Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
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Dec. 19
The Knoxville News Sentinel on TNReady scores:
Knox County Schools might have bested the state’s other large urban districts in TNReady average scores, but the numbers show too many students are performing below grade level.
TNReady is a set of standardized tests that measure students’ academic progress. The exams are more closely aligned to what is being taught in the classroom than the previously used TCAP assessment.
TNReady was administered for the first time in the 2015-16 school year. The state Department of Education released district-level data last week for high schools. Problems with the test’s vendor prevented the completion of the exams for lower grades.
In Knox County, about 35 percent of all high school students are listed as being on track or having mastered reading in their grade level. That means, of course, that roughly 65 percent of Knox County high schoolers are lagging behind.
The math scores are worse. Only 28 percent are on track or have mastered their grade level in math courses.
Of the large urban school districts, Shelby County scored lowest in reading at 21.6 percent being on track or mastered, while Hamilton County brought up the rear in math with 15.4 percent.
Science is still tested under the old grading TCAP standard, and Knox County Schools showed slight improvements in biology and chemistry grades over previous school years.
As disappointing as Knox County’s scores are, they top statewide averages. Only 1 in 3 of all Tennessee high school students are on track or have mastered their grade level in English and 21 percent in math.
A dismally small percentage of Tennessee students demonstrated mastery of the coursework - 3.7 percent in math and 8.3 percent in English. More than half the students in the state did not meet grade-level expectations in math.
Tennessee students will have to show marked improvement to meet the ambitious goal Gov. Bill Haslam set in his “Drive to 55” initiative. Because more than half of all future jobs will require some type of post-secondary education, Haslam wants to see 55 percent of Tennesseans obtain a degree or certificate by 2025.
While Knox County’s numbers are low, students are demonstrating needed improvement. TVAAS scores, which measure how effective schools and teachers are in improving their students’ academic progress, are impressive. The district scored the highest TVAAS score of 5 on literacy and numeracy measures.
“I’m very pleased with the progress we’re making,” interim Schools Superintendent Buzz Thomas said when the scores were released. “I’m not ready to buy champagne because we still have a lot of work to do, but I am ready to give a shout out to our teachers and our principals, and to say we’re on the right track and you’re doing a great job and if we keep going, we’ll be at the top of the mountain before you know it.”
Tennesseans should set high expectations for students and provide the resources to meet them. The TNReady scores show just how long a climb lies ahead.
Online:
https://www.knoxnews.com/
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Dec. 18
The Knoxville News Sentinel on Dolly Parton’s telethon to support wildfire victims:
Dolly Parton demonstrated once again last week how much she loves the people of Sevier County, the rugged mountain community where she grew up. Her telethon, “Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund,” has raised nearly $9 million and counting for those who lost their homes in last month’s wildfires.
The My People Fund, started by Parton, The Dollywood Foundation and Sevier County businesses, has pledged to give $1,000 a month for six months to each family who lost their primary residence in the blaze, which killed 14 people and scorched 17,000 acres in the tourist community. More than 1,300 families are known to have lost their homes.
Sevier County’s most famous native swiftly went into action, putting the show together in a matter of days. The telethon aired last Tuesday on a host of networks, including GAC, AXS-TV and RFD-TV, and featured more than 20 live and pre-taped performances from stars ranging from Cyndi Lauper and Don McLean to Parton, Kenny Rogers, Chris Young, Chris Stapleton and Reba McEntire.
Celebrities opened their wallets, too. Dierks Bentley and Paul Simon each called in and pledged $100,000, and Young was on hand with members of the Country Music Association to present a $250,000 joint check from Kenny Chesney and the trade organization.
“I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who have donated from all over the country and to my friends who donated their time, their talent, and money for My People,” Parton said in a statement. “The response has been so overwhelming that we haven’t been able to count all of the donations yet; right now, in total, we have raised about $9 million for the folks who lost everything in Sevier County.”
The telethon has been broadcast multiple times, so the final tally will be higher.
The proceeds will help families whose lives have been devastated by the wildfires. Donations of clothing, food and other items can only go so far, and it will take months for the displaced to return to some semblance of normalcy.
Many of those who lost their homes work or own businesses in Gatlinburg. The town lost many businesses, but the core of the commercial district escaped destruction.
While the tourism mecca has reopened to the public, it has not drawn the crowds that typically come for the Christmas season. The city had to cancel its popular Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade, and merchants and visitors alike have noted the falloff in business.
Dolly’s voice is incomparable, and few can sing like Reba or Kenny. Not many East Tennesseans have the means to write a six-figure check. However, those who want to help can make the trek to Gatlinburg for a day or two of Christmas shopping. By patronizing the shops, restaurants and hotels in Sevier County, people can give tangible support to the area’s residents and workers.
Dolly is singing the lead, but the rest of us can sing backup. The resulting harmony can help the recovery of a community that has lost so much.
Online:
https://www.knoxnews.com/
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Dec. 18
The Johnson City Press on the Elizabethton Twins minor league baseball team:
Fans of Appalachian League baseball received some good news last week with the announcement that the Elizabethton Twins will take the field for the 2017 season. Mayor Curt Alexander said the Minnesota Twins have agreed to a one-year extension of the minor league franchise in Elizabethton.
Now comes the hard part. Elizabethton leaders and front office officials with the Minnesota Twins must negotiate a long-term deal to keep the franchise in the city.
Key to reaching an agreement is a proposed $3.2 million upgrade to Joe O’Brien Field. Elizabethton officials are asking the Minnesota Twins to pay $600,000 of those renovations.
In an email to the mayor, Brad Steil, director of Minor League operations for the Minnesota Twins, stressed the one-year extension of rookie ball in Elizabethton was “only a temporary solution,” and his organization wants “to pursue a long-term facility solution to stay in Elizabethton.” He also said “the next 60 days will be critical to the future of the project.”
As Press Elizabethton Bureau Chief John Thompson reported in Thursday’s paper, Elizabethton leaders say a special task force is continuing to formulate recommendations for ways to make the Elizabethton Twins self-supporting and to improve the amenities at Joe O’Brien Field.
The Twins have played in Elizabethton for more than 40 years. It’s been a very special relationship for the city, local fans and the Minnesota Twins organization. Few cities as small as Elizabethton can boast of having a professional sports franchise.
The team has been very successful in Elizabethton, winning many Appy League titles in the process. The late Kirby Puckett began his Hall of Fame career in Elizabethton.
The Elizabethton Twins franchise has been a model for other teams in the league when it comes to building community support. Players from the Twins routinely make appearances in churches and civic clubs. This community interaction helps to create a favorable buzz for the Twins both on and off the field.
It would be a mistake for the Minnesota Twins to walk away from the devoted fan base it has built in Elizabethton. It seems $600,000 is a small price for a major league franchise to pay to see that this special relationship continues for decades to come.
Online:
https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/
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