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NAHSVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that Kevin Huffman, commissioner of the Department of Education, will be departing the administration to move into the private sector.
Tennessee has seen historic gains in academic achievement during Huffman’s tenure, according to a release from Gov. Haslam’s office. Along with significant growth on state assessment scores, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the nation’s report card, announced in 2013 that Tennessee had the largest gains across fourth and eighth grade math and reading of any state in the country. In 2014, the state also made its largest gains on the ACT since all high school students began taking the assessment.
The release states that under his leadership, the state implemented an evaluation system focused on constructive feedback for teachers, and it has focused on rigorous standards, seeing continued gains in academic achievement. Huffman also led a restructuring of the Department of Education, increasing the emphasis on teacher training and on supporting local districts out of regional offices.
“It has been an extraordinary honor to serve nearly one million students. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments of Tennessee students,” Huffman said. “More importantly, I am convinced that the state is on the cusp of even more significant breakthroughs as the reforms in our K-12 system link with the opportunity of the Tennessee Promise.”
Before joining the Haslam administration, Huffman, 44, spent nearly two decades working with public education systems as a teacher, lawyer, non-profit executive and non-profit board member.
Huffman’s successor will be named at a later date.