4. Increase public and private support for education
by continuing to seek the involvement and participation of the entire community in the Hamblen
County school system.
5. Provide well-trained, highly motivated, caring individuals to serve in all levels of the organization.
6. Provide physical facilities and resources that are
safe, secure, functional, and supportive of the
learning program.
“Their secret of success is having high expectations,
rigorous instruction in every classroom, awesome
principals, and strong community partnerships,”
said Hamblen County mayor, Bill Brittain. “We work
together and we work hard, and you can see it in
our results.”
The district believes in supporting all aspects of
child development, including helping students
engage in extracurricular activities such as sports,
service to the community, music, and the arts.
Hamblen County Schools is fully supported by
its community in all of its efforts, and has strong
partnerships with almost every large business in the
county. Local businesses donate food, materials,
and funds to support both academic achievement
and the additional activities provided to the students.
County also began its preparation for all teachers
by providing professional development on rigorous
instruction and the new language arts standards.
In 2011-12, the district implemented the Common
Core standards in K-2, had three teachers selected by the state to serve as Common Core math
coaches for grades 3 through 8, and sent about 100
teachers to a three-day training with state coaches.
Common Core resources were placed on the district website for teachers to use, and faculty meetings, learning clubs, learning lunches, and trainings
were provided throughout the district to inform
teachers and administrators about the standards.
Other professional development opportunities for
teachers were also offered, including training on
formative assessment, reading beyond the text,
Common Core algebra and geometry, informational
texts, and opportunities offered by the Tennessee
Department of Education’s Centers of Regional Excellence. Administrators were also provided with a
three-day training for in-depth exploration of Common Core concepts in math, reading, and writing,
and attended the state’s Common Core leadership
training.
“The Core Six: Essential
Strategies for Achieving
Excellence with Common Core”
http:/
/www.tnscore.org/scoreprize/
downloads/2012/The_Core_6_.pdf
Embracing high standards
Hamblen County’s leaders embrace high expectations for student learning and expect every student
to be college and career ready when they graduate
from high school. Leaders are very proactive in
anticipating rising expectations, and started preparing for the increased rigor reflected in the Common
Core State Standards in 2010. The district put in
place a series of professional learning opportunities to increase the rigor in every classroom. They
also launched a series of programs to ensure that
students are ready for postsecondary education
and career.
Preparing for the Common Core. Once leaders
knew that the Common Core standards were going
to be adopted in Tennessee, multiple strategies
were put in place to ensure teachers were ready
and implementation would proceed smoothly.
In 2010-11, district leaders assigned five teacher
leaders to serve as Common Core specialists for
the district, and sent lead K-2 teachers and instructional coaches to the state training to learn about
the standards for those grade levels. Hamblen
Pathways to the Prize
Lessons from the 2012 SCORE Prize District Winner
12