Hamilton County Schools partners with Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance
Hamilton County Schools and Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance recently partnered to promote the recruitment and retention of minority teachers in Hamilton County Schools.
The partnership comes on the heels of the educator diversity policy passed by the state board of education and similar educator diversity and educational equity policies passed by the school system's board of education this spring.
The system aims to increase the number of teachers of color in the district, which is made up of about 51% students of color and 12% teachers of color. The alliance will provide support for the district's recruitment strategies and mentor new educators.
"This partnership to support minority educator recruitment and retention aligns beautifully with two focus areas of our Future Ready 2023 strategic plan: Accelerating Student Achievement as well as Great Teachers and Leaders," said the system's chief talent officer Penny Murray in a statement. "It's an exciting time and we look forward to working with TECA in the days ahead."
Tennessee Tutoring Corps accepting tutor applications
The Tennessee Tutoring Corps is recruiting tutors for its upcoming summer learning program.
Created last year by former Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife Crissy, the program consists of college students and recent graduates tutoring rising first- through fourth-grade students across the state.
"We launched this program last year to address the 'summer slide,' a very real problem each year that was made significantly worse by students being out of school for so long because of COVID-19," Haslam said in a statement. "Building on what we learned from the latest education research as well as student outcomes and tutor input from last year's pilot, we are excited to continue the program this summer and to serve as one piece of the puzzle in supporting Tennessee's youngest and most vulnerable students."
The program runs for eight weeks beginning June 7. The application deadline is April 27, and applications and more information can be found on the Tennessee Tutoring Corps website.
Cleveland State Community College accepting nominations for Community First Awards
Cleveland State Community College is accepting nominations for its annual Community First Awards, which will be held Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. at The Barn at Faith Farms in Athens, Tennessee.
Now in its sixth year, the awards honor the service of community members but will focus specifically on community members who made a difference amid COVID-19.
"Great leadership and service can be a challenge even in the best of times, but the pandemic has tested the skills of every community-minded citizen [by] forcing them to face adversity, adapt and find a way to keep moving forward with the new normal," said Cleveland State president Dr. Bill Seymour in a statement. "This year, our 2021 Community First Awards will be dedicated specifically to those who exemplified our ideal during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Nominations will be accepted through May 31 on the Community Service Awards website. To learn more, call Cindy Dawson at 423-614-8700 or email her at cdawson@clevelandstatecc.edu.
Contact Anika Chaturvedi at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.