Affirmative Action At Tennessee Department of Education?

Image Credit: Tweet by The Tennessee Department of Education

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

A Tennessee citizen alerted us to a social media post from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) on Tuesday (March 22nd) that invites people of color to apply for the Diverse Leader’s Network.

This program gives teachers an opportunity to earn a free Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at no cost to the teacher or district.

“Why are our tax dollars funding free degrees for people of color from Penny Schwinn and the state department of education?” asked the concerned Tennessean. “I thought CRT was illegal now. This sounds like affirmative action.”

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According to the Tennessee Department of Education’s website, the Diverse Leader’s Network (DLN) is one of two programs, the other is the Aspiring Assistant Principals Network (AAPN), that seek to allow highly qualified teachers to earn their licensure for free and help fill vacancies in school leadership.

From 2020-2024, over the course of four cohorts from two universities, (Austin Peay, and Tennessee State University) TDOE has committed over $4.5 million in grant funding, primarily from federal funding sources, to allow more than 700 aspiring assistant principals to earn their Master’s Degrees.

This round of applications will be the third cohort of the program.

“By providing no-cost pathways to leadership credentials and degrees, we are removing obstacles to educational leadership opportunities in our state and empowering educators who want to pursue a professional pathway to further develop themselves and better serve students,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “These programs are part of the Tennessee Department of Education’s commitment to growing future leaders in education, and we are thrilled to see the numbers of participants in these cohorts growing each year.”

“Austin Peay State University is thankful for TDOE’s support of our college initiatives,” said Dr. Laura Barnett, Assistant Professor, Austin Peay State University College of Education. “We are proud to continue to serve aspiring assistant principals across Tennessee… We are particularly appreciative of our Diverse Leaders Network students, as they help fulfill our collegewide initiative to increase the diversity of K12 teachers and leaders.”

These programs are not the only ones that TDOE is championing as a solution to teacher shortages. In January 2022, they announced that Tennessee was the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University’s Teacher Residency program becoming the first registered apprenticeship program for teaching in the country. 

This initiative was supported by fifteen educational organizations including Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance (TECA) whose vision is “to develop, connect, and support educators of color with decision-making power who shape, create, and influence policy.”

While CRT has been banned from K-12 schools in Tennessee, it is not illegal throughout the state. Most recently, a bill sponsored by Representative Bruce Griffey to eliminate CRT and associated training from Tennessee workplaces was relegated to a summer study by the House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee essentially killing it.

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.