Gov. Lee visits summer learning camp
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee talks with students and re- porters at Oak Ridge’s Woodland Elementary School’s Summer Learning Camp on Wednesday, June 14. (photo:Ben Pounds )
Lee praised the Oak Ridge summer program.
“I think this school is a model,” he told reporters during his visit.
“The results of the students in these schools are higher than the average across the state, and when we see those results, we want to go to those schools and see what they’re doing that’s unique.”
Lee talked with different groups of students in the summer program about the importance of reading skills for careers, the branches and levels of government, elections and his pets.
He declined to answer one child’s question about how much money he makes.
Also at Woodland were Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and state Rep. John Ragan R-Oak Ridge.
The state published data on its website showing that Oak Ridge Schools’ “total proficiency” for the third-grade English Language Arts standardized test was 58.74%, putting it ahead of most of the school systems in the state including Clinton City Schools at 55.03%, Anderson County at 44.32%. and Knox County at 42.9%.
“We believe that best practices are important,” Lee said. “And when we go to a school or a school system that is performing at a higher level, then we see what some of those best practices are, and we can implement them across the state.
“We’re looking at schools all across the state that have a particularly unique outcome or particularly unique programming that is successful, and we’re going to take those practices and put them together to implement effective programs across the state.”
He praised summer camp literacy programs such as Woodland’s for helping struggling students.
Responding to media questions, he defended Tennessee’s policy requiring third-grade students to pass standardized tests to enter fourth grade.
“We want them to succeed into fourth and fifth and sixth grade, and the best way we can do that is to make sure that they’re able to read,” he said. “We want every kid to be successful. That’s why we have retest opportunities. That’s why we’re offering summer school. That’s why we’ll have tutoring for them in fourth grade.
“I asked them what they want to do when they grow up,” he said of the students.
“I want them all to live their best life and become whatever they want to be when they grow up, and in order for that to happen, they have to be able to read and to have a strong foundation in literacy. That’s what we’re aiming for,” Lee said.
Kelly Williams, Oak Ridge Schools’ executive director of teaching and learning, said most of the summer program is literacy instruction.
It also includes some science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction and some time to play outside.
Williams said she felt “honored” by the governor’s visit.
“They work really hard, and they’ve had excellent results, and so we’re happy to show that off,” she said of the school district’s teachers.