Meanwhile, Kentucky just floats along

The Volunteer state, apparently tired of showing up as lack luster in rankings such as this one I posted a few days back for the way its education schools instruct student teachers to teach reading, is moving forward. Now, Education Week reporter Catherine Gewertz says: “Tennessee Seeks New Teacher, Principal Requirements in 'Science of Reading.'”

This new legislation, the only bill being requested by the Tennessee Department of Education this year, will require that state’s ed schools to instruct student teachers how to teach reading according to the results of scientific research and will also require working teachers and principals to learn how to teach this critical skill properly, as well.

Meanwhile, here in Kentucky I am having a real problem getting the education support crowd to even admit there is a problem and that ideas outside Kentucky might help. My recent posting of a blog about teachers' pay and how Mississippi has now surpassed Kentucky for both white and black student scores for reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has mostly just generated howls of protest instead of any thoughtful appraisal. That included some blunt comments from an educator that didn’t want to learn anything about Mississippi and a comment from a Kentucky education reporter whose claimed focus is on Kentucky, only, even if Mississippi might have something worthwhile to offer.

Well, other states like Mississippi and Arkansas are already on board with finally getting teachers trained properly on how to teach reading.

Meanwhile newspaper comments about Mississippi are being made in other states like Texas and even Alaska. Alabama is also now pushing scientific reading, too.

So, folks in more and more states are getting it. I guess education reporters and others in those states are not wearing state-only, not-invented-here blinders. Kentucky better start paying attention – soon!