U.S. education czar to visit Nashville; will talk charters, ESSA
U.S Secretary of Education John King will visit Nashville on Tuesday as part of the National Charter Schools Conference held during the week at the Music City Center.
King, who replaced Arne Duncan after he stepped down from the post last year, is in town to attend the 16th annual conference that starts Monday and runs through Wednesday.
But he will also meet with the members of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, a group led by Conexión Américas, to talk about the implementation of the new Every Student Succeeds Act. The education law replaces No Child Left Behind and was passed into law by President Barack Obama in December.
The coalition has been working with the Tennessee Department of Education to gather feedback and advise on how to ensure English learners and students of color have equitable access to education opportunities. The education department has the final say on the decisions.
The new law is expected to give states more flexibility in testing and accountability measures in student educational outcomes.
Tennessee plans forums to talk state testing flexibility
The conversation with King will likely include how to increase the diversity of teachers, school funding and how best the state can define what is a low-performing school, said Gini Pupo-Walker, Conexión Américas' senior director of education policy and strategy.
"We are all about ensuring there is a strong equity lens in Tennessee," Pupo-Walker said. "The state department has the bulk of the power on how to implement the law in Tennessee. But he can add guidance and pressure in plans."
At the charter conference, King will join Andre Agassi and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam as speakers during the three-day event, which is slated as the largest annual gathering of charter school leaders, administrators, board members and teachers in the country.
The conference is hosted by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a national nonprofit that says it is committed to advancing the public charter school movement.
Reach Jason Gonzales at 615-259-8047 and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.