“It’s been really interesting watching both teachers and students learn the different roles of text in their classroom and really coming to appreciate the role of complex text in their classrooms.”
Beth Dutton
ELA Instructional Coach, Loudon County
What is LIFT
LIFT is a group of committed superintendents from across Tennessee working together to explore innovative approaches and share best practices that will benefit their students, as well as students across the state and nation. The purpose of this website is to share their collective learnings and the resources that have helped them improve literacy outcomes for students.
Implementation
Advocacy
Professional Learning
“Students are so engaged, and you can tell the level of thinking that’s happening in the classroom. Students are making connections, and they’re not just using the vocabulary words. They’re engaged in deep thinking about what those words mean, and that’s ultimately what’s going to get our students to the level of comprehension that we need.”
Shawn Kimble
Director of Schools, Lauderdale County
Our Work
Implementation
We work on student-focused issues important to all of us, in areas like professional learning and other teacher supports, instructional leadership, and ensuring instructional rigor. This work includes a broad network of leaders from within our districts, including teachers, principals, instructional coaches, and district-level staff. With research and support, we engage in innovative practices to try to tackle high-leverage issues, such as early literacy.
Advocacy
When we identify innovations or policies that benefit students, as well as superintendents and school districts across the state, we advocate for those approaches or reforms. We try to actively share our voices on important education-related issues by serving on state-wide committees and task forces, regularly communicating with key stakeholders, and attending important community events such as learning institutes or town halls.
Professional Learning
Leaders are key to student success and, therefore, the leader’s opportunity to engage in high-quality professional learning experiences with like-minded superintendents is valuable. The LIFT network has engaged in professional learning on topics such as, human capital strategies, communication strategies, school scheduling, principal development, and early literacy, among others.