NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Gov. Bill Haslam has named a top mid-state academic with extensive Common Core experience to be the next Tennessee education commissioner.
The governor has chosen Lipscomb University's Candice McQueen. She’ll replace Kevin Huffman, who announced last month that he's leaving for the private sector.
Haslam says he was looking for a Tennessean to fill the post who is already familiar with the state's education picture. McQueen was dean of Lipscomb's College of Education where she built one of the top teacher training programs in the nation.
In her remarks accepting the position, McQueen noted that education in Tennessee is improving quickly, but also said there was much left to do.
“We want Tennessee to continue to set the pace for the nation on how we get our students ready for college. We want to lead the nation on innovation and best practices, that make sure we’re making a real difference in the lives of our students.”
McQueen brings a strong grasp of the controversial Common Core academic standards to the job. The standards have been phased into Tennessee's classrooms over the past four years but may very well be scaled back or eliminated by the upcoming Tennessee General Assembly.