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College of Education (COE)

COE Graduates Rank Top-3 in Latest Tennessee Survey

News Release

FOR RELEASE

December 19, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) has reported that ÌÇÐÄvlogÃÛÌÒ graduates rank in the top 3 in the latest Tennessee Educator Survey (TES).

Graduates from the Department of Instruction & Curriculum Leadership (ICL) ranked in the top 3 with 80% of K-2 English and Language Arts (ELA) teachers who strongly agreed/agreed that the program’s coursework and content prepared them for their current role.

“It is wonderful to know that our graduates who are K-2 English and Language Arts teachers believe that we prepared them to effectively teach their students,� said Dr. Sandra Cooley Nichols, chair of the Department of Instruction & Curriculum Leadership. “Preparing high quality teachers is our goal.�

TERA also noted that 95% of UofM’s early career K-2 teachers said their clinical experience and coaching/mentorship prepared them for their current roles. This wasn’t a top 3 ranking due to three other programs scoring 100%, yet TERA acknowledged this is still a “very high percentage.� Dr. Nichelle Robinson is the Director of the Office of Teacher Education & Clinical Practice (TEP), which is over the clinical experience aspect.

She said, “(TEP) is pleased that 95% of our graduates feel that their clinical experience prepared them for the classroom. We work hard to ensure that they have a positive and impactful student teaching experience with the best mentor teachers in our partner districts.�

According to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), TES is “the most important annual survey used to understand the experience of educators across Tennessee.� A total of 37,056 Tennessee teachers responded to this year’s TES, roughly half of the total teacher population, and around a quarter of those teachers (9,830) are in ELA.

The Department of Instruction & Curriculum Leadership is under the College of Education at the UofM. More information on this year’s TES can be found .