Education First

The Issue

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Education's $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition has galvanized state education policymakers as few other grant programs ever have. Spurred by the chance to enact bold reforms and receive millions of federal dollars to fund them, the office of Governor Phil N. Bredesen in Tennessee pulled together a leadership team of policymakers and advocates from across the Volunteer State and tasked them with writing a winning proposal. 

What We Did

Education First led all strategy sessions, assisted the leadership team in developing its overall application vision, and worked with Tennessee Department of Education staff on application development and data gathering. We also assisted the governor's office with research and strategy during the state's special legislative session, resulting in the successful passage of the "First to the Top Act," a new law that enabled the reforms spelled out in the state's Race to the Top application. These included a revamped teacher/principal evaluation framework with student achievement data as a core component and new authority to intervene in low-performing schools. Education First worked side-by-side with Tennessee until the application deadline, co-authored the 264-page narrative, assembled the application, and hand-delivered it to the U.S. Department of Education. When Tennessee was announced as a finalist, we helped prepare the five-member pitch team and developed the state's presentation for their in-person interview. 

Once Tennessee was announced as one of two Round One winners, we began the work of implementation. Working with the Governor's office and Department of Education staff, we helped them enact their plan by leading a staff retreat, thinking through the new strategy and approach to the transition, designing organizational charts, and writing job descriptions for new staff. We assisted the new First to the Top Office with its start-up needs by generating website content, editing reports due back to the USED, and developing information to provide to elected officials and the public. Perhaps most importantly, Education First coordinated the creation of the state's First to the Top Advisory Council, composed of national and local experts who were appointed to advise Tennessee throughout the life of the federal grant.

The Outcome

Tennessee was selected as one of just two states (the other was Delaware) to be fully funded in the first round of Race to the Top. Since receiving its first installment of the $500 million grant, Tennessee strategically built in-house capacity, and has developed effective communications tools to keep stakeholders, parents, lawmakers and the public informed. Tennessee is now well-poised to take a momentous leap forward in preparing every student for success. 

Why It Matters

Tennessee has promised groundbreaking changes: data dashboards for teachers to monitor student progress, teacher and principal evaluations based in part on student academic growth, an infusion of human capital resources for low-achieving schools, and statewide implementation of Common Core standards, among others. States across the country will be following Tennessee's example as it implements its plan to improve performance, create structural changes in how educators are evaluated, and prepare all students to be college- and career-ready.