Category: Accountability

Are we holding our schools and ourselves accountable for educating all kids and giving every one of them a chance at a successful, fulfilling life?

Accountability, Tennessee

Will Two Years Of Second Grade Solve The Literacy Crisis?

A piece of the sky has landed on my head. Similar the chick in the story Chicken Little, I am compelled to try to communicate to readers news about the falling sky, to translate a sense of urgency about the barriers to today’s children becoming fully equipped citizens of tomorrow. Unlike Chicken Little, my news, such as our children’s inability to read the world around … Continue reading Will Two Years Of Second Grade Solve The Literacy Crisis?

Vesia Hawkins1 Comment
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville, Tennessee

It’s Just Literacy, No Big Deal

In August 2017, former Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced the Read to be Ready program with an ambitious goal of 75 percent of all third-graders reading at or above grade level in the year 2025. In response to the news, I wrote: “…in eight years Tennessee promises all but 25% of its third graders will be able to read at grade level. We … Continue reading It’s Just Literacy, No Big Deal

Vesia Hawkins4 Comments
Accountability, Nashville

Learning Heroes Help Parents Bridge The Gap Between Report Cards And The Truth

At a Friday morning coffee meeting with a new friend who works at a highly respected Tennessee education policy organization, I was happy to share information about a project I’ve been married to for the past year. Equally excited and bummed about the findings from months of research, one of the things that I had not been able to justify, I admitted, was that more … Continue reading Learning Heroes Help Parents Bridge The Gap Between Report Cards And The Truth

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Accountability, Nashville, School Choice

Charter School Operators Must Lead With The Survival Of Charters In Mind

Bernie. SMH. Two-time presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders separated from the fat pack of Democratic POTUS wannabes by [quite literally] taking a page out of the NAACP anti-charter school playbook and inserting it into his 10-point education plan. Two weeks ago, Sen. Bro. Sanders called for an end to the unpopular for-profit charters that are unlawful in most states. According to the National Alliance for … Continue reading Charter School Operators Must Lead With The Survival Of Charters In Mind

Vesia Hawkins3 Comments
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville, School Choice, Tennessee

Tennessee Clumsily Waltzes Into The World Of Private School Tuition Assistance

Say the word voucher without a hint of vitriol in the company of hardcore Democrats and you have effectively declared war. Last week, my timeline was littered with white people calling other white people racist in response to the Great Voucher Battle of 2019 at the Tennessee State Capital. I understand the anger, but, uh, some of the name-callers should absolutely refrain from pulling the … Continue reading Tennessee Clumsily Waltzes Into The World Of Private School Tuition Assistance

Vesia Hawkins2 Comments
Accountability, Nashville, School Choice, Tennessee

To The Rabble Rousers, A Good Friday Message

“He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him … Continue reading To The Rabble Rousers, A Good Friday Message

Vesia Hawkins2 Comments
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville

During Black History Month, A Community Works To Keep Black Excellence A Thing Of The Past

Even though Black History Month is a whopping twenty-eight days, I had to take a break. As adults across the country Google “black history” to find popular quotes and identities of successful Black thinkers, athletes, and performers, black students sit in schools with little chance to achieve the heights of those they’ve been told is worthy of celebration. I’m taking a break from BHM because … Continue reading During Black History Month, A Community Works To Keep Black Excellence A Thing Of The Past

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