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d. Clearly there is a problem with
testing in Tennessee. It isn’t because
of our students or our educators. It
is a flawed testing system. Teacher
Evaluation based on results from
test scores must be re-evaluated
and discontinued at least until we
get the testing component correct.
That is common sense.
Art and Music
Art and music programs are likely to
be among the first victims of budget
cuts in financially-stretched school
districts already fighting to meet
other academic demands, and they
are rarely restored. The College Board,
found that students who take four
years of arts and music classes while
in high school score 95 points better
on their SAT exams than students who
took only a half year or less (scores
averaged 1061 among students in
arts educations compared to 966
for students without arts education).
It is important for policymakers
to understand that art, music, and
literature improve problem-solving
and critical-thinking skills. President
John F. Kennedy reminded us: “I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our
cities, we too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our
contribution to the human spirit.” President Ronald Reagan added when speaking about the
humanities in 1987: “The humanities teach us who we are and what we can be,” he said. “They
lie at the very core of the culture of which we’re a part, and they provide the foundation from
which we may reach out to other cultures. The arts are among our nation’s finest creations and
the reflection of freedom’s light.” Education must nurture the whole child, and arts are vital in
this endeavor. It is vital for our children to have critical and hands-on engagement with art,
music, and literature, all of which help foster our basic humanity — creativity, critical thinking,
and empathy for others. Cultivating these values, are the deeper purposes of education. We
must not lose sight of this.
Just Read Tennessee
Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen has accurately called “literacy
attainment the equity issue of our time.” Tennessee has started to address this issue during
her term as Commissioner through Read to be Ready, and that effort must be continued. The
Tennessee Department of Education’s own statistics reveal that “Overall, less than half of our
third and fourth graders are reading on grade level based on state tests, and more rigorous
national assessments suggest that only one-third of our fourth graders are proficient – an
unacceptable outcome in a state that has prided itself on being the fastest improving in the
nation.” Achievement gaps are also striking: “only one-third of economically disadvantaged
students and just one in every five of our students with disabilities achieve proficiency by the
end of third grade. English learners are not advancing as quickly their native-speaking peers.