Statewide Media Campaign to Recruit Qualified Persons for the Teach Tennessee Teacher Licensing Program
creation, development, implementation and evaluation of a strategic statewide media campaign designed to increase the awareness of and participation in the
Teach Tennessee teacher licensing program.
Teach Tennessee is a pathway to become licensed to teach in
Tennessee. It is a state funded project that currently depends on the previously trained Fellows
and the local school systems for awareness. Knowing that conservative estimates show that
50% of Tennessees teachers could retire at any time means that there is and will continue to be
a shortage of trained teachers available for Tennessees classrooms. The teacher has been
identified as the key resource in educating students successfully. For Tennessee to compete
and not fall behind, we must arrange to staff our classrooms with content knowledge based,
trained teachers and Teach Tennessee is one resource for this effort.
A.3. Background and Program Characteristics. In June, 2005, the first cohort of Teach Tennessee
Fellows was trained and licensed to begin teaching that fall. In the interim, there have been a
total of six cohorts with 167 Fellows trained. There is a current 83% retention rate for those who
have begun teaching. The program grew from an idea that Governor Phil Bredesen challenged
the State to develop to help stem the shortage of teachers in core academic subject areas,
especially math, sciences and foreign languages and hard-to-staff schools. The program is
highly selective.
A.4. Objectives. Using the current logo and website (hosted by the State), the Contractor will develop
and implement a strategic teacher recruitment media campaign to:
a. Increase public awareness of Teach Tennessees licensing requirements.
b. Create an attitude shift about the rewards of a teaching career.
c. Provide strong content knowledge based, trained professionals to fill the dwindling ranks
of Tennessees teacher pool, specifically in core academic subjects such as math,
sciences and foreign languages and hard-to-staff schools through the Teach Tennessee
licensing program.
