Six school districts recognized for helping students recover from COVID learning loss

Tennessee is celebrating six school districts for their work to accelerate student learning following the pandemic.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) is recognizing Elizabethton City Schools, Cocke County Schools, Union County Schools, Germantown Municipal Schools, Lenoir City Schools, and Cheatham County Schools for their use of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding and their efforts towards student achievement with the TN ALL Corps program.TN ALL Corps provides intensive, one-on-one, or small group tutoring and collaboration between schools, community partners, and families to achieve higher levels of academic success. The program is a partnership between TDOE and the Niswonger Foundation to combat learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.Lenoir City Schools piloted the program in 2021, with small tutoring groups of three to four students per one tutor. Director of Schools for Lenoir City, Jeanne K. Baker, describes the tutoring method as “kitchen table tutoring,” a comparison to when parents sit at the table with their kids to engage with them academically.“TN ALL Corps tutoring was successful for Lenoir City when we piloted it in the spring of 2021,” said Baker, “Our tutors are developing relationships with their small groups while accelerating students academically.”The program provided schools with the funds to hire additional full and part-time teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, tutors, and instructional material. Tutoring programs are intended to serve as supplementary outlets for instruction and guidance to recover from pandemic learning loss. Small group tutoring, especially, allows for students to engage closely with material and receive individualized instruction in a more relaxed environment.TDOE Commissioner Penny Schwinn attributes program success to the hard work of school districts, community partners, and students.“I am thankful to the communities across the state that have embraced this program to ensure our students have access to high-quality learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom,” said Schwinn.The TN ALL Corps program is looking to grow in the coming school year and representatives from each recognized district are excited to see what the upcoming year has to offer its students.