![]() ![]() You probably should just drop my class." So I did. I loved math but, when I took trigonometry in high school and it wasn't connecting, my teacher was like, "You know, you're a girl. From kindergarten through 12th grade, I went to public schools in Harlingen.įrom an early age, my mom drilled into me that "you got to go to college." So I was always in a competition to be at the top of my class. Did you go to public schools? Private schools? How did they shape you?Ī: My only early experience in a private school was attending a Catholic school in pre-K. Q: Getting to know you on a personal level, describe your own education experience. "I want to be part of that story."īelow are highlights of Chalkbeat's interview, which has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. "Tennessee has always been the bellwether state of doing things that challenge the adults in the system to continue to do better," she said. Reynolds said she jumped at the chance to join the administration of Lee, a Republican businessman who pushed for sweeping changes to education in his first term and was easily reelected last year. (READ MORE: Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn to resign) And, as a parent of three children, one of whom was diagnosed with a disability in elementary school, she tapped both public and private schools to find the best fit for her family. As a first-generation college graduate and the oldest of four children of working-class parents, she benefited from scholarships and financial aid. She described how, as a Hispanic American and a female, she experienced discrimination. Since she's on a learning curve in a new state, questions about policy specifics were off the table.īut she was open about her own K-12 experiences as a public school kid growing up in Harlingen, Texas, a heavily Hispanic community in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border. Last week, in her first media interview since Lee announced her hiring in May, Reynolds sat down with Chalkbeat to talk about her background and leadership style. This week, the new commissioner travels to Memphis, home to the state's largest school district, for introductions with local officials and community leaders. I think she will do well here if she will stay above the political fray," said Bowman, who was a frequent critic of Reynolds' predecessor, Penny Schwinn. ![]() "She made it clear that she is here to serve students and educators in Tennessee. Since her official start on July 1, Reynolds' schedule has been packed with meetings with staff, lawmakers, government officials and education stakeholders.Īmong the latter is JC Bowman, executive director of the Professional Educators of Tennessee, who described Reynolds as "straightforward and direct." Meanwhile, much of the work to roll out a comprehensive new school safety package, approved this spring after a mass school shooting in Nashville, has shifted under a new law to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. ![]() (READ MORE: A Q&A with the Education Commissioner about Tennessee's new education funding formula) "When I was chief deputy commissioner in Texas, that's what I did."Īmong her priorities in Tennessee: executing new programs to develop stronger readers troubleshooting the switch to a new K-12 funding formula as of July 1 strengthening school models to prepare students for success after high school and operating and expanding Lee's controversial voucher program that gives taxpayer money to eligible students to attend private schools. "Implementation is kind of my sweet spot," Reynolds said. She also has years of policy and political experience at the federal level, and most recently led policy work for the advocacy group ExcelinEd, founded by former Florida Gov. She feels prepared for that role, having overseen state-level education policy work in Texas for nearly a decade, including six years as its No. Bill Lee is to implement existing major policy changes - from how reading is taught to the continued rollout of private school vouchers - not to craft new initiatives. Three weeks into her job as Tennessee's education chief, Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds says her charge from Gov. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. ![]()
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