ALIGNMENT NASHVILLE
Alignment Nashville has created a system to bring community organizations and resources into alignment so that their coordinated support of Nashville’s youth has a positive impact on public school success and the success of our community as a whole.
BENWOOD FOUNDATION
The Benwood Foundation seeks to stimulate creative and innovative efforts to build and strengthen the Chattanooga community. Benwood is a private organization that focuses on strengthening the Chattanooga community with grantmaking in four specific areas: public education, arts and culture, environment and community development. In 2001, the highly successful Benwood Initiative was launched, which focused on improving student achievement through teacher professional development and principal leadership development in eight of Hamilton County’s lowest-performing elementary schools. The Benwood Foundation is currently working with the Public Education Foundation to expand the program to eight additional schools.
BLOUNT EDUCATION INITIATIVE
The Blount Education Initiative’s mission is to make education the Blount County community’s top priority by developing a sustained public awareness campaign focusing on the critical issues related to education, supporting local schools in their efforts to provide a top-notch education for all students, and serving as a bridge between the educational community and businesses to develop meaningful collaborations.
FIRST AMENDMENT CENTER
The First Amendment Center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government. The center’s programs provide education and information to the public and groups including First Amendment scholars and experts, educators, government policy makers, legal experts and students. The center is nonpartisan and does not lobby or litigate. The First Amendment Center is an operating program of the Freedom Forum.
LYNDHURST FOUNDATION
The Lyndhurst Foundation focuses on the enhancement and enrichment of the natural, educational, cultural, and urban environment of Chattanooga and the surrounding region. Through its funding and partnerships, the foundation focuses on the following six goals: 1. Sustain and strengthen the Chattanooga downtown core
2. Promote urban neighborhoods of choice
3. Strengthen the momentum for public education reform
4. Foster a thriving creative community
5. Bolster the community’s identification with green spaces and outdoor recreation
6. Conserve, protect, and restore the region’s premier natural assets.
TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS
The Tennessee Board of Regents is the sixth largest governing system of higher education in the United States serving more than 180,000 students in its 6 universities, 13 community colleges, and 26 technology Centers. The Board of Regents institutions include professional schools of medicine, law, pharmacy, and public health. The Board of Regents institutions grant over 30,000 degrees and certificates annually.
TENNESSEE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE
The Tennessee Business Roundtable is a bipartisan business organization comprised of Tennessee CEOs representing many of the largest corporations including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, financial industries as well as other segments of the business community. The Roundtable focuses on policy issues promoting a pro-business environment and advocates for excellence in education preparing students for college and the workforce of the 21st century.
TENNESSEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the state’s largest statewide, broad-based business and industry trade association, serves as the unified voice of business and industry in the state. The Chamber strives to serve as a catalyst to increase per capita income and global competitiveness through its efforts to decrease business costs and increase productivity, build a highly skilled and capable workforce,foster a favorable climate for its members and their employees, and improve the quality of life for all Tennesseans.
TENNESSEE CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
The Tennessee Charter School Association’s mission is to expand the number of high-quality educational options for students in Tennessee by serving and supporting charter schools throughout the state. TCSA fulfills its mission by providing resources and technical assistance to new and existing charter schools and engaging in advocacy to ensure that Tennessee has policies and statutes that enable charter schools to be successful academically, operationally, and financially.
THE CORNERSTONE FOUNDATION OF KNOXVILLE
The Cornerstone Foundation of Knoxville’s purpose is to serve as a catalyst to help Knoxville reach its full potential as a community. As a philanthropic foundation that focuses on the Greater Knoxville area, Cornerstone has had education – specifically encouraging and supporting strategies to ensure that all students are prepared for College and Career – as a top priority since the foundation’s formation in 1997.
TENNESSEE COUNTY SERVICES ASSOCIATION
The Tennessee County Services Association is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group representing the state’s 95 counties. TCSA is comprised of three affiliates, the Association of County Mayors (ACM), the Tennessee County Commissioners Association (TCCA), and the Tennessee County Highway Officials Association (TCHOA). Headquartered in Nashville, TCSA works closely with the University of Tennessee’s County Technical Assistance Service in providing technical assistance and service to all counties in our state.
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Tennessee Department of Education is committed to helping children learn and teachers teach. The Department believes a quality education is the fundamental right of every child in the state and is working harder than ever, with the implementation of new standards and curriculum, to ensure that every student graduates with the skills necessary for college and the workforce. It is the Department’s responsibility to provide equal, safe, and quality learning opportunities for all students, Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade.
THE DORIS & DONALD FISHER FUND
The Doris & Donald Fisher Fund is a San Francisco-based philanthropy created by Doris and Donald Fisher, founders of Gap, Inc. The Fisher Fund seeks to promote innovation and leverage improvement in the K-12 public education system in the United States by investing in organizations whose programs, policies or services raise student achievement, foster competition, and otherwise expand the public’s ability to provide a high-quality education to all students, particularly those in traditionally underserved communities.
TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
The Tennessee Education Association’s mission is to promote, advance, and protect public education, the education profession, and the rights and interests of its members. Tennessee’s teachers, the state’s largest professional organization whose members include some 55,000 elementary and secondary teachers, school administrators, education support professionals, higher education faculty and students preparing to become teachers all comprise TEA. Its daily work involves educating Tennessee’s students, engaging parents and empowering schools.
EDUCATION CONSUMERS FOUNDATION
The Education Consumers Foundation is a national nonprofit consumer organization providing independent and accurate information to the consumers of public education, including parents, taxpayers, and their elected representatives. One of the Foundation’s signature initiatives is The Tennessee Project, which works to increase awareness, understanding, and applications of value-added data from the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), the longest-running and most sophisticated value-added system in the country.
TENNESSEE FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
The Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation is the unified voice of agriculture and rural citizens, working through its grassroots organization to enhance and strengthen the lives of rural Tennesseans and to build strong, prosperous agricultural communities.
THE HYDE FAMILY FOUNDATIONS
The Hyde Family Foundations are Memphis-based private, independent grantmaking organizations focused on proactive, researched-based, and results-driven initiatives. Our three primary areas of interests are transforming education, strengthening neighborhoods and investing in authentic assets. While the vast majority of the Hyde Foundations’ philanthropic partners are focused on Memphis, the Foundations have taken a strong interest in statewide education reform, supporting initiatives such as the Tennessee Diploma Project and Tennessee SCORE.
INGRAM INDUSTRIES, INC.
Ingram Industries Inc., based in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of America’s largest privately held companies. It consists of diversified businesses in distribution, marine transportation, aggregate supply, print on demand book manufacturing and digital storage, management and distribution services. Ingram Industries Inc. includes three operating divisions: Ingram Marine Group, Ingram Lightning Group, and Ingram Digital.
KNOX COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
The Knox County Education Association’s mission is to promote quality education in Knox County by providing a support system that guarantees the opportunity for professional growth, secures, improves benefits, and protects the rights of educators of Knox County.
KNOXVILLE CHAMBER
The Knoxville Chamber is East Tennessee’s leading business organization committed to driving regional economic prosperity and development. The Chamber is focused on helping members get the most out of business opportunities and working to grow business in Knoxville. The Chamber is also committed to ensuring a skilled and knowledgeable workforce to meet the needs of our economy. It maintains strong partnerships with the local school systems and post-secondary institutions, local and state government, non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions, and industry.
NISWONGER FOUNDATION
The Niswonger Foundation is the brain child of businessman and philanthropist Scott Niswonger of Greeneville, TN. It is a private operating foundation whose mission is to create opportunities for individual and community growth through education.
TENNESSEE ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS
The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents’ goal is to advance public education in the state of Tennessee and to establish a collaborative relationship with the education stakeholders to promote education for all students in our state. TOSS provides leadership training for superintendents and lobbies on behalf of education reform.
PEABODY COLLEGE AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
Peabody College of Vanderbilt University is one of the nations’ premier schools of education. Peabody’s Department of Leadership and Policy is the nation’s highest ranked leadership and policy academic unit. It has as its mission understanding and enhancing institutions in which learning takes place. SCORE is at the absolute center of the department’s mission.
PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION OF CHATTANOOGA / HAMILTON COUNTY
The Public Education Foundation of Chattanooga / Hamilton County is a non-profit organization that partners with the Hamilton County Department of Education to improve student achievement by improving public schools. The foundation has seen significant increases in student achievement in the elementary, middle, and high schools it has supported, and has helped Hamilton County schools become a national model for reform by contributing research into best practices, training for teachers and school leaders, opportunities for educators to share great ideas, and fundraising to support this work.
TENNESSEE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
The Tennessee School Boards Association’s mission is to assist school boards in effectively governing school districts. Through the years, TSBA has helped school boards and their members reach their highest potential through association programs, meetings and services. TSBA also provides school board members a collective voice in matters of legislation and public education concerns.
STAND FOR CHILDREN
Stand for Children is a statewide, grassroots organization committed to improving children’s lives by improving public schools. Stand trains citizens in effective advocacy in order to promote long-term, systemic change. Stand for Children has six Chapters in Tennessee in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, Rutherford County and Sumner County.
TENNESSEE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Tennessee State Board of Education’s vision is to prepare all Tennessee children for successful postsecondary work, education, and citizenship. By focusing on making sure Tennessee’s schools have effective leaders, effective teachers, a rigorous and relevant curriculum, and sufficient resources, the Board’s vision will become a reality. The Board has set the following goals: high quality Pre-K availability; dynamic elementary grade education; relevant middle grade experiences; rigorous and relevant high school curriculum; and successful transitions to post-secondary education or work.
UNITED WAYS OF TENNESSEE
United Ways of Tennessee is the state’s leading community solutions provider, and the driving force behind many initiatives that provide solutions to Tennessee’s most critical needs. It provides more than $100 million annually to more than 1300 agencies and programs to improve the quality of life for all Tennesseans.