MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A new report detailing which Tennessee schools are turning out the state’s top scoring teachers is out and the results are surprising.
The report singles out six top performing programs from across Tennessee for special mention. Lipscomb University in Nashville, Union University in Jackson and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville all get top marks.
However, three of the top rated programs are not university based schools of education. Memphis Teacher Residency is a Christian ministry. Teach for America in Memphis and in Nashville are non-profits that recruit college grads and older professionals to teach in inner-city schools.
Nashville Director Shani Dowell says Teach for America instructors are trained to help their students look to the future.
“It’s not just about delivering content, even though delivering content is very important, it’s also about setting a vision for your students, helping set big and ambitious goals students are going to be invested in and leading them toward those ambitious goals.”
Dowell says Teach for America also provides ongoing support to new teachers during what she calls the critical first two years in the classroom.
You can review the full report on the THEC website.