Tennessee State Board of Education Announces Educator Licensure Review Committee Members

Friday, February 09, 2024 | 10:18am

Supplying Tennessee with Excellent Educators

The State Board of Education staff, working with the Tennessee Department of Education have formed an Educator Licensure Review Committee that will offer feedback and provide recommendations to ensure that the educator licensure system and policies continue to meet Tennessee’s evolving needs.

Beginning in Spring 2023, staff from the State Board and Tennessee Department of Education began working with the National Association of State Boards of Education to create a draft vision and set of guiding principles for educator licensure and to identify key issues within the current system through surveying key stakeholders across the state.

Out of this work several key topics emerged for the Committee to discuss including:

  • Continued use of the edTPA as a licensure requirement for candidates completing undergraduate and traditional post-baccalaureate preparation programs
  • Evaluation of requirements for occupational licensure and accessibility of licensure pathways for prospective educators transitioning from industry
  • Improvement of communication of more recently developed pathways to licensure and legislative changes that impact licensure

“We are excited for this new Committee to determine ways in which Tennessee can continually improve the educator licensure system for current and future educators,” says Michael Deurlein, Deputy Executive Director of Research and Policy for the State Board of Education. “I look forward to working with the Department and Committee members to develop innovative approaches that support the needs of Tennessee schools and districts.”

The Committee members represent areas from the entire state and are charged with examining educator licensure requirements in Tennessee. The Committee will later present their recommendations to the Executive Director of the State Board. They will also analyze related State Board rules and policies alongside issues faced by our educators and districts.

Educator Licensure Review Committee members include:

  • Anne Barbieri, Hamilton County Schools
  • John Bartlett, Knox County Schools
  • Ulla Carr, KCS EPP
  • David Cihak, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • Cynthia Chambers, East Tennessee State University
  • Matt Cheek, Nashville Teacher Residency
  • Holly Coleman, Hyde Family Foundation
  • Tiffany Dellard, Middle Tennessee State University
  • Staci Fuqua, University of Tennessee, Martin
  • Diarese George, Tennesse Educators of Color Alliance
  • Senator Joey Hensley, Senate District 28
  • Ayesha Ibrahim, Metro Nashville Public Schools
  • Bob Nardo, Libertas School of Memphis
  • Jean Luna-Vedder, Clarksville Montgomery County Schools
  • Jenikka Oglesby, Memphis – Shelby County Schools
  • Megan Parker Peters, Lipscomb University
  • Allen Pratt, National Rural Education Association/University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
  • Eddie Pruett, Gibson County Special School District
  • Sharon Roberts, SCORE
  • Megan Salemi, Memphis Teacher Residency
  • Patrick Sheehy, Tennessee Business Roundtable
  • Representative William Slater, House District 35
  • Catherine Stephens, Tullahoma City Schools
  • Missy Testerman, Rogersville City Schools
  • Ben Torres, Tennessee School Boards Association