Dear Coalition Members,

I’d like to start this newsletter by saying that in the wake of the recent election the staff at Conexión Américas has been touched and inspired by the commitment of our community to ensure that Nashville remains a welcoming place for everyone. This community extends to our Equity Coalition as well, and I know all of our hearts are heavy and we are thinking of our colleagues in Chattanooga, as well as the families, teachers and friends of the students that they lost in the bus crash last week. The work we are doing together is now more important than ever, and our collective voice and commitment to equity will be necessary in the months and years to come. As 2016 draws to a close I’d like to take a moment to look back at the amazing progress we have made. Our Coalition started a little over year ago, with meetings and conversations held across the state with many of you. We gathered together in March at Casa Azafrán to build relationships and develop a shared equity agenda for students in Tennessee We formed a Coalition Steering Committee, and began to cast a vision for our work. The Every Student Succeeds Act provided us with a shared sense of purpose and focus and we crafted a concrete set of ESSA policy recommendations that were articulated through meetings with the Secretary of Education King, with Commissioner McQueen and her staff, and through op-eds, letters, webinars and trainings across the state. We also provided technical assistance to our Coalition members who served on multipleESSA Working Groups. We now have over fifty partners in the Coalition, and we continue to grow. We recently formed the Tennessee EL Network, and have nearly 100 advocates and educators signed on to learn and lead on key policy issues affecting EL students. I look forward to what 2017 holds for our Coalition and we at Conexión Américas wish you very happy holidays with your friends and loved ones.

Paz y Amor,

THE COALITION: YEAR IN REVIEW

It has been an exciting year for the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition. 2016 represents not only the inception of the group but also major developments, meetings, and state and national recognitions. A few of our key highlights are below:

• In March 2016 we held the Educational Equity and Excellence in Tennessee Summit at Casa Azafrán which represented the formation and naming of the statewide Coalition centered on supporting and advocating for students of color in Tennessee. 
• In May 2016 the Tennessee Department of Education and Commissioner Candice McQueen selected eight Coalition members to serve on the state department's ESSA working groups. Additionally, members of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition were invited to be a part of The Education Trust's ESSA Boot Camp. They spoke on a panel to participants representing 19 states about the work of the Coalition with the Tennessee Department of Education on development of the state's ESSA law.
  
• In June 2016 the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition's
  inagural steering committee was formed. Ten Coalition members and leaders from across the state were selected to serve as local champions for equity and excellence, and to provide local context, voices, and priorities to discussions on Coalition developments.  
•  The Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition continued their involvement in the ESSA process by submitting letters with recommendation to Senator Alexander and Commissioner McQueen. The Coalition also submitted comments to USED's ESSA Proposed Regulations.
• The Coalition's ESSA involvement and advocacy led to a round table with Secretary of Education John King. He visited Casa Azafrán in July to meet with Steering Committee members, students and students.
  

ESSA UPDATES

The United States Department of Education has released final rulemaking on accountability, public reporting, and state plans. The rules are meant to clarify the statute and to show states how to implement statutory requirements. 

The Department will hold regional town halls on ESSA between now and December 15th. These meetings are open to the public and will provide an opportunity to provide feedback on the state's draft plan. Commissioner McQueen and other department leadership will be in attendance. The town halls will be held on the following dates:

The Tennessee Department of Education is expected to release the draft plan in early December. The Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition is preparing to respond to the state’s draft law once it is released. Keep an eye out for action alerts in the coming weeks. 

ENGLISH LEARNER NETWORK

FEATURED RESOURCE

Complete Tennessee, an education advocacy group focused on increasing postsecondary attainment in Tennessee released a report entitled Room to Grow: The State of Higher Education in Tennessee. The report offers a comprehensive look at Tennessee's higher education landscape and highlights significant equity gaps throughout Tennessee's post-secondary system.