Published May 11, 2017 at 12:30 p.m.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has announced that an employee from Kingsport City Schools (KCS) has been selected for the 2017-18 class of the Tennessee Educator Fellowship. Alice Browder, school counselor at Roosevelt Elementary School, will join 49 other educators from across Tennessee.

“Our fellows bring incredible talents to the table – their expertise inside the classroom, their diverse perspectives, and their relentless focus on students and their academic needs,” SCORE Executive Chairman and CEO Jamie Woodson said. “These traits prove invaluable to state conversations on raising student achievement in Tennessee, as our fellows work both inside and outside of the classroom to prepare all students for success after high school.” 

The Tennessee Educator Fellowship is a yearlong program that equips educators to advocate for their students and their profession as they continue teaching. Entering its fourth year, the fellowship now accepts not only teachers but also school counselors and librarians. Since 2014, the fellowship has helped nearly 100 teachers to contribute to the discussion about education policy by appearing at public speaking engagements, inviting policymakers into their classrooms, writing about their education experience in state and national publications, creating regional professional networks, and serving on state-level policy committees. 

“Alice is a world-class school counselor who has brought forth several innovative initiatives to the district,” said Dr. Lyle Ailshie, Superintendent of Schools. “Being selected for this prestigious fellowship is an honor not only to her as an individual, but also as a validation to all KCS educators. We appreciate Alice’s willingness to serve and advocate for her students; positive education reform in the State will move forward because of her valuable contributions.”

The fellows chosen for 2017-18 have a combined teaching experience of 583 years, ranging from three years in the classroom to almost 50. These Tennessee Educator Fellows represent elementary, middle, and high schools in 35 districts across East, Middle, and West Tennessee. The members of the cohort teach English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, visual arts, career and technical education, and special education, and serve as librarians and school counselors in urban, suburban, and rural schools.

Past fellows have led new education initiatives including a summer reading programs through Read to be Ready; Project LIT Community, an initiative to eliminate book deserts in Nashville; and professional development and leadership programs for other teachers. Fellows also have informed education conversations at local, state, and national levels through in-person meetings with various stakeholders and op-eds for news and education outlets like The Tennessean, Education Post, and Hechinger Report.

Last year’s KCS fellows included, Heather Hobbs, a fifth-grade literacy and socials studies teacher at Johnson Elementary School, and Ms. Kris Krautkremer, a biology and AP biology teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School.

For more information on SCORE please visit tnscore.org. For a complete list of 2017-18 Tennessee Educator Fellowship fellows please click here.

Kingsport City Schools (KCS) is a public school district located in Kingsport, Tenn., serving students in Sullivan and Hawkins county. The district is comprised of 13 schools, including a Pre-K, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, a high school program of choice and an alternative learning program; with total enrollment over 7,500 students. The vision of Kingsport City Schools is to be, Student Focused … World Class.

KCS has been named the top school district in Tennessee as winner of the 2014 SCORE Prize District Award by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and has earned the 2014 Achievement Award in the annual Excellence in Tennessee Recognition Program by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE).

For more information on KCS, visit k12k.com, listen live on WCSK 90.3 FM, The Voice of KCS, read our blog, We Are KCS, or call (423) 378.2100. We’re social too; follow us on Facebook (Kingsport City Schools), Twitter (@KCS_District) and check out our YouTube Channel (KPTSchools).

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