee established by the recently enacted Tennessee First to the Top Act of 2010. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen made the appointment.
"I am grateful to the individuals willing to serve in this capacity to help move Tennessee public education forward in bold, new ways," said Bredesen. "I am confident that with the level of experience each of these Tennesseans brings to the table, we can accomplish this goal for teachers and their students across the state."
The 15-member committee will develop and recommend to the State Board of Education guidelines and criteria for the annual evaluation of teachers and principals, including a local-level evaluation grievance procedure. The committee consists of the Commissioner of Education as chair, the Executive Director of the State Board of Education, the Chairperson of the Education Committees of each house, a K-12 public school teacher appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a K-12 public school teacher appointed by the Speaker of the Senate, and nine members appointed by the Governor. Appointments made by the Governor include three public school teachers, two public school principals, one director of a school district and three members representing other stakeholder interests.
Edwards' appointment to the committee further serves to recognize him as a leader on educational issues. In particular, he has made significant contributions to the development of meaningful partnerships between business and education. In Knox County his vision led to the creation of the Education Management Information System, which includes a data warehouse to tie all sources of student and system data together. EMIS is enabling Knox County administrators and teachers to make data-supported and well-informed decisions about the future direction of the school system and each individual student.